The Cure Made from the Venom

At the Australian Reptile Park north of Sydney, handlers milk eastern brown snakes — the second most venomous land snake on earth — by pressing the serpent's fangs against a collection vial. Drop by drop, the very poison that stops a human heart in minutes is gathered. Then something remarkable happens. That venom is sent to a laboratory, where it is injected in tiny doses into horses. The horses' immune systems produce antibodies, and from their blood, scientists extract antivenom. The only cure for the bite comes from the bite itself.

Paul understood this paradox at the deepest level. "Where, O death, is your sting?" he asked, almost taunting. Death had sunk its fangs into Christ on the cross. Sin delivered its full, lethal dose. But the Almighty transformed that very moment of destruction into the cure for all humanity. What looked like venom coursing through the veins of history became the antidote that neutralizes death forever.

This is why Paul doesn't merely say we survive death — he says God "gives us the victory." Not a narrow escape. Not a draw. A complete reversal, where the weapon meant to destroy us has been turned into the instrument of our salvation. The snake struck, and in striking, lost everything.