THE CHRISTIAN CONTRADICTION
1 CORINTHIANS 16:13-14
1 CORINTHIANS 16:13-14 NKJ
13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done with love.
OBSERVATION:
The start of this passage sounds as if military orders are being given. The tone is strong.
Watch. Be alert and on guard. Fairly basic for any military force. Men who have returned from deployment have an intense awareness of their surroundings. The same applies for law enforcement personnel. The same principle applies to us. We are to be spiritually alert. We are not living in a spiritually friendly environment.
Stand fast in the faith. To stand firm in what we believe and who we believe. To not be moved away from our relationship with the Lord. Standing firm despite situations that may pressure and push us. We live by faith, we walk by faith, and we stand firm by our faith.
Be brave. The King James version uses a different phrase. Quit you like men is the King James wording. This is not talking about quitting your faith, especially when Paul encouraged these believers to stand fast in the faith. Quit you like men means to act with courage like a man, not like a child. Some bible scholars believe this was a military term. The phrase shows up in the Old Testament in 1 Samuel 4:9, when an army was encouraged to quit like men and fight. Bravery has not gone away. We still need courage to face difficult challenges that occur in our lives. This courage is a function of our faith and confidence in the Lord. With Him helping us, we can be much braver than we would be on our own.
Be strong. Again, we are talking about spiritual strength here. And it's encouraging to note that if this is our instruction, it is within our abilities. I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength. I can be strong in the Lord.
Now we move from this warrior mentality to the very next instruction. Let everything be done with love. Wait, what? We move from a strong position to one that appears weak. But remember, this kind of love is not weak. In fact, much more strength is required to live this way.
Alert. Full of faith. Brave and strong. And all the type A people said, yes! Let everything be done with love? How does that play out?
This is the Christian contradiction. People of strength and courage and people committed to the unselfish God kind of love. But that contradiction is a Christ-like winning formula!