I Cor. 16:13-14 ... "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong."
With economy of words the apostle Paul gave the Corinthian Christians this inspired prescription for their spiritual health. With only 13 words in English, and but 7 in the original Greek, he specified four things they had to do to maintain their Christian identity. Corinth stood at the crossroads of traffic between the western and eastern sides of the Roman empire. Commerce passed through the city in constant and heavy volume, and as always so did sin of every kind. The city became so notorious for its variety and intensity of wickedness that the phrase "to Corinthianize" was coined to describe it. It was perhaps harder to resist the demoralizing influences there than in most cities, so the church in Corinth faced greater dangers than congregations elsewhere. The sins that Paul dealt with in this epistle emphasize this. Thus, as he was about to end his message to them, he felt it necessary to urge them to accept this brief, compact, but very effective formula, one that is no less effective or applicable to us today.
First, he told them to be on the alert. The context indicates the reference is to the presence of temptation. One thinks immediately of Jesus' warning in Mat. 26:41, "Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter not into temptation." Vigilance often signals the presence of temptation in the way just ahead. Then it may be possible to take a detour so that it is not necessary to encounter it. If one cannot avoid the forward path, he can at least prepare himself to resist it. We are told in Pro. 22:3 that "the prudent sees the evil and hides himself; but the naive go on, and are punished for it."
Second, Paul urged them to stand firm in the faith. It is indeed by faith that Christians are able to hold their integrity against the pressure of evil. When faith grows weak, the individual becomes like a twig at the mercy of every eddy and current in a stream. Those whose faith is weak are described in Eph. 4:14 as being "tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming."
Third, the Corinthians were told to act like men. The Christian life is designed to bring converts from the stage of spiritual childhood to the advanced level of spiritual maturity. Earlier (13:11), Paul had told them, "When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things." There comes a time in our Christian development when childish attitudes and behavior should be a thing of the past and when mature attitudes formed through experience in the gospel cause us to "act like men."
Fourth, Paul counseled them to be strong. This is a capacity which does not come to a disciple overnight any more than bodily strength comes to an athlete in one or two workouts. The power to resist temptation to refute false doctrine and to perform deeds of service to the glory of God comes by degrees through persistent effort. In Eph. 6:10 we are told to be "strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might." The key words here are "in the Lord" and "in His strength."Alone, we have no power to endure and progress in the Christian life, but "in the strength of His might" we have access to all we need to make steady and sure progress. Paul put it well when he said to the Philippians, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." In his own strength he could do little, but through the power of Christ he could do "all things." And so it is with all Christians.
