Oh Death, Where Is Thy Sting?

“Mortals, born of woman, are of few days and full of trouble. They spring up like flowers and wither away; like fleeting shadows, they do not endure.” Job 14:1–2

Death! The one question life cannot answer. It comes uninvited, unannounced, and often leaves behind a trail of sorrow, confusion, and silence. Whether sudden or expected, the passing of a loved one shakes even the strongest among us. You may feel composed when tragedy is distant, but when the inevitable hand of death draws near: through a friend, a parent, a child, or a national figure it pierces the soul.

The subject of death divides us. Different beliefs shape how we understand its nature, what lies beyond, and how we respond. “If someone dies, will they live again?” asks Job (Job 14:14). It’s a question that echoes through every funeral, every tear, every sleepless night.

So how do we, as Christians, respond to death?

Do we give thanks in all things, as 1 Thessalonians 5:18 urges? Or do we mourn with those who mourn, as Romans 12:15 commands? Can we do both? What should we do?

Some, overwhelmed by this tragedy, have contemplated like Job’s wife suggested to curse God and die (Job 2:9). You see, death can make us question everything. It humbles the bold, silences the eloquent, and breaks the seemingly unbreakable.

Yet in the midst of mourning, we are called to be more than mourners. We are called to be bearers of hope.

As a nation mourns, as families grieve, we the body of Christ have a sacred duty. We must stand beside the brokenhearted, weep with them, and walk with them through the valley of uncertainty and pray with them. But we must also speak life, we must remind them of the eternal promises of God in His word.

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”  1 Corinthians 15:55 (KJV)

Our hope is not in this life alone. Our hope is in the resurrection. In Christ, death is not the end, it is the beginning of glory. “When this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:54)

So yes, we mourn. But we do not mourn as those without hope. We grieve, but we also proclaim that death has been defeated. Christ has conquered the grave. And because He lives, we too shall live. Yes, Christ is the answer to Death (John 11:25).

Let us comfort one another with these words. Let us hold fast to the promise that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). And let us declare, even through tears: Oh death, where is thy sting?

Written by Eld. Michael Konnor Tetteh
TAC-GH GENERAL HEADQUARTERS