I didn’t think we would reach 12 parts and I just stayed with the title even though we moved from the evidence of Jesus to the evidence for our resurrection and then to all that this means for us now. But this has to be the best chapter for understanding the powerful resurrection that Jesus has brought.
Paul concludes this section and takes us right back to the beginning, when in verse 2 he wrote, “By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.”
He is confident that because Christ has been raised and every believer will be then it will all have been worth it.
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15 v 58)
Throughout this chapter Paul has argued for the reality of Christ’s resurrection. He clearly gives evidence that Christ’s resurrection happened but that it becomes the very foundation for our faith.
He ends by calling us to stand firm. In a world which changes so quickly, values are being diluted all the time and faced with constant challenges we are called to be immovable, rooted in the truth of the resurrection.
Let nothing move you means that nothing, no challenge, no persecution, no doubt, no worldly temptation should shake you from this core belief.
We are not to simply stand still in our hope and faith but we are to be actively participating in the mission of God. Wholehearted commitment and total dedication is what Paul means for us to give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord.
We will not be disappointed in the end. We will look back and say we have lived a life which had meaning and that was full because our labour was not in vain.
So today hold on. Remain. Work. It matters. Do it all in the light of the resurrection of Christ and of yours!
Missions Paul 