“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”
I Corinthians 15:10
At the end of your life as a Christian, no matter when that might be, what about you? What will be able to be said of how the grace of God impacted your life? Will the grace of God toward you, as with Paul, prove to be in vain or not? Meaning, did the grace of God spur you to love and good works; and especially sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ more so than others? Was your life as a Christian a living testimony to the daily grace of God working with you and in you?
The last verse of this chapter is probably a bit more renowned to this reading audience, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (I Corinthians 15:58) While the immediate context is referring to the triumph over death in the resurrection, this ties back to the beginning of chapter 15 in reference to the gospel and grace of God. This triumph over sin in Christ Jesus is what Paul himself experienced and the truth, the gospel, that he gave his life to in labor.
By the grace of God Paul was an Apostle because he was chosen by Jesus to serve in that ministry as a witness to what he had seen and heard; the resurrected Lord. By the grace of God Paul witnessed the resurrected Jesus. By the grace of God Paul heard the message of salvation from the prophet Ananias, “‘Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.’” (Acts 22:16) By the grace of God Paul was reborn, raised up, in Christ Jesus. By the grace of God Paul was saved from sin and spiritual death. This is the gospel, the gospel living in Paul, that changed him, transformed him, into a worker for the Lord.
I Corinthians 15:10 is a powerful testimony to what the grace of God was to Paul’s life. Your life in Christ Jesus will also be a testimony to what the grace of God was in your life. Will it be a powerful testimony or an impotent one? Will the grace of God be vanity in your life’s story, or will it be the defining feature of it? Will the grace of God be seen in how you treat your spouse, raise your kids, interact with your neighbors, and love and serve your brethren? Will you allow the grace of God to produce within you someone who is steadfast, immovable, always abounding the work of the Lord? It did in Paul. What about you?
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