”Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.
1 Corinthians 16:13New International Version (NIV)
1 Corinthians 16:13 Devotional (Daily Bible Verse)
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong
In 1 Corinthians 16:13, the Apostle Paul concluded his first letter to the Corinthians by exhorting them to “Be on their guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong“. He did this because of the worldliness of the city of Corinth which posed a challenge to their Christian faith.
Paul, therefore, listed 4 imperatives that would help them to fully live out the faith – I call them the 4 imperatives of living your Christianity with conviction. He exhorted the Corinthian to:
- Be on your guard
- Stand firm in the faith
- Be courageous
- Be strong
Be on your guard
Apostle Paul exhorted the Corinthians to be aware of what was going on around them. Remember, they were living in an environment of religious diversity (that is, pagan religions), sexual immorality, and corruption (that is, materialism).
The apostle, therefore, exhorted the Corinthians to be aware of the happenings around them. Because those happenings were against their convictions as Christians. And the same would have rubbed off on them to the point of them backsliding.
Consequently, if they didn’t drop their guard, they would have succeeded in living out the gospel. And you too have to be on your guard always, so that you don’t lose your way.
Stand firm in the faith
Paul also exhorted the Corinthians to persist in the gospel as taught by the apostles so that they wouldn’t be tossed or swayed from it. Because the gospel is the standard they were to live by.
Earlier, Paul had exhorted them to be careful so that they wouldn’t fall (1 Corinthians 10:12). And in Ephesians 4:11-16, Paul exhorted the believers in Ephesus to grow up so that they wouldn’t be tossed back and forth by deception.
Similarly, you have to grow up in the gospel so that you don’t fall on the account of deception.
Be courageous
Courage is the mark of a believer (Joshua 1:1-9). No wonder some translations render this imperative as “act like a man”. But remember, males and females are one in Christ (Galatians 3:28).
So, you have to be courageous because living the gospel in a counter-culture world demands courage.
Be strong
Strength is another mark of a believer (Joshua 1:1-9). Therefore, Paul exhorted them to be strong.
But strength comes from God (Isaiah 40:29). So you have to seek the same from God.
Prayer/Blessing
Lord Jesus, I desire to fully live out the gospel where you have planted me. I, therefore, pray that You will help me to be on y guard; to stand firm in the faith; be courageous; and be strong.
This is my prayer of faith in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Daily Bible Reading
1 Chronicles 27-29 (see How to Read the Bible in One Year or How to Read the Bible (for Beginners))
