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Corinthians 16:13–14 (NASB)
Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men,
be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
This is Paul’s final exhortation in his first letter to the
Corinthians. It is interesting in that the first part of the exhortation sounds
like a military recruiting commercial. Be Alert, Stand firm, Be a man, Be
strong. Then he turns the whole thing on its head with the last part by saying
“Do everything in Love.”
That modifier completely changes the message. In the New
American Standard translation, it says “Let all that you do be done in love.”
We want to do the right thing. We strive for living a life that honors
goodness. We long to be pleasing and holy. However, we miss this particularly critical
point by ignoring “in love.” Love is to be the overarching thing that guides
all that we do.
So, looking at the list you could say “Be alert, in love;
Stand firm in faith, in love; act like men, in love; Be strong, in love” If we
add the admonition “do it in love” to everything that we do something
fundamentally changes in the way that we approach life.
As I have tried to do this, I have realized how many
shortcomings I have. It is humbling to take this seriously and to apply it to
everything that you do.
If you are alert in love, it is a hopefulness that something
exciting is about to happen. Some great opportunity to show some bit of
kindness is going to present itself in an otherwise very harsh and unloving
world. This is contrasted with being alert in fear. This alertness is dread
that something bad is about to happen. Both are true by the way. But notice how
love redeems the moment.
Stand firm in faith with love is also sanctifying. Jesus
said those that have been forgiven much love much (Luke 7:47).
What does this mean. Well love is the action of a faithful believer that has
been forgiven. We stand firm when we allow our faith to guide us into good
works guided by love. The weapon against the evil in our world is not a to be
more evil than our enemy. The weapon is to love in the face of evil.
Act like men is a statement of maturity and courage. When we
love in maturity and courage it is powerful. Mature love is secure, lasting, confident,
and not easily beset by difficult circumstances. Courageous love takes it to
the difficult and dark places in life. It is a love that is bold and
uncompromising. Shame causes us to hold back and hide. Courage takes it to the
need and takes risks to accomplish great good. This is contrasted with “Be a
man” which is a statement of adequacy versus inadequacy. The fear of being
inadequate can drive many to say and do many destructive things. You see “in
love” focuses maturity and courage in a way fear can never can.
Be strong in love radically changes your focus from self to
other. Be strong makes you think about what you need to do to fortify yourself
and position. This self-focus is preparation for some great feat or battle.
There is a element of self-determination in the statement “Be strong.” When you
add in love the focus shifts. We are strong in love when we identify the object
of our love and use our strength to serve that object. If moves strength from a
mode of self-protection to active and transforming force to the world around
us. We do not need to be strong because the world seeks to bring down God’s
people. No! We need to be strong because the world needs the transforming power
of God’s love.
So as you can see when love is the guiding force of our
actions it really provides a redemptive and transforming power that we need in
our lives. It also provides something that the world desperately needs but is
unable to achieve. Love is a witness of that great redemptive and transforming
power of God. Love well my brothers and sister. Love Well!
God Bless you
~BJ Olson
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