Paul dealt with many problems in the church at Corinth. One of those problems was so important that he dedicated an entire chapter to it. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul instructed the church on the truth concerning the resurrection of Christ. Not only did he deal with the fact of Christ’s resurrection, but also with how it will affect us directly between now and the resurrection of the saints.
We learn from this that we are already victorious simply because Christ got up out of the grave. Victory is not in question! There will undoubtedly be difficult days during our earthly journey, but in the end, victory has already been secured for us. There are probably days when it seems that absolutely everything goes wrong. Maybe there are even times when you feel that it just is not worth the effort. However, I remind you that we know the final score, and no matter what it looks like on a daily basis, we know that Christ lives to provide for us victory by His power.
Furthermore, because we have this promise, we should be motivated to be “steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” It seems that we are living in a time when mediocrity is the flavor of the day. Treading water, getting by, and doing less than our best is the acceptable norm. Our world has never needed our fervent witness for Christ more than it does today. We certainly do not live in a day when there is any danger of anyone accusing us of being fanatical.
The unscriptural teaching concerning the resurrection was not only affecting the believers in Corinth, but it was also confusing to the lost. Paul challenged the church to wake up and realize that not everyone knew the truth, and charged that they should be ashamed for making things even worse by their arguments concerning the resurrection. It seems as though Corinth has spread to the entire world today. Arguments have superseded our burden for a lost world far too often.
This is the perfect time for us to be steadfast. This is the perfect time for us to be unmovable. This would be the perfect time for us to abound in the work of the Lord. May God so manifest Himself to us that we would realize that we cannot only have victory in the future, but we can have it today.
May the Lord bless your labor of love for His glory.
In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone