Consistent Christianity

 

“Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58).

 

When Paul wrote the church in Corinth, they were unsettled in various ways regarding their faith in Christ, and how that faith was being expressed. They should have matured spiritually by this time, but were still fleshly, immature in their thinking, needing still to overcome envy and strife. They were divisive regarding their use of spiritual gifts, exalting those who had the gift of tongues over others. They were prideful about their estimate of themselves regarding their knowledge spiritually, which was lacking. Paul loved these Christians (2 Cor. 11:11), but they needed to understand what it meant to live consistently for Christ.

 

Paul reminds them in 1 Cor. 15:58 what the goal is of the instruction they had received about Christ and the gospel, about the impact it was to make in their lives. First, they were to be steadfast, meaning settled and steady; it carries the idea of permanent. They must be stable and steadfast, continuing in the faith and not shifting away from the hope of the gospel (Col. 1:23). Along with this, they were to be immovable, not to shift or change, not to be moved from one’s place. In this instance, it has to do with their faith in Christ and the life it was to produce in them.

 

This is both the goal and challenge we have as New Testament Christians. It is one thing to know the gospel message, it is another thing to understand its implications for everyday living, but it is entirely different to practice these principles consistently. The language Paul uses indicates the necessity of continuing in these things, not off or on, hit or miss. Without this, they would not be able to excel in the Lord’s work in Christian living. It is our assurance the life we live for Christ is not in vain, but will bring about the desired goal, eternal life.

 

In each of our lives, Satan actively engages in trying to separate us from our relationship with God in Christ. He tries to convince us we can live as we choose, and no matter how inconsistent we may be, no matter how far off course we may be, God will be good with it. While we all struggle against sin, and will fail to live as we should at times, our motivation and goal is to be consistent in living for Christ, in making His will our will. We live dangerously when we become complacent about our relationship with Christ, when the word of God is not part of our daily lives, when we allow our reasoning to supersede what God’s revealed will declares to us.

 

Paul pointed out that, when they acted from jealousy and strife (1 Cor. 3:3), when the desires of the flesh overpowered the desire for righteousness (1 Cor. 6:13), when pride was more prevalent than humility, they were not being steadfast and immovable in their faith. “‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’ For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends” (2 Cor. 10:17-18). What about us today?

 

Paul offered this advice to these Christians, who were allowing the flesh to overwhelm the spiritual. “Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). In our world today, where so many succumb to the world in which they live, we must be diligent to remember what it is we live for, and that living consistently in Christ is crucial to gaining the reward. “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1).

 

μαράνα θᾶ (1 Cor. 16:22)

Robert