“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 ESV
Reflection: when were you last in the middle of a spiritual battle?
As Paul is wrapping up his this letter to the Corinthians, he adds a couple of verses that seem so completely out of place. In fact if you remove them out of the whole chapter, in a way it seems to flow better. In a chapter of greetings and travel plans, why in the world did Paul feel the need to add the two verses we see in focus today? Was this something he forgot, and then suddenly remembered?
Let’s think for a moment about surprise attacks. The enemy has planned and prepared to attack; all parts of the attack as best they can. Who will do what, and when. And which weapons will be most effective. All to have the most damaging effects on the other side. It is called a surprise attack for a reason. To surprise. But if we are the target for an attack, we can be better prepared and ready, even for a surprise attack. If our guard is down, that will be exactly when the attack will occur. So when we read Paul’s ending of this powerful and rather lengthy letter, we could speculate that perhaps Paul had been victim of a sudden attack. Or one of his fellow workers. Or Paul saw in the spirit that the church in Corinth would soon be attacked. Because, the words of Paul are that of a battle commander to his soldiers,
“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13 ESV
Let’s look for a moment at his call for battle preparedness. First, he says to be watchful, on guard. This is of course the most important thing. You can be as strong as you want, even have the most powerful weapons for battle. But if you are sleeping, it doesn’t matter. The enemy can walk right in. The second thing Paul mentions is to stand firm in our faith. We will be attacked, will get hurt in the battle, but we always must remember that the only thing we can rely on, that is beyond our own abilities, is our faith in Christ. Despite of what is going on, we point to the cross, where our victory was won by Jesus. And then Paul says to be strong, be courageous, act like men. Ok, perhaps some might take offense to that. But I think we all get it. What Paul means here. It is literally a battle, and when the enemy does attack, we must stand up and fight back.
Then, Paul adds, “Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14 ESV. Again, seems out of place, right? He has just called to the Christian soldiers to be battle ready. Now do it in love? Hug it out? It doesn’t seem to make sense. But, we know that the kingdom of heaven exists in love, because God is love. It doesn’t mean to accept what is against God’s will, nature or character. No, quite the opposite. It is living out God’s will; His plan for us. In the battle we are in, it can be easy to get frustrated, discouraged, tired and even angry. To start fighting in the flesh, as opposed to in the spirit. And we can end up hurting each other, hurting the cause for Christ, as opposed to helping. So Paul is reminding us to check ourselves – what is really behind our actions. What is in our hearts. Is it love, or selfish ambition?
We are constantly under watch by the enemy, and being attacked. As we wrap Paul’s letter, let us remind each other of these two important verses from Paul. His battle cry to the Corinthians, and to each of us today.