Concluding Exhortations
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 was written to the Corinthian Church somewhere around A.D. 54 or 55. This is nearly 2000 years ago. These exhortations are very appropriate for us today.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (NLT)
13 Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. 14 And do everything with love.
Be on guard.
Stand firm in the faith.
Be courageous.
Be strong.
And do everything with love.
Other translations:
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (CEB)
13 Stay awake, stand firm in your faith, be brave, be strong. 14 Everything should be done in love.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (ESV)
13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (ERV)
13 Be careful. Hold firmly to your faith. Have courage and be strong. 14 Do everything in love.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (NIV)
13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14 Do everything in love.
Examine the scriptures:
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (NLT)
13 Be on guard.
Stay awake
Be watchful
Be careful
Be diligent
Be diligent, in carrying out the will of God.
Give yourself fully to the work of the Lord.
- Never compromise the truth of the scriptures.
Why is it so important to “be on guard”?
1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
Some of his ways:
Colossians 2:4&8 (NLT)
4 I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments.
… 8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NLT)
3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths.
2 Corinthians 11:3 (NLT)
3 But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.
- Watch out for false teaching.
Stand firm in the faith.
Philippians 1:27 (NLT)
Live as Citizens of Heaven
27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.
1 Timothy 6:20-21 (NLT)
20 Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. 21 Some people have wandered from the faith by following such foolishness.
May God’s grace be with you all.
Jude 3 (NLT)
The Danger of False Teachers
3 Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.
- Defend the faith that God has entrusted to you.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT)
11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
- Encourage each other and build each other up
Be courageous.
Psalm 27:1 (NLT)
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
so why should I be afraid?
The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,
so why should I tremble?
2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
Hebrews 13:5-6 (NLT)
5 …. For God has said,
“I will never fail you.
I will never abandon you.”
6 So we can say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper,
so I will have no fear.
What can mere people do to me?”
Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
- The Lord is our fortress, protecting us from danger, so we have no reason to be afraid.
- God will hold us up with his victorious right hand.
Be strong.
1 Corinthians 15:58 (NLT)
58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
Ephesians 4:14 (NLT)
Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.
Psalm 46:1 (NLT)
God is our refuge and strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble.
Ephesians 6:10-18 (NLT)
The Whole Armor of God
10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
- God is our strength.
- Put on all of God’s armor.
14 And do everything with love.
1 Corinthians 13:13-14:1
13:13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
14:1 Let love be your highest goal!
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NLT)
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
- Let love be your highest goal!
