Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
Paul closes a letter full of correction with four short commands, fired off like orders. Each word lands on a real weakness in the church at Corinth. But what are we to watch for? What does "the faith" mean here, and where does the strength come from?
Orders matched to Corinth's condition
Commentators match each command to a failure the letter has already exposed.
William KellyThese words fit the state of things at Corinth. They are healthy for all believers, in every time and place. Carelessness had marked them as a company, and so they were now called to vigilance. They had let their own ideas eat away even at foundation truths, so they needed to hold on to the truth they had been given. They were living like ordinary men, and they had backed away from shame and suffering because they feared what the world thought. So Paul calls them to act like men, and to be strong.
Watch
Watchfulness comes first. One writer ties it to what the Corinthians were told about depending on other people.
Hamilton SmithThe Corinthian believers were not to be dependent on the Lord's servants. So whether those servants come or stay away, they must first be watchful. An enemy who never rests calls for constant watching. Second, they are to stand firm in the faith. Only standing firm in the whole circle of truth will hold back false teaching.
What "the faith" means
Here the phrase points to what is believed, not to the act of believing.
A. PridhamHere, as often elsewhere, "the faith" means the teaching that is held, not the trust that makes people accept it. Paul's last proud claim was that he had "kept the faith." He wanted his children in the faith to match his zeal, so that they might share his crown too.
That makes standing fast a matter of what a believer knows, and therefore of steady reading.
F. B. HoleChristian character stays steady only when our faith sends its roots deep into the faith. That means we must be well taught in what the faith is. So we must read the Word of God carefully, and let it hold its rightful authority over us. To approach it with any confidence in our own intellectual ability is fatal.
Acting like men
Older Bibles read "quit you like men" here — an old way of saying "act like men." One writer is careful to say this is not addressed to one half of the church.
VariousWe are to learn that we should long to be men. This is not a question of being male or female; a woman may be a man of God. Romans 16 gives a list of God's mighty men, matching the mighty men of David's army in 2 Samuel 23. Many of them are women. So it is not a matter of sex, but of spiritual strength and growth.
Where the strength comes from
The last command would be cruel if we had to find the strength in ourselves. One writer points young men away from their own resources.
J. T. MawsonYou may rest with complete confidence in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. He intercedes for you on high, and He is able to keep you from falling. His grace will meet you in your new life just as it met you at home, at the office and at work. But the need is greater now. So hold to Him with a fuller purpose of heart. Do not trust your own strength, but BE STRONG IN THE LORD. Christ the Lord is the base that supplies you. Keep your line to Him open, and guard it well.
Resurrection courage, kept in love
One writer ties these commands to the resurrection, and adds a warning about love.
F. B. HoleWe may well watch and conduct ourselves like men in our own day. The Corinthian believers often behaved like children. They played with the gifts God gave them as if they were new toys, used them to show off, and argued among themselves. The same tendencies are in our own hearts. Let us watch against them, and act like men — men of faith, to whom the resurrection world is more real than this poor passing one. And let us not sacrifice love while we do it.
Summary
- Watch — Corinth had grown careless, and an enemy who never rests makes that costly. So watching comes first.
- Stand — you stand on "the faith" — the body of truth taught. You can only stand firm on what you have learned from Scripture.
- Grow — acting like men means leaving spiritual childhood behind. It is a matter of strength, not of sex — God counts women among His mighty ones.
- Draw — you do not make strength, you receive it. Keep the line to Christ open, and His grace meets the harder need.
- Love — courage without love turns into the showing-off Paul rebuked. Do none of this at love's expense.