Lessons #603 and 604
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New American Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
+ 4. Text is based on 1984 edition of the NIV +
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final exhortation – Spiritual Vigilance (1 Cor 16:13-14)
13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 14 Do everything in love.
Apostle Paul had dealt with several issues in this first epistle to the Corinthians. For example, he considered the division among them with an appeal for unity. He considered the problem of sexual immorality with instruction to the Corinthians to avoid it. He encouraged them to keep their eyes on the eternal prize so that they would remain devoted to the Lord. He taught concerning idolatry and warned against believers being involved in it. He discussed the problems of spiritual gifts in worship service of believers and encouraged proper use of them according to the guidelines he established. He then shifted his attention to the doctrine of the gospel and resurrection. After his consideration of these doctrines, the apostle gave the Corinthians the guidelines for the collection Gentile believers were making for their fellow believers in Jerusalem and informed of his travel plans and those of his associates – Timothy and Apollos. So, before the apostle ended his epistle with the customary greetings found in his epistles, he gave final exhortations to the Corinthians. Actually, his final exhortation that is given in 1 Corinthians 16:13-18 involves two elements. The first is spiritual vigilance that is given in the passage before us and the second concerns submission to named individuals in verses 15 to 18. Our focus at present concerns spiritual vigilance where the apostle issued five commands that are concerned with spiritual vigilance.
You probably may wonder why we used the word “vigilance” in this final exhortation since the word does not appear in our passage in nearly all of our English versions. Of course, if you have the New Jerusalem Bible, that is no problem because the translators used the word “vigilant” in their translation of verse 13. That aside, we use the word “vigilance” because of the first command of 1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on your guard.
The command “be on…guard” is translated from a Greek word (grēgoreō) that literally may mean “to stay awake, to keep watch” as it is used in the Lord Jesus’ statement regarding remaining awake so that an owner of the house would keep a thief from breaking into his house as we read in Matthew 24:43:
But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.
Figuratively, the word may mean “to be alive” although the word is translated with the word “awake” in Apostle’s Paul’s statement regarding living in Christ whether we are alive or dead as recorded in 1 Thessalonians 5:10:
He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
According to the standard Greek Lexicon (BDAG) the verbal phrase awake or asleep may be translated alive or dead. Figuratively, the word may mean “to be alert, vigilant” as the word is used in the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Peter regarding believers being vigilant because of Satan’s activity as we read in 1 Peter 5:8:
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:13, the word is used in a figurative sense so means “to be alert” or “to be vigilant.” It is because our Greek word also means “to be vigilant” that we have chosen to focus on the concept of vigilance in the passage we are studying.
The command of 1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on your guard is given in the present tense in the Greek. In our verse, the present tense is concerned with a repeated action. Thus, the command is to do what is commanded again and again. In other words, the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul to the Corinthians and so to all believers in Christ is that vigilance is something that should be a repeated act. This means that as a believer you should regularly be vigilant in your spiritual life. Whatever it means to be vigilant spiritually, you are to do it again and again.
What exactly is spiritual vigilance? It is a state in which the believer is ever discerning or cautious with regard to situations around the individual so that the person would avoid actions and activities that are in conflict with the word of God. It is a state in which one guards against displeasing the Lord. It is a state in which one is on the lookout for everything that will distract from spiritual life. We will consider the subject in a general sense before we focus on the concept as it relates to the specific passage of 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 that we are expounding.
Spiritual vigilance is very important in the life of the believer that is the reason our Lord Jesus during His earthly ministry warned His disciples several times about it. As He discoursed the signs of the end of the age in Luke 21, He warned them to be vigilant not to be deceived about end of time events and His second coming as we read in Luke 21:8:
He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.
He linked being spiritually vigilant with being prayerful in Luke 21:36:
Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
After the death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit continued to issue commands related to vigilance through the apostles in various ways. Apostle Paul while addressing, for the last time, the elders in Ephesus and being concerned that there would be false teachers who would come among them with the intent of deceiving them commanded them to be vigilant as we read in Acts 20:29-31:
29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
The expression be on your guard could also be translated “be alert” or “be vigilant.” So, Apostle Paul commanded the elders in Ephesus to be spiritually vigilant against heretics or false teachers. The apostle also while writing to the Corinthians issued the same command of being vigilant in the main passage of our study, that is, 1 Corinthians 16:13. Apostle Peter also issued the same command to the initial recipients of his epistle to be vigilant as we read in the passage we cited previously, that is, 1 Peter 5:8:
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
The command to be vigilant or to be watchful appears eleven times in the Greek NT and it is interesting to note that in ten of these the present tense is used and only on one occasion is the aorist tense used. The implication is that vigilance is something that believers should begin to do once they hear the command and continue to do it as long as they are on this planet. It is never a one-time act on our part. No! It is a repeated act on the part of the believer so we can say that the believers should form the habit of being vigilant. The use of the command to be alert or vigilant in the aorist tense was by Apostle Peter and he used it to impress upon the original readers to consider it a matter of urgency to be spiritually vigilant. Because of these two tenses used in the command to believers to be vigilant, we should recognize that we are to begin and continue to be vigilant spiritually from the moment we hear such instruction. But not only that; we should treat that responsibility as a matter of urgency. In effect, it is urgent that we do everything in our power to recognize the urgency of being vigilant spiritually as we wait patiently for the Second Coming.
How can the believer become vigilant spiritually? There are at least three things you must do to remain vigilant in your spiritual life. A first action of the believer that would ensure being vigilant spiritually is learning the word of God. We know this because unless a believer understands God’s word, that person would not be able to carry out all other functions associated with the spiritual life. Furthermore, we have noted that Apostle Paul commanded the elders in Ephesus to be spiritually alert against false teachers. There is no way for that to happen without the learning of the word of God so that they would be able to differentiate truth from error. So, if you would maintain spiritual vigilance, you must constantly learn the word of God.
A second thing that a believer should do to maintain vigilance spiritually is to be watchful or mindful of the person’s lifestyle through the application of the word of God the individual learns. It is this requirement Apostle Paul mentioned in Romans 13:11-14:
11 And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
This matter of lifestyle in being vigilant is also implied in the instruction of Apostle Peter that involves self-control, among other actions, stated in 1 Peter 4:7-11:
7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
A third thing that the believer should do as part of being vigilant is to be prayerful. It is this action that is called for in Ephesians 6:18:
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
In any case, we are to be spiritually vigilant in that we should guard against anything that would distract us from the spiritual life. Vigilance requires that we constantly monitor our thoughts and imaginations to be sure that there is nothing in them that leads to sin or rebellion against God. We are saying that being spiritually vigilant requires that we constantly purify our souls by avoiding those things that would contaminate us. This is in keeping with the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul as stated in 2 Corinthians 7:1:
Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
The phrase these promises is a reference to the promises given in 2 Corinthians 6:16-18: to live with God’s people (6:16), to welcome them as His people (6:17), and to act like a loving Father toward them (6:18). Purifying of self involves not only confession of sins but avoidance of those actions that are associated with the natural man. Apostle Paul speaks of this natural man in terms of “old self” that needs to be put off in Ephesians 4:22:
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
To put off the old self involves rejecting the actions that one used to be involved in that are contrary to truth. For example, it is part of the natural man to lie frequently. Well, if a believer puts off the old self, such individual must be truthful all the time so the apostle mentioned falsehood as something that must be put off in Ephesians 4:25:
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
The apostle goes on in his epistle to the Ephesians to speak of other actions that must be put off such as stealing or the use of foul language. However, in his epistle to the Colossians the apostle in one passage listed several actions associated with the old self that believers should put off only that he used the command “put to death” in instructing the believers to avoid these actions of the old self in Colossian 3:5-10:
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
It is important for believers to be spiritually vigilant if they are going to fulfill God’s purpose for them on this planet. The importance of being spiritually vigilant is evident in the manner this command of being vigilant spiritually is directed towards different objects. Let us just mention a few. An object of spiritual vigilance is the work of God. It is for this reason Yahweh through Moses warned the Israelites to be vigilant towards His work among them, as we read in Deuteronomy 4:9:
Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.
It is very easy for us to forget the many wonderful things God has done for us when we face other difficulties of this life. Some of us under such conditions forget that the Lord has answered their prayers in the past and have shown His goodness to them and so they begin to question God’s ability to do something for them or they think He has forgotten them. A believer who does this has failed to be vigilant towards God’s work.
Another object of spiritual vigilance is sin. We should certainly be watchful of sin as a general concept, but there is a particular sin that we have to be careful because of its deceitfulness, that is, the sin of greed, as Jesus warned in Luke 12:15:
Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
We mentioned this particular sin of greed because it creeps up on us quickly, but it is important that we watch out for sin in general as we have stated. We should be careful that our hearts do not display any sinful tendency that would draw us away from trusting God. We should continuously watch our attitudes and motivations. It is this concern of the attitude of the mind that the writer of Hebrews expressed in the phrase unbelieving heart in Hebrews 3:12:
See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.
Another object of concern is freedom. We are to be watchful so that our understanding of freedom does not cause problems for a fellow believer. It is for this reason the Holy Spirit through the pen of Apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 8:9:
Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
A believer who is not spiritually vigilant is likely going to misapply the concept of the freedom in Christ. The governing principle in enjoyment of your freedom in Christ is this: freedom in Christ means freedom from sin. Therefore, any enjoyment of freedom that leads to sin on your part or causes fellow believers to sin is not true exercise of freedom that is in Christ. We are simply stating what the Holy Spirit says through the pen of Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:13:
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.
Still another object of concern is deception as that which our Lord warned the disciples against in the passage, we cited previously in Luke 21:8:
He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.
Deception comes in different forms. There is deception that comes from clever but false words. It is this kind of words that are described as “empty words” by the translators of the NIV in what the Holy Spirit stated through Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:6:
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient.
There is the deception that comes through good sounding arguments and human philosophy, as implied in Colossians 2:4, 8:
4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
We have been considering what believers should do in order to maintain spiritual vigilance but why should any believer be vigilant spiritually? It is because that is what the spiritual life calls for. Besides, as Apostle Peter had indicated it is because Satan is always on the look out to see if there is any way he could attack and dislodge us spiritually in the passage we cited previously, that is, 1 Peter 5:8:
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Remember Apostle Peter gave his reason for being alert spiritually in the sentence Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Satan wants to cause problem for us. He wants us to deny the faith either by action or by word. He is quite busy trying to cause havoc for us; therefore, we should be vigilant. Now that we have considered the subject of spiritual vigilance, we return to the passage we are studying where we have the specific command of 1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on your guard.
The command requires that the believer should be on the lookout for any doctrinal error or any other practice that challenges Christian doctrines such as traditions we find in the culture, we live, or other corrupting influences of our culture as the apostle warned the Corinthians about corrupting influences of keep wrong companies. We live in a fast morally decaying world so that there are several sinful practices that although not new are practiced with impunity as if they are correct. Therefore, the believer should continuously be alert or on the lookout not to be swept into acceptance of these sinful practices. We should not only be concerned about moral decay but technological applications that render God unnecessary in the world we live. For example, there are those who now rely on Artificial Intelligence to write out a sermon that would be preached to a church. Such an approach is a slight on God the Holy Spirit who has the responsibility of teaching those with gift of teaching so they could convey God’s word to other believers. When Artificial Intelligence (AI) writes a sermon, the Holy Spirit who makes God’s word come alive is deprived of His function. In fact, such practice ignores what our Lord stated as recorded in John 6:63:
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
The human ability or effort does not produce what God intended without the Holy Spirit. So, a sermon may sound coherent and even appealing when written by AI, but such sermon lacks the Holy Spirit working through the teacher to deliver God’s message to His people. That aside, being on one’s guard or being spiritually alert is further elaborated in the commands that follow.
The second command Apostle Paul issued that is related to the first concerns unwavering commitment to God’s word, both in terms of content and application. It is this command that is given next in 1 Corinthians 16:13; stand firm in the faith. To understand what this command is about requires understanding the words used in it.
The expression “stand firm” is translated from a Greek word (stēkō) that may mean literally “to stand” as in a position one could take during prayer as stated in Mark 11:25:
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
The word may mean “to be firmly committed in conviction or belief,” that is, “to stand firm” as it is used in Apostle Paul’s exhortation to the Philippians in Philippians 4:1:
Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:13, it has the sense of “to be firmly committed in conviction or belief,” that is, “to stand firm” or “to hold one’s ground in face of opposition.” However, the apostle used a present tense in the Greek in issuing the command stand firm in the faith. The present tense used is concerned with repeated actions. Thus, the command is to do what is instructed again and again. In other words, the instruction of the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul to the Corinthians and so to all believers in Christ is that we should again and again be firmly committed to the word of God.
We use the phrase “word of God” because of the word faith in our verse. The word “faith” is translated from a Greek word (pistis) although often translated “faith” has several other meanings. The word may mean faithfulness and or commitment. It is in the sense of faithfulness that the word is used by our Lord Jesus to rebuke the Jews of focusing on the practice of tithing as authorized in the OT while ignoring the more important aspects of the law such as justice and mercy as described in Matthew 23:23:
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
It is in the sense of commitment that the word is used of God in Romans 3:3:
What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness?
The verbal phrase nullify God’s faithfulness can also be translated nullify the commitment of God so it is clear that the Greek word translated faith can mean “faithfulness” or “commitment.”
The Greek word translated “faith” can mean faith in the active sense of believing or trusting in someone; the kind of believing that brings salvation. It is in this sense that Apostle Paul used it to describe “faith righteous” instead of “law righteous” in Romans 3:22:
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,
Here the apostle indicates that there is a righteousness that comes by trusting Jesus Christ or believing in Him. It is in the sense of “confidence” that the word “faith” is used in 1 Peter 1:21:
Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
Apostle Peter indicates that the recipients of his epistle have confidence in God.
Another meaning of the Greek word translated “faith” is true piety or genuine devotion or even firm commitment. Stephen was described as one who had a genuine devotion or firm commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ in that he did not waver in what he believed but was fully devoted to the Lord. This is the sense of the word “faith” in Acts 6:5:
This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
It is in this sense of true piety or genuine devotion or firm commitment that Apostle Paul used our Greek word in his thanksgiving on behalf of the Roman Christians in Romans 1:8:
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.
The apostle was not thanking God on behalf of the Romans for the fact that they have faith in Christ as believers but for the quality of their faith in which case it was their genuine devotion to Christ that caused him to thank God on their behalf.
Another meaning of the Greek word translated “faith” is as an important virtue that Christians should have, or they have as a result of believing in Christ or as a result of the Holy Spirit operating in them. So, it is used to describe “faithfulness” that is an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit given in Galatians 5:22:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
That faith refers to an important Christian virtue is evident in the fact that it is often associated with the virtue of love and so the apostle used it in his epistle to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:13:
What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.
This sense of Christian virtue in the Greek word translated “faith” is also evident in the apostle’s commendation of Philemon in Philemon 5:
because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.
Another meaning of the Greek word translated “faith” in our primary passage of study is a reference to a religious movement such as the Christian faith, which is essentially the same as “the Christian religion.” It is in this sense that Apostle Paul used it in describing himself to the Galatians in Galatians 1:23:
They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”
Paul’s former effort was focused on exterminating Christians and so the Christian movement. Thus, what he tried to destroy is not so much the preaching of the gospel but the Christian movement since if he stopped the movement then he would have destroyed the Christian religion. Of course, that was not to be the case as he was converted and became one of the most fervent advocates of the Christian movement.
Still another meaning of the Greek word translated “faith” is “body of teaching” or “doctrine.” It is in this way that the word “faith” is used to describe what some will abandon in 1 Timothy 4:1:
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
It is possible that “faith” here can also be interpreted as the Christian faith, but it is more likely the apostle meant Christian doctrine especially because of the expression things taught by demons. It is the sense of doctrine or body of teaching of the Christian faith that “faith” is used in Jude 3:
Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.
We have considered various meanings of the Greek word translated faith but in our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:13, faith is used comprehensively to describe first “gospel message” and “doctrines of the Christian faith.”
The various meanings of the Greek word translated “faith” leads to two possible interpretations of the command in 1 Corinthians 16:13 stand firm in the faith. A first interpretation is that the apostle commands the Corinthians to stand firm in their trust in God. A second is for the Corinthians to stand firm in their commitment to the Christian doctrines. While the first is possible, it is probably the second that the apostle meant. For one thing, the first interpretation is implied in the second since without firm trust in God one would not be firmly committed to the Christian doctrines. The second interpretation should not be difficult to accept especially since in the fifteenth chapter of this epistle the apostle focused on the doctrines of the gospel message and resurrection. Hence, believers are to be unwavering in what they believe regarding the gospel message and other doctrines of the Scripture such as resurrection and the second coming of Christ. Of course, it goes without saying that this second interpretation implies commitment to live the Christian life as that is a way to confirm the truthfulness of the gospel message. It is for this reason that the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul encouraged the Philippians to live in a way that proves the truthfulness of the gospel in Philippians 1:27–28:
27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God.
Hence, the second command of the Hoy Spirit through Apostle Paul is for believers to firmly commit to the doctrines of the Christian faith without wavering in what they believe and live accordingly. This brings us to the third command.
The third command concerns mental strength and firmness of the will one must possess in order to be firmly committed to the doctrines of the Christian faith. This third command is given in the NIV of 1 Corinthians 16:13 be men of courage. Literally, the Greek reads be manly. This is because the apostle used a Greek word (andrizomai) that appears only here in the Greek NT; it means “to conduct oneself in a courageous way” or “to be manly” because courage or bravery is considered a quality that should characterize a man. You see, our Greek word is used in the Septuagint for instruction that requires courage on the part of men who are to be leaders as the word is used in God’s instruction to Joshua as he assumed the mantle of leadership from Moses as stated in Joshua 1:6:
“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.
Courage is not really a permanent quality of a person, but it is that displayed when faced with danger or difficulty. So, it is not surprising that the apostle used a present tense in the Greek to issue the command in the NIV of 1 Corinthians 16:13 be men of courage. In effect, it is expected that believers should exercise courage again and again when they commit to the word of God. A major reason for lack of firm commitment to the word of God in terms of not just believing but living it out is because of fear. Courage ensures that one ignores fear and trusts in the Lord. Hence, if you are going to be firmly committed to Christian doctrines and their practice, you must exhibit courage when you commit yourself to God’s word in terms of belief and action. Courage will certainly cause a person to be perceived as being fearless and so it is not surprising that the fourth command is related to courage.
The fourth command necessary to be vigilant and to be firmly committed to God’s word is having the ability to withstand pressure that is brought on the believer because of the individual’s commitment to the Christian doctrines and Christian way of life. Thus, the fourth command is given in 1 Corinthians 16:13 be strong.
The expression “be strong” is translated from a Greek word (krataioō) that basically means “to be strong.” It can be used to describe being strong physically in the sense of being healthy with implication of possession of physical vitality as it was used by Luke to describe the physical development of Jesus in Luke 2:40:
And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
The Greek word can be used for gaining spiritual strength, as it is used to describe John the Baptist in Luke 1:80:
And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.
Another use of the Greek word translated “strengthen” in the NIV in a spiritual sense is that of encouraging someone to stand firm in the faith, as the Apostle Paul used it to encourage the Ephesians as we read in Ephesians 3:16:
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:13, the Greek word is used in the sense of “to become strong psychologically.” In effect, the command is for the believer to remain steadfast without moving from truth regardless of the pressure brought to bear on the person. Again, the apostle used a present tense to indicate that being strong is what must be repeated each time the believer’s doctrinal stand, or its application is challenged by outsiders.
The four commands that we have examined are related to each other although we focused on spiritual vigilance as being dominant command that involves the others but every of these commands and everything worthwhile in the Christian life cannot be fulfilled without a believer operating in the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the last instruction the apostle gives is indeed concerned with being controlled by the Holy Spirit although that is not easily recognized.
The last command the apostle gave that we considered the base from which the other commands could be carried out is given in 1 Corinthians 16:14 Do everything in love. Literally, the Greek reads Let be done everything of you in love. How does this command have anything to do with the control of the Holy Spirit? You may ask. Well, I will show that shortly but before we get to that we should ask what the apostle meant in the word everything. The word “everything” is translated from a Greek word (pas) that literally means “all” but the word has different meanings. Often, when we encounter the word “all” in the English, we are prone to think in terms of absolute totality but that is not always the case from the Greek perspective. For example, the meaning “all” may be context dependent so that “all” could refer to what is listed in a given context. Anyhow, the Greek word used here could be translated “all things” that could be understood either as referring to the commands the apostle gave in verse 13 or “all things” in an absolute sense. The apostle used it in the sense of totality of actions or activities involved in the Christian life. This makes sense since the commands in verse 13 would then be included. Thus, the apostle as he ends his instructions in this epistle intended for believers to carry out every activity of their Christian life in the manner specified in the phrase of 1 Corinthians 16:14 in love.
The word “love” is translated from a Greek word (agapē) that we considered extensively in our study of 1 Corinthians 13 but we last examined the word when we considered the instruction of 1 Corinthians 14:1:
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.
We indicated that it is our Greek word that is used although in the plural to describe the common meal eaten by early church in connection with their worship, for the purpose of fostering and expressing mutual affection and concern and so means “fellowship meal, love-feast”, as it is used in Jude 12:
These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead.
That aside, we stated that our Greek word is used predominantly in the NT to refer to the quality of warm regard for and interest in another hence may mean “esteem, affection, regard, love.” So, the meaning “love” in our passage of 1 Corinthians 16:14 has the sense of strong affection and interest in the affairs of another. This would mean that the instruction Do everything in love requires being affectionate in everything we do as believers. This is true but we contend that we could not truly do this without being controlled by the Holy Spirit. We say this because the apostle listed “love” as the first aspect of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Consequently, if we are going to be affectionate in everything we do, we must be under the control of the Holy Spirit so that the fruit of the Spirit “love” could then be manifested in everything we do. It is for this reason we contend that the phrase in love should ultimately be understood to mean to be under the control of the Holy Spirit or to be filled of the Holy Spirit in all we do. In any event, let end by reminding you that you are to be spiritually vigilant in that you are ever discerning to ensure you avoid actions or activities that conflict with the word of God. You do this by learning the word of God. You do this by being watchful of your lifestyle. You do this by being prayerful. So, go home and begin and continue to be spiritually vigilant.
03/01/24