Note 25 at 1 Cor. 15:56: There are at least two ways that this phrase "The sting of death is sin" can be taken. First, it is through a sting that poison is injected. Death had no access unto us until sin entered the picture. Sin is how death was injected into our bodies (Rom. 5:12).

Secondly, this could also be saying that the thing that makes death painful is sin. Just as a bee doesn't hurt unless it stings you, so death has lost it's ability to hurt once sin and it's punishment has been removed through Jesus. The thing that made death painful was sin. For the Christian who knows his redemption from sin and it's consequences, death is the entrance into the very presence of God (Phil. 1:21-23).

Note 26 at 1 Cor. 15:56: This is a startling statement which, if given proper thought, would totally change the theology of most Christians. The law strengthened sin, not us. The law didn't give us any added power against sin. But, on the contrary, the law strengthened our enemy, sin, in its battle against us. Most people thought God gave us all the commandments so that we could overcome sin. Instead, God gave the commandments to help sin overcome us. How could this be?

The truth is that sin had already overcome mankind before the law of God was given. The commission of even one slight sin hopelessly dooms us (Jas. 2:10 with Rom. 6:23). That's the way it is. God's holiness is so infinitely higher than any degree of holiness that we could ever produce, that it's useless to try and earn God's favor. But man is very slow to learn that truth.

Most people feel they can achieve right standing with God through their good acts. This invariably leads to comparison with others who are less "holy" so we can look good. However, God isn't going to grade us on "a curve" in relation to how others have done. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (i.e. Jesus-see note 5 at Rom. 3:23, p. 759). If we aren't as good as Jesus, then we have to put our total faith in Jesus and the righteousness that He produced for us (see note 8 at Rom. 4:5, p. 762).

How could God get man to see his hopeless situation and make him despair of self-righteousness? He gave the law (see note 4 at Rom. 3:19, p. 757). The law made sin come alive on the inside of us (Rom. 7:9) and strengthened our enemy, sin (this verse). It is human nature (sinful human nature) to lust for the very things that we cannot have. So, when the law said, "Thou shalt not covet..." (Ex. 20:17), we wanted everything that we weren't suppose to have. This was intended to shock us out of the deception that we were all right, even though we knew we weren't perfect. The law said, "You have to be perfect!"

Amazingly, through religion, Satan has subtly gotten people to embrace the law, thinking that living by the law will somehow help them to quit sinning. That's the opposite of what Paul is saying here. If you want people to live in adultery, start preaching "Thou shalt not commit adultery" (Ex. 20:14), and people who were not even tempted in that area before will immediately start lusting after someone besides their own mate. That's what the law was intended to do.

Paul said in Romans 6:14, "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." It's the goodness of God that leads us to repentance (Rom. 2:4). The law gave the knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:19), but knowledge of sin won't save us. We need knowledge of a Savior who redeemed us from sin. That's the gospel and it is this gospel that gives us power in our battle against sin (see note 1 at Rom. 1:16, p. 744).