Be Steadfast, Immovable, Always Abounding

When our spirits leave our earthly, fleshly body at death, we are immediately transported to our new body waiting for us in heaven. That new body is one of flesh and bone. We know this to be true because Paul told us this in Philippians 3:20-21 when he wrote, “(20) For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, (21) Who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” (Philippians 3:20-21) Paul states that our citizenship is in heaven and that Jesus will transform our bodies into one similar to His, one of flesh and bone. The Greek word translated as “transform” is metaschematizo which means “change the fashion of; refashion.” So, Paul wrote that our bodies will be transformed so that they would conform to Christ’s body. The Greek word translated as conform is summorphos and it means “liked-shaped or conformed to.” It means that our bodies will be of the same substance of Christ; changing from mortality to immortality – from a natural body to a spiritual one.

To address this false teaching, Paul told the Christians in Corinth that they were going to experience a final victory where death will not carry the sting of finality that it was believed to have had prior to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He told them that physical death would not be the last thing they experience, but a rebirth with a new spiritual body. And, because of this promise of receiving a new body, he told them in verse fifty-eight “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (First Corinthians 15:58) Paul wanted the people to understand that they were not working in vain as there was more to this life than just what they were seeing and experiencing day by day. So, he told them to “….be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” New Light, this is one of those verses that, if we are not careful, the revelation of what it says will be totally missed. Although the verse seems rather clear, I want to take a closer look at what it is saying and the promise it is making to us. Let’s examine three key words, steadfast, immovable, always and abounding.

Steadfast. The Greek word for steadfast is “hedraios.” It means to sit, be seated; sedentary; stationary, as something that sits in a place for a very long time. It also describes something that is firm and steady – something that can stabilize, like the foundation of a building. Lastly, it paints a picture of something strong, unbendable, unbreakable and permanent, such as a strong column that holds up a roof. This is an interesting word for Paul to use to describe what we should be doing. He is telling us that when it comes to our work for Christ, we should be firm as if we were in a seated position. Think about how easy is it to move someone when they are standing verses when they are seated. If a person is standing a small amount of force can move them from their position. But if that same person is sitting in a chair without wheels, it would take a great deal of force to move them. Some of you were not around in the sixties, but you may have seen some of the video’s from the sit-ins. Many people of color and others supporting them would stage sit-ins in restaurants protesting against racism. If you watch the videos, they could not be easily moved because they were sitting. They were firmly planted.