Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. (1 Cor 16:13-14)Stay alert. Stay on watch. Be vigilant. You're in a difficult place in difficult times. Watch yourselves. Stand firm in the faith. Don't waver. Don't go on the attack. Stand right there in the faith, in the Word. Don't falter from what God clearly says is true ... even if it's against popular thought or your own personal feelings. Act like men. No, not masculine. Be bold. Be courageous. Yes, things will be scary, but do what you're supposed to do in the face of it. Be strong. Remember, we're not standing in our own strength. Be strong in the strength of the Lord. Be empowered. Be vigorous. The Corinthians lived in a wicked city in a pagan society full of every kind of temptation. They had succumbed to despicable immorality in the church, abuse of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, petty quarrels over who followed whom, lots of problems. Stop that. Watch, stand, be brave, be strong.
Lots of testosterone, it feels like, doesn't it? Until ... you finish his thought. "Let all that you do be done in love." Everything ought to be motivated by agapē, that unconditional, self-sacrifice, firm commitment to the best for others. It's that love that Jesus offered when He died ... for His enemies (Rom 5:10). That love. The love that Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. That love. The giving-up-of-self-for-the-other kind of love. Everything should be done with that motivation. Easy, right? So ... okay ... maybe not ... but necessary.
1 comment:
“Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”
That short passage is dense with crucial instruction for followers of Christ--both male and female--as pertinent today as in Paul’s time. The first part brings to my mind Paul’s admonitions in Ephesians Chapter 6 regarding “putting on the armor of God,” while the final directive would help curtail possible excessive zeal and forcefulness--i.e. if one were to interpret “act like men” in that manner. We women might find it odd to be urged to “act like men,” but if I understand it as “be mature” (as in “not like a little girl”), then I can know that I have sufficient testosterone to be a good soldier of the Lord--bold and courageous, as you say.
P.S. A recommendation to other readers: See Stan’s post at 5/11/21 (“Be a Man”) for a good elaboration on today’s post.
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