RESURRECTION CHANGES EVERYTHING

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 labor in the Lord is not in vain. —1 Corinthians 15:58

First Corinthians 15 is one of the Bible’s great theological passages, and it is bookended with history, experience, and life. As we have seen, Paul began the chapter with a catalog of the groups of people, most of them still alive and contactable at the time of writing, who were witnesses to the resurrected reality of Jesus. They had talked with Him, eaten with Him, and listened to Him talk after His death and resurrection. They knew the story was true and were prepared to testify to it, even at the risk of their lives. Then Paul concluded his argument with a surprisingly practical real-world application. Because of the defeat of death and its promised eradication, followers of Jesus—including those who were witnesses to His resurrection—will be people who resist the fear of death and its effects on the world around us.

They will celebrate life and all that affirms and adds to its goodness—and they will be determined and steadfast in doing so. The followers of Jesus today will insist that fear and death are never the most powerful things we confront or the most important factors to be taken into account. But this is not only a theological assertion; it is a way of living with hope and confidence that actually changes things in the world around us. “Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless” (1 Corinthians 15:58, NLT). Because of Jesus’ resurrection, everything matters.

What we do to serve Him and others is part of a much larger rejection of death and fear and will have the final say in the story of our world, so it should have a greater influence on the realities of our lives today.