But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57 NIV
Victory
When the British 2nd Division arrived in France, the Canadian Corps was formed, later expanded by the addition of the 3rd Division. From April to August 1916 the corps fought in the defence of Ypres, until it moved to fight in the Battle of the Somme. On April 9, 1917 it captured Vimy Ridge, which had withstood all attacks by the Allies for two years. Though this victory cost the Canadian Corps 10,000 casualties, it remains one of Canada’s greatest military victories.
***
When the world thinks of victory, it thinks of a battlefield or a hockey rink. More often than not the victory hangs in the balance. When the Bible speaks about victory, there are no armies or teams and the outcome is never in doubt. In 1 Corinthians 15:57 we read “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul has just been writing about the resurrection of the saints at the end of the age. He ends by quoting Hosea 13:3: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” He answers with the response: “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The victory that Jesus won over death through His death and resurrection was never “hanging in the balance”. Jesus burst forth from the grave and death was defeated. It will be one day in our lives as well. We live every day with the knowledge that our resurrection is assured as well. With the sting of death gone, we walk in victory in this life and into the next.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley