“Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you — unless you believed in vain…….Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, 58 CSB https://bible.com/bible/1713/1co.15.1-58.CSB

For what purpose did we receive the gospel? Asked another way, why did God save us? To reconcile us to Himself so that we could live with Him forever? Certainly, but not exclusively. There is more to the gospel and God’s purpose for us than simply living forever in heaven and upon the new earth. We are being saved, as Paul writes if we do not believe in vain. What does it mean to believe in vain? It means nothing comes from the belief. There is no result of the belief, no change of character or circumstance. Believing in vain is like not believing at all. So, what does it mean to believe in vain? It means to believe in Jesus without serving Jesus or becoming like Jesus. The purpose of our lives, the reason we are not immediately taken to heaven if that was the sole purpose of our salvation, is to partner with God as His fellow workers to build the Kingdom of God upon earth as it is in heaven. The Great Commission is the mission of every Christian. We must embrace this work if we are truly saved. This work, which is to be our focus, passion, and consuming interest with our time and money, is to see everyone we know restored to Jesus in right relationship with Him and obey everything He has commanded even as we do the same. We are to seek and save the lost and then disciple the saved. We are to be actively engaged with the Church in becoming like Christ, doing the work of Christ, Who gave His life in perfect obedience to God’s will, which is the salvation of everyone who believes. Do we believe in vain? What evidence do we have that we are not? What will be the consequence if we are?