“Be on guard; stand firm in your faith…” – 1 Corinthians 16:13 (AMP)
In today’s world, we are bombarded by a society with values opposed to ours. Abortion rights, gender diversity, and media (TV, music, and social media) are just a snippet of how men are doing what seems good in their eyes. An evangelism conundrum that was familiar to the Apostle Paul. And he understood that it would take moral courage to disciple people in our cities, similar to the perplexing, pagan and powerful city of ancient Corinth.
His caution? “Be on guard; stand firm in your faith [in God, respecting His precepts and keeping your doctrine sound]. Act like [mature] men and be courageous; be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13, AMP).
To be on guard is both a defensive and offensive posture that Paul is calling us believers to take up, akin to the sport of fencing. In fencing, the referee urges the participants to be “en garde,” which translates to “on guard, referring to the opening position from which one may either attack or defend.
Paul expects a similar posture from us that is both defensive and offensive:
- ‘On guard’ – We should not sleep or be deceived in the face of political and social gimmicks or persons courting our integrity.
- ‘Stand’ – We must stand firm on God’s Word (doctrine) so we do not compromise our faith in the face of societal pressures at school, office, business, or even in the face of debt, divorce, and delay.
- “Act” – We must be emboldened to influence every sphere in which we operate as mature men and women, not cowards. This is our offensive position.
Paul, knowing the difficulty of maintaining a defensive and offensive posture daily, reminds us in verse 14 to ‘do everything in love, motivated and inspired by God’s love for us.’ This is the ultimate comfort as we remain “en garde”!
Read: Joshua 1:6-9; Matthew 26:41
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 76; Acts 13:42-52; Acts 14:1-7; I Kings 7:23-51; I Kings 8:1-21
