1 Corinthians 16:13-14 ~ 20150705 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
07/05 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Vigilant Steadfast Mature Powerful Love; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20150705_1cor16_13-14.mp3
13 Γρηγορεῖτε, στήκετε ἐν τῇ πίστει, ἀνδρίζεσθε, κραταιοῦσθε. 14 πάντα ὑμῶν ἐν ἀγάπῃ γινέσθω.
1 Corinthians 16 [ESV2011]
13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.
This is Paul's closing exhortation to the Corinthians. This has been a heavy letter, confronting sin issues and wrong thinking and doctrinal deviance. Here at the end he gives them five concise imperatives for them to hold on to and live by. These are sharp staccato commands. The first four you would expect to come out of the mouth of a military commander before sending his troops into battle.
13 Γρηγορεῖτε, στήκετε... , ἀνδρίζεσθε, κραταιοῦσθε.
Be on guard, stand firm, be men, be strong. These are all present imperatives, commands that require a continuing posture of battle ready alertness and determination. We will take them one by one.
Be Watchful [Γρηγορεῖτε]
Throughout this letter, Paul has held in view the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He said in his introduction:
1 Corinthians 1:7 ...as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The day of our Lord Jesus Christ is always to be kept in view. Jesus used this word 'be watchful' when he warned his followers:
Matthew 24:42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
The word means more than merely 'don't fall asleep'; it is an active vigilant attentiveness. In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul uses the building metaphor of building with perishable or imperishable materials. He says:
1 Corinthians 3:10 ... Let each one take care how he builds upon it. ...13 each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.
At the coming of Jesus the enduring quality of your work will be revealed. In the context of church discipline in chapter 5 he says:
1 Corinthians 5:5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
The goal of loving discipline is ultimately salvation when it really matters, when Jesus returns. We are to keep always in mind that we live for another, for the one who bought us with his blood. We are to make it our aim to please him. We are to be ready for his return.
Be on your guard. Be watchful. Stay awake and alert. What kinds of things are we to be watching out for? In chapter 1 he raises the issue of division and disunity. Watch out, be on guard against quarreling, against disunity, against divisions in the body of Christ. In chapters 1 – 4 he warns of the dangers of thinking yourself to be wise and being puffed up with pride. In chapter 5 he warns against the danger of sin being tolerated or even celebrated within the body of Christ. He warns that this has a permeating contaminating effect on the entire body. He warns in chapter 6 he warns against the dangers of greed and sexual immorality, in chapter 7 of the dangers of a desire for circumstances other than what you find yourself in. In chapters 8 – 10 he addresses the danger of injuring a brother by demanding ones own rights and a careless indulgence in Christian liberty. In chapters 11 – 14 he warns against the dangers of selfishness and pride in the worship gatherings of the church. In chapter 15 he warns of the danger of being led astray by false teaching about the gospel. There are dangers without and dangers within. We must be vigilant. We must be on our guard. Peter affirms this in his letter:
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
There is an every present danger, and it is never safe to let down your guard.
Stand Firm in the Faith [στήκετε ἐν τῇ πίστει]
Paul exhorts us to stand firm. He adds a qualifying phrase identifying where we are to stand firm. We are to stand firm in the faith. We are to stand firm in the gospel once for all delivered to the saints. He admonished us in the last chapter:
1 Corinthians 15:1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain.
We are to stand firm in the life transforming good news that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures. Standing firm means more than simply holding to be true the cold facts of the gospel story. Standing firm means to persistently act in a way consistent with what it means to follow Jesus. The Corinthians were in danger of compromising their conduct in ways that were inconsistent with the gospel. In chapter 6, where the issue is believers indulging in immoral behavior, Paul says:
1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
In chapter 10, where the issue is participation in idolatry, treasuring or valuing anything or anyone as much as God, he says
1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
How we eat and drink, what we do with our mind our attitudes, can demonstrate an inconsistency with what we say we believe. We must stand in the truth of the good news and we must be being transformed by it. Paul writes to the church in Phillipi:
Philippians 1:27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. ...
Paul writes to the churches in Galatia, and he says:
Galatians 1:6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—
He exhorts them:
Galatians 5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Jude writes:
Jude 3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
We must stand firm in the gospel, we must contend earnestly for it, we must cling tightly to it, we must be transformed by it and live it out. We must hold gospel ground and not retreat before the enemy.
Act Like Men [ἀνδρίζεσθε]
This is a tricky word to translate well. The root of this word is the word used to refer to the male gender. This is challenging, because Paul writes this letter to 'the church of God ...those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.' This clearly includes men and women. Is he calling for the female believers to 'act like men'? Some translations attempt to avoid this problem by translating it 'be courageous, be brave, or be valiant'. These are good translations, but they may miss the point. This word is not contrasting maleness with feminine qualities. Both this verb and the related adjective have been used to refer to courageous and valiant characteristics of women (PNTC fn.45). The contrast is more likely between maturity and immaturity. In chapter 3 he addresses their jealousy and strife and says:
1 Corinthians 3:1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,
In chapter 13, pointing them to the way of love, he says:
1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
In chapter 14, he challenges their thinking on the issues of building others up in the local church.
1 Corinthians 14:20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.
This is a call to maturity. Do not be immature, childish, petty, self-focused. The Corinthians were in danger of giving in to compromise under the pressure of a pagan society, but he exhorts them to be holy in actions and attitudes.
This also picks up on Old Testament language. Moses exhorted the people who would be led by Joshua:
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
To be mature or manly is to carry out your duties even in the face of danger and risk. It is not to give in to fear or hopelessness (PNTC). In verse 9 of this chapter we learned that open doors for effective ministry often come with many adversaries, and much maturity and courage is required.
Be Strong [κραταιοῦσθε]
Strength is required to bear up under trials. Throughout this letter there is a contrast between the weak and the strong. Paul proclaimed the good news in plain language so that the cross of Christ would not be emptied of its power. Christ is the wisdom and power of God. In 1:27, “God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong”. Paul came to them in human weakness, knowing nothing among them except Jesus Christ and him crucified. In chapter 8 he draws the contrast between those who think they are wise with those who have weak consciences, who can be led to sin against their consciences by the example of others. Paul says in chapter 9 that to the weak he became weak in order to win the weak. In chapter 12, using the metaphor of the body, he points out that every part is necessary, and the parts who seem to be weaker are indispensable. In chapter 15, he points to our physical bodies in the resurrection that are 'sown in weakness and raised in power'. Be strong. Do not be strong in your own strength, but be strong in the Lord. In your weakness he is shown to be strong, so faithfully proclaim the seemingly weak and foolish message of the cross. Do not violate your conscience, do not be swayed by others who indulge in questionable things, but hold fast to your convictions. Function in the strength that God supplies so that God gets all the glory.
We see many of these themes repeated and practical instruction given in Ephesians 6.
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
Let All That You Do Be Done In Love
1 Corinthians 16:13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.
The powerful military imagery is coupled with and saturated in love. Love is not some wishy-washy ooshy-gooshy soft and cuddly emotion. Love is robust, rigorous, powerful; it clings tenaciously to truth.
Neither is this vigilant, sure footed, courageous, and mighty imagery pictured as crushing and dozing over all in its path. It is to be strength characterized by love. This is a key characteristic that the Corinthians lacked. They lacked love in their divisions, in their quarrels, in their jealousy. They lacked love for Christ and the purity of his church in their tolerance of sin. They lacked love in their lawsuits against one another. They lacked love but instead pursued lust. They had knowledge which puffs up, but they lacked the love which builds up. They lacked love for their weaker brothers for whom Christ died. They lacked love when they demanded their own rights. They lacked love when each went ahead with their own meal and took no though for the poor. They lacked love in their pride over spiritual gifts. They lacked love for the body of Christ. This all climaxes in chapter 13, where Paul points out to them the worthlessness of spiritual gifts or sacrificial service without love. He describes the characteristics of love as patient, kind, not envying or boasting, not arrogant or rude, not self-seeking, not irritable, not keeping record of wrongs done, not rejoicing in wrongdoing, but rejoicing in truth. Love carries a limitless load and endures for limitless duration, it never stops trusting in God or hoping in God. Paul exhorts them to 'pursue love and seek to build others up.
These verses echo Psalm 31.
Psalm 31:23 Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. 24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!
Paul says here 'let all that you do be done in love'. All things, everything is to be done in love. Love is to saturate and permeate everything. Nothing is to be done apart from love. Love for God and love for others.
In 10:31, Paul told us that everything we do is to be done to the glory of God. In 14:26, Paul told us that everything is to be done to build others up. In 14:40 he said that everything should be done decently and in order. Here at the end of the letter, he tells us that everything must be done in love. God is love and the Spirit of God creates love in us. When we love others, we do things for the good of others, we seek their welfare above our own, we seek to build them up. We do things appropriately, in turn, in a decent and orderly way, respecting one another as we seek to build others up. As we love others, seeking not our own interest but the interests of others, to build them up, we demonstrate the love of God that has transformed us, and this brings much glory to our great God. All things are to be done in love, to build others up, for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 16:13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org