HEREIN
LIES THE KEY to victorious and fruitful service. What was needful for the Corinthians
to serve the Lord aright is also required of us. We should give careful heed to these
brief, yet blessed, commands.
"Watch ye"–be circumspect in
your walk and watchful of whatever would cause offense. The Corinthians were admonished to
be on the alert lest the spiritual error which had so plagued them in the past should once
again gain the upper hand. Believers who have come to grips with the devastating effect of
sin, as was brought to the attention of the Corinthians in this epistle, must be
especially careful of falling prey to further deception. A wariness of sin is an essential
fruit of repentance (2 Cor. 7:1 1). The philosophy of our day is to overlook error; God
says to watch out for it.
"Stand fast in the faith"–do
not consider doctrine an open matter of consideration. What is clearly stated in Scripture
is to be believed and obeyed, not debated or circumvented. "Hold fast the form of
sound words ... keep [sound doctrine] by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us" (2 Tim.
1: 13,14). This Spirit-wrought conviction is essential-mere holy resolve will not do. We
also must withstand the enticement to pursue the course of least resistance where a higher
priority is given to supposed "love," "unity" and
"tolerance" than to earnestly contending for the Faith.
"Quit you like men "–the
Corinthians faced the scorn of the learned and the wrath of the devil's "angels of
light" who sought to draw away disciples after themselves. It takes courage from on
High to stand against the proud religionist and the self-righteous heretic, yet that was
exactly what was needed then and what is required now. We must not fear the faces of men,
but fear instead compromise of Truth. We must be alive unto righteousness.
"Be strong"–not only courage,
but also strength was needed to withstand those who opposed the Truth. God has given us
the Standard of His eternal, inerrant Word to rally around, and He also has promised the
strength to channel that courage into correct and forceful action against Satan's devices.
In our strength we will certainly fail, but with God's mighty power, a stalwart defense of
the Faith can and shall be unflinchingly held.
"Let all your things be done with charity
"–God's love at work in the heart will bring to pass the proper
performance of all the things spoken of here. The indwelling Spirit will reveal a spirit
of compassion and integrity in whatever the believer does for his Lord and for others. Let
us be careful that our love for God, Bible Truth and others does not cool in the midst of
the battle. It happened to the Ephesians (Rev. 2:1-5); it can happen to us.
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