PRAY: Lord Jesus, you call us to work for your kingdom while on earth. Help me to know that my labor is never in vain.

READ: 1 Corinthians 15:50–58

In a way that is consistent with the rest of Scripture, Paul presents the kingdom of God not as a “virtual reality” but as a rock-solid one. The kingdom is imperishable, and so we also must be of an imperishable form to live in it. It is substantial, not merely ethereal, so we will not be disembodied spirits floating around in this kingdom. We will be supernaturally embodied, as was the resurrected Christ. In the face of false teaching and various temptations, Paul encourages the Corinthians to persevere in a faith grounded in the hope of the resurrection. His readers are to be immovable in faith and proclamation while “abound[ing] in every good work” (2 Cor 9:8).

Today, universalism (the belief that, ultimately, everyone is going to heaven) is by far the predominant belief regarding life after death, both in churches and on the streets. Another common belief is that we are “spiritual beings having a physical adventure” awaiting a return to our place of origin (heaven) and to our “true” nature (i.e., purely spiritual). Therefore, what happens to our physical bodies and what we do with our physical bodies while on earth is of no eternal consequence.

Questions and Application:

• How do my beliefs about the coming kingdom and the afterlife affect how I live and proclaim the gospel?
• How does the prevailing view of universalism compare to the theology found here in Paul’s writings? Does it matter what any individual believes on this point?
• What is the “work of the Lord” (v. 58) that Paul refers to, and am I doing it now?

PRAY: Lord, help me to be steadfast in the proclaiming and the living of your gospel.