The refuse, including straw, husks and dung, remains behind. Praise no man before he speaks, for it is then that men are tested. Speech is the principal criterion for evaluating a person. Today we hear Paul end his discussion of the resurrection of the dead with a hymn of triumph over death. This will also end our study of 1 Corinthians for this cycle, except for one hearing on Pentecost Sunday.
Death is swallowed up in victory.
The sting of a serpent. Sin, death, and law have played no role in Paul's theology up to this point, but they are key concepts in Romans, especially chapters 5 through 7. Without the law sin was weak. It existed, to be sure, but it did not have the power to condemn, because although evil occurred, it was not clearly pointed out. Thus it was no small change which the law brought about.