1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV) … “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
1 Corinthians 15 is one of the most blessed chapters in the Bible. In this chapter, Paul tells us as believers we will not only one day be with Jesus, but one day we will be exactly like Jesus in our resurrected body. In light of that promised resurrection, Paul closes with an affirmation to live for Jesus in the here and now.
Thus, Paul exhorts us to stand firm, to hold firmly to the word he had preached, to guard our belief in the gospel and in the resurrection of believers. He exhorts the true believers to let nothing move them because those who denied the resurrection undermined the gospel itself.
Like the Corinthians, if we allow ourselves to be dragged away by false teaching, we would deny our only hope for salvation. No matter how persuasive the opposing arguments sound, we must remember the truth of Christ’s resurrection, our promised union with Christ, and our future bodily resurrection. Therefore, Paul also exhorts us to give ourselves entirely to the work of the Lord now, knowing that our labor in the Lord is not in vain.
It has been said, that “belief always impacts behavior.” Paul argues against any attitude on our part that would make belief in the second coming of Christ an excuse for sitting back and doing nothing to further the cause of Christ in this world. We must never forget the words of Jesus, “Occupy till I come” in Luke 19:13. Those words are the Lord’s own express command to us concerning his expectations. So, until the day of resurrection and reunion, let us not grow weary of the work for the Lord Jesus. While we might grow weary in the work from time to time, we must never grow weary of the work. We must be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord!
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