Well, it finally happened! We finished 1 Corinthians 15. The last four verses out the finishing touches to the greatest chapter in the Bible for believers of this mystery period, known as the Dispensation of the Grace of God. It begins with the gospel given to Paul, defends the resurrection for all believers, gives us a clear understanding of the blessed hope, the resurrection / rapture of the Church Age saints.
These last four verses confirm that we, too, will have victory over death, hell, and the grave, just like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The last verse encourages us all to be steadfast in the faith, unmoveable in our commitment, and always abounding in the work of the Lord. We will receive an eternal reward at the judgment seat of Christ, as long as the work is done “in the Lord” / in our new man! Please familiarize yourself with 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 and Ephesians 6:10-18. They help to give us a clear understanding of what it means to be steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.
Galatians 6:9: And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Thank you, Ann Wirtz, for your insightful question concerning the spiritual warfare we wage everyday, between our fleshy old man, desperately attempting to destroy us, and our perfect, sinless new man we are in Christ. I am reminded of the encouragement Paul gave the Galatian believers in Galatians 5:1,13: Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
Paul also dealt with this subject of sin and righteousness in Romans 6:1-2, 11-14: What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin (in our new man), live any longer therein? Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Yes, we all struggle daily with the sins of our old nature, but they only separate us from the perfect fellowship we have in Christ, in this life. Our eternal standing is justified / declared righteous, as though we had never sinned, before our heavenly Father. Our state of daily warfare is based upon our submission to the guidance of the Holy Spirit moment by moment. If we allow the “flesh” to run our lives, we will be rife with guilt and despair, but that can be rectified through confession of sin, and being restored to fellowship with our heavenly Father. Satan wants to destroy our service to Christ by using our past to burden us and rob us of the joy we have in Christ!
1 John 1:8-10: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
2 Timothy 1:7: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.