Five Exhortations from Paul
“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” – 1 Corinthians 16:13-14
The Corinthian church faced many different challenges presently and in the future, as all churches do. Whether it be from conflicts and disagreements within the church, the ensnaring nature of sin, or the threat of persecution, the church is and will be threatened by a variety of attacks that threaten to upend its walk with God. In the face of such troubles, Paul exhorted the Corinthians to do these five things.
Be watchful. Be awake. Be vigilant. Here, Paul is not talking about a physical capacity, but the spiritual equivalent of being alert, awake, and watchful. The opposite might be to be gullible, or clueless as to what’s happening around you. So often we may fall into problems because we’re not watching or the signs of things beginning to go wrong. If you are watchful, then you can spot the beginnings of problems and address them before they get out of hand. This includes being aware of yourself, aware of others, and aware of the things happening around you. Think of a sentry tasked with guarding the camp where the rest of his comrades sleep. The sentry is to be actively looking for and anticipating dangers so he can rouse the army if need be when they come. If the sentry fails to be watchful, it only places himself and the rest of his friends in danger.
Stand firm in the faith. To stand firm is to hold fast, not to yield, not to bend or shake. The faith, the gospel of Jesus Christ, is the only true firm foundation we can have in this life. As the hymn goes: “all other ground is sinking sand.” To place a greater trust in someone or something else, the government, ourselves, our money, etc. is to waiver in faith in the One who alone has the power to save. Let us not waiver and even turn our attention for a moment to anything other than Jesus Christ. Trust in him. Know that he is the Rock that shall not be moved. And though the world and Satan may mock and ridicule you, though the temptations of the flesh may entice you, remind yourself that those things ultimately have no substance and will fade away, but Christ shall remain. Stand firm, therefore.
Act like men. Our culture currently does not like phrases like this. We may have been so influenced by those around us that perhaps even in reading this, some of you may have winced a little. Our culture has so convinced us that “acting like a man” is toxic and brutish, that many of us no longer know what acting like a man actually involves. One thing we can say for certain is that it is not what our culture calls “toxic masculinity”—in fact, that would be the exact opposite of what Paul means, because his last exhortation is to do all in love (which we will momentarily get to). To act like a man is in part to not act like a child. A child is dependent, unable to take care of itself, young and naïve about the dangers of the world. A man is grown, able to act, and aware of the dangers of this world. And a man faces such dangers head on with boldness and bravery, not backing down like a coward. Notice how this goes along with the previous two exhortations. To act like a man, one needs to be watchful and stand firm. One also needs to be prepared for swift action, and if need be when the time comes, to act. There is nothing toxic or brutish about it.
Be strong. This continues the thoughts of the last three exhortations. In order to be watchful, in order to stand firm, and in order to properly act like a man, takes strength. Such actions are not easy and do not come easy. You will face much pushback from within and without. Being watchful can be hard on the spirit, and weariness and set in. Standing firm can stretch you to your limits when Satan is doing all he can to bend or break you. Acting like a man can open you up to the ridicule of our culture and discourage you from even trying. Knowing then that such obstacles lay before you, be strong. To be strong requires building up your strength. Just as we can build up our muscles with training and exercise to increase our physical strength, we need to similarly act to build up the strength we need to counter the spiritual foes and trials that we will face. Build your strength by studying the word of God, putting it into practice, preparing your mind with what you will do when temptation comes so that you already have a plan ready. Do not relent, for without regular exercise your muscles will atrophy, and you will lose strength. So too spiritually. To be strong is a lifetime of training and preparation, but it will be the only way you will be able to carry out the other exhortations.
And finally, let all that you do be done in love. This exhortation holds everything else together. Without love, all these other actions will be destined to fail. Without love as the foundation for these others, standing firm and acting like a man will become arrogant and boastful. It will in fact become the “toxic masculinity” that our culture is so afraid of. Without love we will lose focus as to why we should do all the other four. The reason we ought to be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, and be strong, is not ultimately for ourselves, but for others—both those within and outside of the church. As Jesus sacrificed himself for us out of his great and perfect love for us, we are to act in a way congruent with that love. The dangers of sin are real and threatens us all. If we all act as Paul exhorted the Corinthians, we will be helping each other face and overcome sin through faith in Jesus Christ, and we will be spreading the love of God to others who do not yet know his love. We must always do all in love, for God first loved us.
