| Christian Life and Doctrine | September 1967 |
Steadfast and Abounding
CLIMAXING his wonderful lesson on the resurrection of the dead, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”—I Cor. 15:58
In his lesson on the resurrection Paul reveals that there were some to whom he was writing who did not believe in this basic teaching of the divine plan of salvation. “How say some among you,” he asked, “that there is no resurrection of the dead?” (vs. 12) Then Paul points out that if there is no resurrection of the dead it would mean that the preaching of the Gospel as it is centered in Christ would be vain. It would mean that there was no basis for Christian faith. To this he adds, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” (vs. 19) “But now is Christ risen from the dead,” Paul continues, “and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”—vs. 20
Because Christ provided redemption through his death and was raised from the dead by the power of his Heavenly Father, all who sleep in death are to be awakened. The first of these, as Paul explains, are those who will be associated with Jesus in the work of the kingdom. These are the “firstfruits” class of verse 23. Then will follow the awakening of all mankind from the sleep of death. This feature of the divine plan will be accomplished during the kingdom of Christ, who will reign until all enemies of God and men shall be subdued, the last enemy to be destroyed being death.—vss. 25,26
In the resurrection there will be two general classes—the heavenly and the earthly. Following the resurrection of the firstfruits class to heavenly glory to be associated with Jesus in the work of the kingdom, mankind will be restored to live on the earth, and those who then prove worthy will be blessed with everlasting human life. This will mean that “death is swallowed up in victory.” Then it can be said, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?—vss. 54,55
Truly this is a glorious plan for the recovery of the sin-cursed world of mankind from death! Our joy in this plan is now based upon our faith, and it is through faith that we will gain the victory over all of Satan’s efforts to discourage and defeat us as we follow in the footsteps of the Master. “Therefore,” as Paul admonishes, it is essential to be “steadfast” and “unmovable.”
Established
The Greek word translated “steadfast” in this text literally means “to sit,” and by implication, to be immovable. It is a different Greek word that is translated “unmovable,” but it has much the same meaning. Apparently Paul used these two words having similar meanings in order to emphasize especially the importance of being established in the faith. He expresses the thought in Colossians 1:22,23, where, speaking of those who have been reconciled through Christ, he says that these can be presented “holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight” if they “continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel.”
Seemingly in the church at Corinth there were some who had allowed themselves to be “moved away” so far from the “hope of the Gospel” that they no longer believed in the resurrection of the dead. These, instead of remaining steadfast, had permitted themselves to be blown about by false doctrines. They were no longer sure where they stood, and were unsettled in both their minds and their hearts. But let us not think of this merely as a condition which existed among some of the brethren in Corinth nearly two thousand years ago. Let us realize that it is something which can happen to some of us in this end of the age as well, and that we should therefore be on guard.
Addressing the Corinthian brethren Paul again said, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” (I Cor. 16:13) We will need to be watchful, on the alert, if we are to maintain our standing in the faith. And, as Paul further states, we will need to “quit” ourselves like men. The Greek word here translated “quit” means to act in a manly fashion. We are not to be like “children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.”—Eph. 4:14
The Fundamental Truths
Since the background of Paul’s admonition was disbelief in the resurrection of the dead on the part of some of the Corinthian brethren, we know that when he urges the brethren to remain steadfast in their faith and hope he is referring, not to minor details of interpretation, but to the great fundamental doctrines which constitute “the faith once delivered to the saints.” It requires faith in things unseen to remain steadfast in any and all of these fundamental doctrines. For example, the creation and fall of man are among these doctrines. None of us has ever seen the Garden of Eden, nor have we ever seen a perfect man as Adam was when he came from the hand of the Creator. We accept these teachings because they are in the Word of God, and because they are a harmonious part of the entire divine plan of the ages.
We accept the doctrine of the ransom because it is set forth in the Bible. We believe that Jesus was raised from the dead because the Bible says so. We believe in the call and development of the church during the present age, to live and reign with Christ during the age to come, because this precious truth is outlined in the Scriptures. We believe in “the times of restitution of all things” because, as Peter affirms, this glorious future time of blessing for the world has been foretold by the mouth of God’s holy prophets since the world began.
Those in the Early Church had to accept by faith the fact that Jesus was the Messiah and that his first presence was a reality because of the many signs which accompanied it. Today we believe in Christ’s second presence because of the “signs” outlined in the Word of God and because we see those signs as they are revealed in the events taking place around us in both the church and the world.
Let us not say that only the noncontroversial doctrines are fundamental, because all the doctrines of the divine plan are denied by some. The resurrection of Jesus was controversial in the church at Corinth. That “the wages of sin is death” is controversial in many quarters today. Indeed, if we carry the thought far enough we discover that even the existence of God is controversial, for millions today do not believe that he exists.
“Thus Saith the Lord”
So when we speak of remaining steadfast in the fundamental doctrines of the truth we refer to those doctrines which, without question, can be established by a “thus saith the Lord,” that is, by definite statements of the Bible, concerning the meaning of which there can be no reasonable doubt. It is through these great truths that we are filled by the Spirit of the Lord and motivated to lay down our lives in his service. In our steadfastness we should be willing to die for these great fundamentals of the divine plan.
Beyond these fundamental doctrines there are many viewpoints which through the years the brethren have developed but which are really opinions because they cannot be substantiated clearly by the Word of God. We all like to “fill in the picture” with as many details as possible, but in our discussions and viewpoints of these opinions let us not be dogmatic and judge others to be in error simply because they may not agree with our viewpoints and traditions.
Working Out Our Own Salvation
It is through the truth that God reveals himself to us, and he wants the power of the truth to mold us into his image. Paul wrote, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:12,13) “The work of the Lord,” then, is the working out of our own salvation, in the consciousness that God is working in us, and that therefore we are in partnership with him in this great project.
Just how do we work out our own salvation? Does this mean that we are to closet ourselves away from all others and simply study and pray? We do not think so. We think it means the doing of all the things which the Word of God bids us to do. We should mortify the deeds of the body. We are to be emptied of self, that the Lord may fill us with his Spirit. We are to add to our faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly-kindness, and love. (II Pet. 1:4-7) We are to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he might exalt us in due time.—I Pet. 5:6
According to the Bible, we are to lay down our lives for the brethren. (I John 3:16) There are many ways in which we can serve the brethren. Important among these is the help we should give in building one another up in our most holy faith. It is through speaking the truth in love that we grow up into him in all things. (Eph. 4:15) Nor can we properly ignore the material needs of the brethren when such exist. When we think of working out our own salvation it is well to ask ourselves if we are doing all we can to serve our brethren, because this is one of the things the Lord expects us to do to show our worthiness of “the great salvation.”
Holding Forth the Word
Paul says that in working out our own salvation we should “do all things without murmurings and disputings; that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.” (Phil. 2:14-16) Here it becomes obvious that working out our own salvation includes holding forth the Word of life, or in other words, bearing witness to the truth.
To bear witness to the truth does not take time and strength away from adding to our faith virtue and patience, or any of the other fruits of the spirit. Indeed, our growth in Christ likeness is augmented by our witnessing for the truth. There is no time when the truth is a more potent influence in our lives than when we are endeavoring to make it known to others. Besides, when we use the truth for the blessing of others, it helps us to keep it bright and fresh in our own minds, and thus to remain steadfast to the Gospel.
Actually, there are not two aspects of the Christian’s life and work, one for himself and one for others. In the Lord’s harmonious arrangement and spiritual balance, the working out of our own salvation involves all the things we do in obedience to the Lord, including our witnessing for the truth. If we do not witness for the truth we cannot make our calling and election sure. One of the ways by which God works in us is by giving us opportunities to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom. Faithfulness in this demonstrates our enthusiasm for the Gospel and our spirit of obedience to the Lord’s Word.
Jesus commissioned us to let our light shine, and not to hide it under a bushel. (Matt. 5:14-16) We are the light of the world, Jesus said, and how could we be pleasing to the Lord if for any reason we should hide the light of the Gospel under some “bushel” or excuse, fabricated by our own selfish reasoning? How could God continue to work in us to will and to do of his good pleasure if we resisted the influence of his Word in our hearts and lives?
Perhaps the brethren in Corinth who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead did not have much enthusiasm for preaching the Gospel. Indeed, as Paul declares, their preaching would have been in vain even though they did declare what to them was the “Gospel,” for their message would have been empty and meaningless.
To a lesser extent there could be some even now who, having lost their first-love enthusiasm for the truth itself, do not feel impelled to make it known to others. They may reason falsely that it is too early or too late, or that the conditions are not favorable. But to take views such as these indicates that one has already allowed himself to be drawn away from his own steadfastness in the truth, the attitude of these is described by Solomon when he wrote, “He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.”—Eccles. 11:4
“Always Abounding”
Paul indicates that those who remain “steadfast and unmovable” should be “always abounding in the work of the Lord,” and they will be! The Greek word here translated “abounding” literally means “more than enough.” If we think we have been faithful in the work of the Lord, including the witness work, then we should endeavor to do even more. Do we have this sort of zeal, or do we exert ourselves merely to the extent of what we consider would be the minimum the Lord might require?
When we were first enlightened and became followers of the Master, we doubtless had that “first love” zeal and enthusiasm for every facet of the Lord’s will for us, including work in his vineyard. Actually there is no valid reason for our zeal to cool off in any way; but sometimes it does. In the Lord’s message to the church at Ephesus he said that these brethren had left their “first love,” (Rev. 2:1-4) and this should be a warning to all the Lord’s people. A cooling of our zeal for doing the Lord’s will is usually a gradual process, and we need constantly to be on the alert lest this spiritual lethargy should be gradually creeping in upon us to keep us from “always abounding in the work of the Lord.”
“More Than the First”
Rather than to allow our love and zeal to lag, we should endeavor to be like the church at Thyatira, to whom the Lord said, “I know thy works, and love, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.” (Rev. 2:19) And why should not this be true of all the Lord’s people! As we progress in the Christian way should not our increasing knowledge of the Lord, and the realization of the marvelous manner in which he is guiding and helping us in our every time of need, increase our faith and love and our “abounding” as well?
This will be true of those who, in addition to increasing their faith, increase also in patience, as was true of the brethren in the church at Thyatira. Patient continuance in well-doing is a vitally important attainment in the Christian life. Enthusiastic zeal for the Lord and for the doing of his will are more or less a natural result of our “first love.” The test is our ability to maintain this laudable attitude. Are we allowing the trials of the narrow way to lead to weariness in well-doing?
In The Parable of the Sower, Jesus said, “That on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” (Luke 8:15) To “keep” the Word is to remain “stedfast and unmoveable” in the truth, and if we can thus “keep” the Word, and bring forth fruit with patience, it will mean an abounding in the work of the Lord.
“Not in Vain”
Paul concludes: “Forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (I Cor. 15:58) There are certain things which a Christian needs to know in order to maintain his faith and zeal and love. For example, he needs to know that the Lord is causing all things to work together for his good as a new creature in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8:28) Without this knowledge one might easily become discouraged. And here Paul gives us another important point of knowledge, which is that our labor is not in vain in the Lord.
The Greek word here translated “vain” means “empty.” It is used by Paul in verses 10, 14, and 17 of I Corinthians 15. In verse 10 he wrote, “By the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain [empty].” In other words, the grace of God in the heart and life of Paul produced results, and in this Paul rejoiced.
In verse 14 we read, “If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain [empty, void of results], and your faith is also vain”—empty, because it is a faith in that which is not a reality. The same thought is expressed in verse 17. And it is this same word that Paul uses in the 58th verse, where he assures us that our “labor is not in vain [empty] in the Lord.” The thought is clear that those who labor in the Lord’s vineyard, proclaiming the glorious message of the Redeemer and the risen Christ, whose kingdom will destroy sin and death, will be rewarded, will not go “empty” of the Lord’s blessing.
To the Hebrew brethren Paul wrote, “God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end.” (Heb. 6:10,11) The reference here is to our service to the brethren. God does not forget this, and will reward according to the abundance of his grace. But even in this it is important that we continue showing diligence in our service, a diligence which will be the inevitable result of having a “full assurance of hope unto the end.”
Witnessing to the World
Our witnessing the Gospel of the kingdom to the world is also sure to be rewarded, in God’s own due time and way. Solomon wrote, “As thou knowest not what is the way of the Spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they shall both be alike good.”—Eccles. 11:5,6
When we make known the glad tidings of the kingdom, we do not know just who may be blessed by it. At times it might seem that our efforts are in vain, or “empty.” But if we continue to witness, sowing the seeds of truth in the morning, and in the evening withholding not our hands, some will find its way into hearts which will be blessed.
In a lifetime of such diligent efforts the Lord may not bless us with a knowledge of a single individual who really embraces the message and dedicates himself to the Lord. However, there are sure to be some whose hearts are touched to some degree because of having been given a better understanding of God. This is “seed” that will mature in the next age, seed which we sow in our weakness now through our “abounding in the work of the Lord.” And then there is that richness of divine grace which floods our own hearts and lives as we speak to others concerning the glorious hope that lifts us up above the trivial cares and perplexities of the present life.
So we can be sure that our labor is not in vain if we continue steadfast and unmovable. And what a blessed privilege it is to be co-workers with our loving Heavenly Father and with our Redeemer and Advocate, Christ Jesus. Truly, they are rich and powerful partners, and while they do not need our help, we have been graciously given the opportunity of showing our appreciation of their love, and of proving worthy of a share in the messianic kingdom, by preparing ourselves through doing what we can in the divine cause. What a marvelous manifestation of divine grace!