Answer
First Corinthians 15:56 says, “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law” (NKJV). Some translations, like the New International Version and the English Standard Version, replace strength with power, both words reflecting the Greek dunamis. The first phrase, the sting of death is sin, affirms that sin brought about death; there would be no death without sin. But what does it mean that the strength of sin is the law?
Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 15:56 should not be misconstrued to mean that the law is evil. Paul specifically states that the law is good (Romans 7:12). David also proclaimed that “the law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous” (Psalm 19:7–9). The law is not the ultimate revelation of God’s perfect ideal (Jesus is), but in it we find timeless principles of justice, moral order, and care for the marginalized. The law is righteous.
Therefore, the law being the strength of sin does not mean that the law created sin. Neither does it encourage sin. Sin existed before the law, brought in by Adam’s disobedience (Romans 5:12, cf. Genesis 3:6). Although Abraham, Isaac, and other patriarchs had an understanding of sin and its effects, the full condition of sin was revealed through the law.
Paul explains in Romans 7:7–8, asking, “Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’ But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead.” The law is the strength of sin in that the law defined sin and brought it from the heart of man to where it could be perceived. The law clarified God’s will and thus set man’s sinful will in starker contrast.
The root of sin is rebellion, and it leads to a choice to satisfy one’s desires and needs at the expense of others. It is survival of the fittest at its worst, a disregard for laws, moral standards, or authority. Ergo, when the law came, sin showed its true nature of rebellion. We were naturally inclined toward disobeying the law, even in the face of the severe consequences provided for in the law. The strength of sin is the law because sin’s rebellious nature is shown when a law is given. Commentator John Gill explained it this way: “The more [our nature] is forbidden anything, the more desirous it is of it; to which may be added, that sin is the more exceeding sinful, being committed against a known law” (Exposition of the Entire Bible, entry for 1 Corinthians 15:56).
Because we are inclined to sin, our disposition in the sight of the law is to disobey it, thus showing that we cannot earn salvation by obeying the law. Even more, the law can only restrain our sinfulness through a system of blessings and curses. It holds no power to transform our hearts. The best sinners can do is to outwardly conform to obedience to the law.
Our only hope is for God to save us (see Psalm 3:8). To His eternal praise, God offers salvation through Jesus Christ, who paid the wages of our disobedience. The salvation we receive when we trust in Jesus is a full package, breaking the power of sin in our lives. Because Jesus fulfilled the law, we are no longer under it; rather, we operate in a new relationship of faith displayed in love. Also, when we are in Christ, have (spiritually speaking) died and been resurrected, breaking the power of sin (Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:3–14; Colossians 2:20; 3:3; 2 Timothy 2:11). The strength of sin is the law, but that is not the entire story. God “gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57, NLT)!
