God gives us the victory [over sin and death] through our Lord Jesus Christ, [so] always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord (1 Cor. 15:57-58).

How often has the weight of past mistakes robbed you of present joy? Maybe we don’t want to call those mistakes sin, but once we realize there is a God who calls mistakes for what they really are, those sins feel even heavier. And then that sin makes death more frightening (15:56) because we now know a God resides on the other side. 

But praise God, if we’re desperate for relief, His Holy Spirit leads us to hunger for a savior Who will forgive those sins. And this Savior also forgets them. 

This very Savior became sin for us, took God’s punishment for sin by dying the death we should have died, and moreover defeated death by His resurrection. It’s hard not to rejoice when we sing, “my sin not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more” (“When Peace Like a River”). What victory (15:54-55)! 

Death no longer has the final word, not over Jesus, not over us. The penalty for our sin and the heaviness of that burden have been removed. Death becomes nothing more than a doorway from the mortal to the immortal (15:53). Because of Jesus, we who believe will be resurrected, our perishable bodies “clothed with the imperishable” (15:54).

Does that give us license, then, to continue sinning because we now comprehend God’s forgiveness? Of course not. We shouldn’t even want such license, knowing Jesus purchased our forgiveness through an excruciating death. We’ve been freed from the penalty and burden of our sin, yes, but now what? Shall we do our best not to sin, while reading our devotional books and contemplating heaven? Paul arrests that idea; we’re freed not to sit but to “give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord” (15:58, emphasis mine). Jesus’ life was one of action, not monastic retreat. We need to be busy about our Father’s work too.

What “works of the Lord” does Paul intend? A few ideas - as we’ve been forgiven, we extend forgiveness to others. We move conflicts which ensnared us toward reconciliation. When tempted to criticize another’s action, we remember all that Jesus has forgiven us. Furthermore, Jesus’ resurrection gives us incentive to serve Him in thankfulness (15:58). We volunteer at church and other Christian organizations, we help our neighbors when they’re in need, we contribute financially to Christian outreach, we might even heed a call to become a missionary. We become known for the love of Christ actively working through us. The hope of our own future resurrection gives us strength to tackle the challenges every day brings and propels us to bless others with that same good news. 

Given all that Jesus has done for us, living Resurrection-shaped lives is the least - and the best - we can offer Him.