Steadfast...immovable

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord... 1 Corinthians 15:58 nasb

I’ve been thinking about the advice that Paul wrote to a group of people who were not especially noted for their strength of character or moral fortitude – the Corinthians. In the book we call First Corinthians, Paul wrote to them about the return of Jesus Christ and the certainty of the resurrection. Concluding the discussion, he told them to be “steadfast, immovable.”

The first word, steadfast, means firmly established – not subject to doubt, with issues completely settled. It came from the root of a word that described a house which was sitting on the foundation, or was used to describe something that rested securely on a large rock.

The second word which is translated immovable was used just once in the New Testament – in this passage. This word describes exactly what it implies: Nothing can move you.

Steadfast, immovable. Would you say that these words describe you or would you admit that there are days when your faith is shaky? Things happen and you ask yourself. “Where is God when I’m hurting?” or “Why did He allow this to happen to me?”

How is it possible to have a faith that is steadfast? Rest on the foundation of the Word, with Christ as your Rock. Settle any doubts. Go to Scripture and settle the issue once and for all that Jesus Christ lived, died and rose again, that God has revealed Himself through the pages of His Word, and come hell or high water, you can trust Him. Then, and only then, can you be immovable.

Steadfast is your response to God’s great faithfulness and goodness; immovable is your position. You can be both in a world that is neither.