Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
The verse is God's command to every person in His service to watch, hold firmly to the faith, act with mature courage, and be strong. To watch is to remain spiritually alert, sober and vigilant, steadfastly resisting the devil who seeks to devour while enduring affliction. To stand fast in the faith is to hold firmly to genuine faith rather than human devising, trusting the Lord with the whole heart and clinging to Jesus in prayer. To quit like men and be strong is to do and dare with courage, force, energy and perseverance, bearing burdens and doing necessary difficult work on the narrow self-denying path instead of remaining idle or weak. Such courage and strength come only by abiding continually with Christ and being strong in the Lord in the whole armor of God, and they must be joined with charity, for everything is to be done in love through faith that works by love and purifies the soul.
Terms of the Command
1 Corinthians 16:13 is God's command to His workers, requiring holiness to the Lord as their motto and diligent, prompt labor in His service through watchfulness, firm standing in the faith, courageous conduct, and strength. It lays a responsibility on every person in the service of Christ that cannot safely be ignored.
To watch is to remain spiritually alert, sober and vigilant, because the devil walks about as a roaring lion seeking to devour. It requires steadfast resistance while enduring the same afflictions as brethren in the world, until after suffering awhile God makes perfect, establishes, strengthens, and settles unto eternal glory by Jesus Christ. It means staying steadfast, unmovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord, doing all to the glory of God and giving no offense to Jew, Gentile, or church, finding rest and strength only in companionship with Christ rather than yoking with the enemy. It also means walking in the Spirit so as not to fulfill the lust of the flesh, crucifying the flesh with its affections and lusts, rejecting the manifest works of the flesh that keep evildoers from inheriting the kingdom of God, and bringing forth the fruit of the Spirit in love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance, without vainglory, provoking, or envying, bearing one another's burdens to fulfill the law of Christ.
To stand fast in the faith is to hold firmly to genuine faith rather than to plans of human devising, with all things done in charity. That faith is genuine faith that works through love and purifies the soul. It means trusting in the Lord with the whole heart and clinging to Jesus, praying to be hidden in the cleft of the Rock while beholding His glory. It means not worrying over betrayal of trust but going forward in the name of the Lord God of Israel without doubting victory, never taking the eyes off Jesus as helper, receiving spiritual power from Him, and standing up in His strength as more than conqueror. It means praying, believing, and remaining firm while proclaiming the message of mercy to the world.
To quit like men is to act with mature, manly courage and take one's place responsibly in God's creation and redemption, which is a decisive advance toward being Christians. It means doing and daring danger instead of being idle drones, holding no parley with Satan but meeting him with It is written, remaining steadfast and clinging by faith to Christ. It means keeping the gospel lamp burning and purest principles undefiled in unfavorable places such as the marketplace and workshop as well as in prayer, and proving unfeigned faith by a clean pure example that is not slothful in business but fervent in spirit serving the Lord, so all work is done on Bible principles. It means bearing burdens and doing necessary, difficult work even without earthly recognition or reward, because life is a battlefield rather than a parade-ground, and trials are to be met by transforming them, not escaping them.
To be strong is to have courage, force, energy, perseverance and manly endurance in hardship. Christian life is more than gentleness, patience, meekness, and kindliness, though those graces are essential. Entering the narrow, self-denying path Christ marks out and pressing on through difficulties and discouragements requires more than weaklings. It means fervent, wholehearted willingness to endure hardness, opposition, reproach, and even death for Christ's sake. It leaves no place for slothful, self-indulgent, half-hearted men, drones, or careless, irreverent, slipshod preachers, and requires men of mind and talent who weigh arguments, dig for truth as for hidden treasure, reach both common and higher classes, remain students of the Bible, keep alive to the sacredness of their responsibilities, and make full proof of ministry in fidelity and consecration.
The verse calls every living member of Christ's body to enlist as a private in the Lord's army under the Captain of salvation, to do an appointed part in the conversion of souls, a work that does not rest on ministers alone. That enlistment is not for ease or amusement but to endure hardship as a faithful soldier of the cross of Christ. It means wholly consecrating to God to do or suffer His will with undaunted courage and resolution, doing present work now to make the world better instead of waiting too long to get ready, living for God by doing and suffering. It means battling against all wrong especially every form of intemperance, carrying the cross and resisting the current of worldliness and wickedness in high places and in low. It begins at the lowest round with small duties and little responsibilities done well and faithfully in humility, distrusting self yet having full confidence in God's power, knowing Christ makes the smallest humble service and humblest talent wholly excellent and great because of His majesty and greatness and surely brings its reward.
Strength Drawn From Christ
Courage and strength come from abiding continually with Christ rather than a merely casual, occasional touch with Him. To watch, stand fast, and act with mature strength is to remain continually with Him and conscious of Him abiding within, having put on Christ, so that the mind is encouraged and strengthened. This abiding makes every necessary duty light because He bears the weight of every burden. It means reverencing oneself as His property, His husbandry, and His building, and revealing in life the wisdom of God and the righteousness of Christ, an injunction never to be forgotten even for a moment.
Being strong is being strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Christian graces are talents to be used in accomplishing a work for God, not ornaments to win admiration, and the call to manly courage and strength is met by putting on the whole armor of God. That armor is truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith to quench the fiery darts of the wicked, salvation, the Word of God, and persevering prayer and supplication for all saints, to stand against the wiles of the devil and to withstand in the evil day. The wrestling is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places. To quit like men is therefore to quit as brave soldiers of the Lord's army for the great conflict ahead, aroused and awake while there is still opportunity to repent and prepare to meet God.
That warfare is waged cautiously and silently without precipitating a crisis and without raiding any person, keeping close to the Lord, clinging to the standard, not forgetting the gospel shoes, and praying and striving for victory. Acting with manly courage and strength comes from making God's word a trust. To the degree the word is received and obeyed, it works with power upon every spring of action and every phase of character, purifying every thought and regulating every desire. It lifts those who trust it above all baser things into an atmosphere free from defilement. By clinging firmly to Jesus Christ as the only hope and strength, the one tempted will not and cannot stumble or fall when Satan returns to the point of past temptation, stumbling, and falling.
The requirements of the command are possible to meet, or they would never have been given. Strength comes by taking eyes and thoughts away from self and surrendering the whole heart to God. It means asking Jesus what He wants done, laying self and all one has and is at the cross of Calvary, recognizing that nothing worth living for can be achieved alone. Divine resources are at the command of everyone who seeks God in helpless nothingness. Divine grace holds wonderful power able to subdue outbursts of passion in professing believers.
Obedience requires being as branches of the living vine drawing nourishment from Christ, rich in spiritual knowledge and heavenly wisdom, with the heart transformed by grace and Christ formed within as the hope of glory. It requires coming into close relation to God through daily consecration and throwing entire interest into the work, and God will sustain those who so stand up for God and for the truth. Without this closeness the standard of ministry is lowered into the dust. Laborers remain dry, Christless and unconverted, needing themselves to be taught the first principles of the gospel, and even good words spoken in the desk are powerless; separated farther and farther from God with less and less of His Spirit, a person will be overcome by the enemy of truth. When laborers truly believe, obedience is manifest in faith that works by love and purifies the soul and gives vitality to the churches.
Faith Working Through Love
Firmness in belief and courageous strength are incomplete unless joined with charity, for the next instruction adds that everything is to be done in love. The faith in which believers are to stand fast is genuine faith that works through love and purifies the soul. Those who labor for Christ are therefore called to remain watchful, stand firm, act courageously and be strong while letting love govern all they do.
To watch, stand fast, act manfully and be strong means to be melted and transformed by grace so as to reveal Christ and not the enemy. It means washing the robe of character and no longer biting and devouring one another, but letting all things be done with charity. That charity suffers long and is kind, loving others as Christ loved, with tender sympathy and care. Such loyalty is the solemn obligation of everyone joined to Christ's army under the Captain of salvation, manifesting Christ to the world in character through a different class of work.
Walking in this obedience means walking in the Spirit so as not to fulfill the lust of the flesh. It means crucifying the flesh with its affections and lusts, rejecting the manifest works of the flesh that keep evildoers from inheriting the kingdom of God. In their place is brought forth the fruit of the Spirit in love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. This walk leaves no room for vainglory, provoking or envying, but bears one another's burdens to fulfill the law of Christ.
This strength must never lose sight of the love with which Christ has loved His followers. It is to be held as a motto fixed in memory's hall, giving deeper insight into what it means to be a Christian and making men God's men of opportunity who tread softly before the Lord. Exercised with charity, it makes men kind and thoughtful for others' good instead of dealing harshly with the purchase of Christ's blood. People judge Christ's mercy, tenderness, forbearance and love by their manifestation in His professed followers, who are a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men. Without this decided reformation of character, men in sacred trust will hear before the assembled universe the same denunciation Christ pronounced upon the scribes and Pharisees.
Courage in Service and Leadership
The command calls gospel ministers, elders, and all who labor for the Master to fervent, wholehearted ministry that willingly endures hardness, opposition, reproach, and even death for Christ's sake. It requires men of mind and talent who weigh arguments, dig for truth as for hidden treasure, reach both common and higher classes, remain students of the Bible, stay alive to the sacredness of their responsibilities, and make full proof of ministry in fidelity and consecration. It leaves no place for slothful, self-indulgent, half-hearted men, drones, or careless, irreverent, slipshod preachers. Cowardice will not be rewarded with success, but acting with manly courage and strength brings the Lord going before, as seen with the few workers in European fields such as Switzerland who must put their powers to best use, endure severe conflicts, make costly sacrifices, hold the truth even when it costs something, and accept self-denial and the cross in the pathway to heaven instead of choosing a broader road around the cross without lifting it. Every living member of Christ's body is enlisted as a private in the army of the Lord for an appointed part in the conversion of souls, a work not resting on ministers alone, meaning vigilance, courage, truth, firmness and strength, enlisting not for ease or amusement but to endure hardship as a faithful soldier of the cross.
Young men are called to courageous strength in serving God with humble obedience, purity, rejection of falsity, falsehood and wickedness, and faithful, energetic use of their abilities for the Master at whatever task is available rather than neglecting the work because it seems small. For those in positions of responsibility in the Lord's work the same alertness, firm standing in faith, courageous conduct and strength means guarding against rash speech, unfaithfulness and betrayal of sacred trusts, and standing firmly for what God has marked out, especially in a crisis. Official position never excuses such failure, and men who fail to rightly discharge sacred responsibilities must not be retained in office. What is required is men true and loyal who firmly hold to right principles, with competent faithful businessmen appointed to make close investigation of business transactions of men in responsibility and to refuse sanction to anything imperiling the purity of the church and its institutions as appointed instrumentalities.
In the Southern field acting like men means using the talent of speech for a worthy purpose, cultivating pleasantness of voice and fragrance of speech, teaching God's Word as present truth to those in the darkness of error, and facing the work boldly with trust in the Lord to guide and give grace and wisdom. It means no longer imperiling one's own salvation and that of others by words of condemnation and judgment. Acting with courage and strength means showing faith by works with persevering, determined effort in spiritual conflict, putting the preached reasons of faith into printed form so people can read and share them and scattering those publications widely, because truth has been perverted and every evil influence is at work in a wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places. In Sabbath-school work it means patiently laboring for the salvation of students, relying on prayer, faith and Christ's grace rather than discouraging them with reprimands and accusations.
On the ground, to quit like men and be strong for Christ's sake is to exercise judgment and execute what plainly must be done, using brains and mental powers, deciding matters one knows how to decide as well as others, and taking hold with available means of self-evident need such as unsanitary neglect. It forbids working on wrong principles of helplessness, waiting to telephone or summon the Board to consent to things that must be done, holding uncalled-for Board meetings, and wasting time and money on traveling expenses that should be used in doing the work. It commands efficient judgment and execution, pulling off coats and going to work as living men able to do what must be done. Missionaries of the Christian church are to stand in their God-given manhood, exercising freedom of speech and freedom of faith. Every man connected with the sacred work must be one with whom God can communicate, of humble, teachable spirit and contrite heart.
To quit like men and be strong means facing temptation without yielding, refusing bondage to men or to Satan and satanic agencies, refusing to sink into earthly or base things, not creeping and groveling in earthliness but turning the face to the Sun of Righteousness and rising above all baser things into an atmosphere pure from all spiritual and moral defilement. That strength is joined to faith that works through love and purifies the soul. When a fellow laborer is not doing as a man in his position ought to do, workers are not to harmonize with his plans or be cowed into silence by a masterful spirit, because doing so greatly injures both that fellow laborer and themselves. They are to work cautiously and silently without precipitating a crisis, making no raid against any person because the war is not against men but against principalities and powers, putting on the whole armor of God not forgetting the gospel shoes, keeping close to the Lord, clinging to the standard, and praying and striving for victory.
The strength required is willing, cheerful stewardship that stops wrangling and murmuring over pledges to advance God's cause, overcoming all irritation and heart-burning. It means doing the best one can without grumbling and without letting disappointment, jealousy, suspicion and distrust rob the blessing God intends. Those who pledged under the softening influence of the Spirit of God and then drew back are to hold firm and remain willing to do and to use their means to advance the cause.
Steadfastness in Trial and Time
The verse is a warning for those living amidst the closing scenes of this earth's history to watch, stand fast in the faith, act like men, and be strong. It is a trumpet call to those in charge of God's work to arouse and awake while there is still opportunity to repent and prepare to meet God, quitting themselves as brave soldiers of the Lord's army for the great conflict before them. Those who proclaim the third angel's message put on the whole armor of God so they can stand against the wiles of the enemy and withstand in the evil day, standing boldly at post in the face of detraction and falsehood, fighting the good fight of faith and resisting the enemy with It is written. Keeping where the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit can give efficiency by unreserved surrender to God puts heaven's strength at the command of believing ones, and the one who makes God his trust is barricaded by an impregnable wall. Those who understand the truth for this time pray, believe, and remain firm in the faith while proclaiming the message of mercy to the world.
For a believer who has accepted the Sabbath truth and faces bitter family opposition, inducements, and pressure to give it up, the verse means to keep watching, hold firmly to faith, act with courage, and be strong rather than cast off the Lord and draw back. Endurance under trial to the end is required to be saved, to remain a true disciple, to keep the crown, to overcome and to remain in the book of life. Trusting the compassionate Saviour preserves the soul from evil and works the matter for His glory even when cut off from human help.
For the tempted and tried person the verse means to stay vigilant, hold firmly to faith, act with courage and be strong, being steadfast, unmovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord. All is to be done to the glory of God with no offense to Jew, Gentile, or church, finding rest and strength only in companionship with Christ rather than yoking with the enemy. Standing fast means trusting in the Lord with the whole heart and clinging to Jesus, praying to be hidden in the cleft of the Rock while beholding His glory, never taking the eyes off Jesus as helper but receiving spiritual power from Him. It means clinging firmly to Jesus Christ as the only hope and strength, so that when Satan returns to the point of past temptation, stumbling, and falling, the person will not and cannot stumble or fall, but stands up in the strength of Jesus as more than conqueror, going forward in the name of the Lord God of Israel without doubting victory and without worrying over betrayal of trust.
The verse calls Christians to courageous manly strength in active service for God, doing and daring danger instead of being idle drones. It means holding no parley with Satan but meeting him with It is written, remaining steadfast and clinging by faith to Christ. It means keeping the gospel lamp burning and purest principles undefiled in unfavorable places such as the marketplace and workshop as well as in prayer, proving unfeigned faith by a clean pure example that is not slothful in business but fervent in spirit serving the Lord, so all work is done on Bible principles.
The verse means arming oneself like a man when pressed by care and perplexity instead of giving up to feelings. It calls for willingness to learn, patient learning, and control of feelings rather than a reckless, desperate spirit when the path is obstructed, cultivating opposite traits of character and persevering through obstruction to gain experience and victory with God's help. Giving way does not remove difficulties and leaves a person weak and powerless without experience in surmounting obstacles and without victories under temptation. It means fighting the battles of the Lord manfully and righteously, doing the utmost to help one another obtain the victory, and living so that the light of heaven shines into heart and mind to grasp the treasures of heaven. It means educating and training the younger members of the Lord's family to stand firmly with God's people, so that all may meet together in the city of God.
The verse is God's command to every person in His service to watch, hold firmly to the faith, act with mature courage, and be strong.
To watch is to remain spiritually alert, sober and vigilant, steadfastly resisting the devil who seeks to devour while enduring affliction.
To stand fast in the faith is to hold firmly to genuine faith rather than human devising, trusting the Lord with the whole heart and clinging to Jesus in prayer.
To quit like men and be strong is to do and dare with courage, force, energy and perseverance, bearing burdens and doing necessary difficult work on the narrow self-denying path instead of remaining idle or weak.
Such courage and strength come only by abiding continually with Christ and being strong in the Lord in the whole armor of God, and they must be joined with charity, for everything is to be done in love through faith that works by love and purifies the soul.
Terms of the Command
1 Corinthians 16:13 is God's command to His workers, requiring holiness to the Lord as their motto and diligent, prompt labor in His service through watchfulness, firm standing in the faith, courageous conduct, and strength. It lays a responsibility on every person in the service of Christ that cannot safely be ignored.
To watch is to remain spiritually alert, sober and vigilant, because the devil walks about as a roaring lion seeking to devour. It requires steadfast resistance while enduring the same afflictions as brethren in the world, until after suffering awhile God makes perfect, establishes, strengthens, and settles unto eternal glory by Jesus Christ. It means staying steadfast, unmovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord, doing all to the glory of God and giving no offense to Jew, Gentile, or church, finding rest and strength only in companionship with Christ rather than yoking with the enemy. It also means walking in the Spirit so as not to fulfill the lust of the flesh, crucifying the flesh with its affections and lusts, rejecting the manifest works of the flesh that keep evildoers from inheriting the kingdom of God, and bringing forth the fruit of the Spirit in love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance, without vainglory, provoking, or envying, bearing one another's burdens to fulfill the law of Christ.
To stand fast in the faith is to hold firmly to genuine faith rather than to plans of human devising, with all things done in charity. That faith is genuine faith that works through love and purifies the soul. It means trusting in the Lord with the whole heart and clinging to Jesus, praying to be hidden in the cleft of the Rock while beholding His glory. It means not worrying over betrayal of trust but going forward in the name of the Lord God of Israel without doubting victory, never taking the eyes off Jesus as helper, receiving spiritual power from Him, and standing up in His strength as more than conqueror. It means praying, believing, and remaining firm while proclaiming the message of mercy to the world.
To quit like men is to act with mature, manly courage and take one's place responsibly in God's creation and redemption, which is a decisive advance toward being Christians. It means doing and daring danger instead of being idle drones, holding no parley with Satan but meeting him with It is written, remaining steadfast and clinging by faith to Christ. It means keeping the gospel lamp burning and purest principles undefiled in unfavorable places such as the marketplace and workshop as well as in prayer, and proving unfeigned faith by a clean pure example that is not slothful in business but fervent in spirit serving the Lord, so all work is done on Bible principles. It means bearing burdens and doing necessary, difficult work even without earthly recognition or reward, because life is a battlefield rather than a parade-ground, and trials are to be met by transforming them, not escaping them.
To be strong is to have courage, force, energy, perseverance and manly endurance in hardship. Christian life is more than gentleness, patience, meekness, and kindliness, though those graces are essential. Entering the narrow, self-denying path Christ marks out and pressing on through difficulties and discouragements requires more than weaklings. It means fervent, wholehearted willingness to endure hardness, opposition, reproach, and even death for Christ's sake. It leaves no place for slothful, self-indulgent, half-hearted men, drones, or careless, irreverent, slipshod preachers, and requires men of mind and talent who weigh arguments, dig for truth as for hidden treasure, reach both common and higher classes, remain students of the Bible, keep alive to the sacredness of their responsibilities, and make full proof of ministry in fidelity and consecration.
The verse calls every living member of Christ's body to enlist as a private in the Lord's army under the Captain of salvation, to do an appointed part in the conversion of souls, a work that does not rest on ministers alone. That enlistment is not for ease or amusement but to endure hardship as a faithful soldier of the cross of Christ. It means wholly consecrating to God to do or suffer His will with undaunted courage and resolution, doing present work now to make the world better instead of waiting too long to get ready, living for God by doing and suffering. It means battling against all wrong especially every form of intemperance, carrying the cross and resisting the current of worldliness and wickedness in high places and in low. It begins at the lowest round with small duties and little responsibilities done well and faithfully in humility, distrusting self yet having full confidence in God's power, knowing Christ makes the smallest humble service and humblest talent wholly excellent and great because of His majesty and greatness and surely brings its reward.
Strength Drawn From Christ
Courage and strength come from abiding continually with Christ rather than a merely casual, occasional touch with Him. To watch, stand fast, and act with mature strength is to remain continually with Him and conscious of Him abiding within, having put on Christ, so that the mind is encouraged and strengthened. This abiding makes every necessary duty light because He bears the weight of every burden. It means reverencing oneself as His property, His husbandry, and His building, and revealing in life the wisdom of God and the righteousness of Christ, an injunction never to be forgotten even for a moment.
Being strong is being strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Christian graces are talents to be used in accomplishing a work for God, not ornaments to win admiration, and the call to manly courage and strength is met by putting on the whole armor of God. That armor is truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith to quench the fiery darts of the wicked, salvation, the Word of God, and persevering prayer and supplication for all saints, to stand against the wiles of the devil and to withstand in the evil day. The wrestling is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places. To quit like men is therefore to quit as brave soldiers of the Lord's army for the great conflict ahead, aroused and awake while there is still opportunity to repent and prepare to meet God.
That warfare is waged cautiously and silently without precipitating a crisis and without raiding any person, keeping close to the Lord, clinging to the standard, not forgetting the gospel shoes, and praying and striving for victory. Acting with manly courage and strength comes from making God's word a trust. To the degree the word is received and obeyed, it works with power upon every spring of action and every phase of character, purifying every thought and regulating every desire. It lifts those who trust it above all baser things into an atmosphere free from defilement. By clinging firmly to Jesus Christ as the only hope and strength, the one tempted will not and cannot stumble or fall when Satan returns to the point of past temptation, stumbling, and falling.
The requirements of the command are possible to meet, or they would never have been given. Strength comes by taking eyes and thoughts away from self and surrendering the whole heart to God. It means asking Jesus what He wants done, laying self and all one has and is at the cross of Calvary, recognizing that nothing worth living for can be achieved alone. Divine resources are at the command of everyone who seeks God in helpless nothingness. Divine grace holds wonderful power able to subdue outbursts of passion in professing believers.
Obedience requires being as branches of the living vine drawing nourishment from Christ, rich in spiritual knowledge and heavenly wisdom, with the heart transformed by grace and Christ formed within as the hope of glory. It requires coming into close relation to God through daily consecration and throwing entire interest into the work, and God will sustain those who so stand up for God and for the truth. Without this closeness the standard of ministry is lowered into the dust. Laborers remain dry, Christless and unconverted, needing themselves to be taught the first principles of the gospel, and even good words spoken in the desk are powerless; separated farther and farther from God with less and less of His Spirit, a person will be overcome by the enemy of truth. When laborers truly believe, obedience is manifest in faith that works by love and purifies the soul and gives vitality to the churches.
Faith Working Through Love
Firmness in belief and courageous strength are incomplete unless joined with charity, for the next instruction adds that everything is to be done in love. The faith in which believers are to stand fast is genuine faith that works through love and purifies the soul. Those who labor for Christ are therefore called to remain watchful, stand firm, act courageously and be strong while letting love govern all they do.
To watch, stand fast, act manfully and be strong means to be melted and transformed by grace so as to reveal Christ and not the enemy. It means washing the robe of character and no longer biting and devouring one another, but letting all things be done with charity. That charity suffers long and is kind, loving others as Christ loved, with tender sympathy and care. Such loyalty is the solemn obligation of everyone joined to Christ's army under the Captain of salvation, manifesting Christ to the world in character through a different class of work.
Walking in this obedience means walking in the Spirit so as not to fulfill the lust of the flesh. It means crucifying the flesh with its affections and lusts, rejecting the manifest works of the flesh that keep evildoers from inheriting the kingdom of God. In their place is brought forth the fruit of the Spirit in love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. This walk leaves no room for vainglory, provoking or envying, but bears one another's burdens to fulfill the law of Christ.
This strength must never lose sight of the love with which Christ has loved His followers. It is to be held as a motto fixed in memory's hall, giving deeper insight into what it means to be a Christian and making men God's men of opportunity who tread softly before the Lord. Exercised with charity, it makes men kind and thoughtful for others' good instead of dealing harshly with the purchase of Christ's blood. People judge Christ's mercy, tenderness, forbearance and love by their manifestation in His professed followers, who are a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men. Without this decided reformation of character, men in sacred trust will hear before the assembled universe the same denunciation Christ pronounced upon the scribes and Pharisees.
Courage in Service and Leadership
The command calls gospel ministers, elders, and all who labor for the Master to fervent, wholehearted ministry that willingly endures hardness, opposition, reproach, and even death for Christ's sake. It requires men of mind and talent who weigh arguments, dig for truth as for hidden treasure, reach both common and higher classes, remain students of the Bible, stay alive to the sacredness of their responsibilities, and make full proof of ministry in fidelity and consecration. It leaves no place for slothful, self-indulgent, half-hearted men, drones, or careless, irreverent, slipshod preachers. Cowardice will not be rewarded with success, but acting with manly courage and strength brings the Lord going before, as seen with the few workers in European fields such as Switzerland who must put their powers to best use, endure severe conflicts, make costly sacrifices, hold the truth even when it costs something, and accept self-denial and the cross in the pathway to heaven instead of choosing a broader road around the cross without lifting it. Every living member of Christ's body is enlisted as a private in the army of the Lord for an appointed part in the conversion of souls, a work not resting on ministers alone, meaning vigilance, courage, truth, firmness and strength, enlisting not for ease or amusement but to endure hardship as a faithful soldier of the cross.
Young men are called to courageous strength in serving God with humble obedience, purity, rejection of falsity, falsehood and wickedness, and faithful, energetic use of their abilities for the Master at whatever task is available rather than neglecting the work because it seems small. For those in positions of responsibility in the Lord's work the same alertness, firm standing in faith, courageous conduct and strength means guarding against rash speech, unfaithfulness and betrayal of sacred trusts, and standing firmly for what God has marked out, especially in a crisis. Official position never excuses such failure, and men who fail to rightly discharge sacred responsibilities must not be retained in office. What is required is men true and loyal who firmly hold to right principles, with competent faithful businessmen appointed to make close investigation of business transactions of men in responsibility and to refuse sanction to anything imperiling the purity of the church and its institutions as appointed instrumentalities.
In the Southern field acting like men means using the talent of speech for a worthy purpose, cultivating pleasantness of voice and fragrance of speech, teaching God's Word as present truth to those in the darkness of error, and facing the work boldly with trust in the Lord to guide and give grace and wisdom. It means no longer imperiling one's own salvation and that of others by words of condemnation and judgment. Acting with courage and strength means showing faith by works with persevering, determined effort in spiritual conflict, putting the preached reasons of faith into printed form so people can read and share them and scattering those publications widely, because truth has been perverted and every evil influence is at work in a wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places. In Sabbath-school work it means patiently laboring for the salvation of students, relying on prayer, faith and Christ's grace rather than discouraging them with reprimands and accusations.
On the ground, to quit like men and be strong for Christ's sake is to exercise judgment and execute what plainly must be done, using brains and mental powers, deciding matters one knows how to decide as well as others, and taking hold with available means of self-evident need such as unsanitary neglect. It forbids working on wrong principles of helplessness, waiting to telephone or summon the Board to consent to things that must be done, holding uncalled-for Board meetings, and wasting time and money on traveling expenses that should be used in doing the work. It commands efficient judgment and execution, pulling off coats and going to work as living men able to do what must be done. Missionaries of the Christian church are to stand in their God-given manhood, exercising freedom of speech and freedom of faith. Every man connected with the sacred work must be one with whom God can communicate, of humble, teachable spirit and contrite heart.
To quit like men and be strong means facing temptation without yielding, refusing bondage to men or to Satan and satanic agencies, refusing to sink into earthly or base things, not creeping and groveling in earthliness but turning the face to the Sun of Righteousness and rising above all baser things into an atmosphere pure from all spiritual and moral defilement. That strength is joined to faith that works through love and purifies the soul. When a fellow laborer is not doing as a man in his position ought to do, workers are not to harmonize with his plans or be cowed into silence by a masterful spirit, because doing so greatly injures both that fellow laborer and themselves. They are to work cautiously and silently without precipitating a crisis, making no raid against any person because the war is not against men but against principalities and powers, putting on the whole armor of God not forgetting the gospel shoes, keeping close to the Lord, clinging to the standard, and praying and striving for victory.
The strength required is willing, cheerful stewardship that stops wrangling and murmuring over pledges to advance God's cause, overcoming all irritation and heart-burning. It means doing the best one can without grumbling and without letting disappointment, jealousy, suspicion and distrust rob the blessing God intends. Those who pledged under the softening influence of the Spirit of God and then drew back are to hold firm and remain willing to do and to use their means to advance the cause.
Steadfastness in Trial and Time
The verse is a warning for those living amidst the closing scenes of this earth's history to watch, stand fast in the faith, act like men, and be strong. It is a trumpet call to those in charge of God's work to arouse and awake while there is still opportunity to repent and prepare to meet God, quitting themselves as brave soldiers of the Lord's army for the great conflict before them. Those who proclaim the third angel's message put on the whole armor of God so they can stand against the wiles of the enemy and withstand in the evil day, standing boldly at post in the face of detraction and falsehood, fighting the good fight of faith and resisting the enemy with It is written. Keeping where the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit can give efficiency by unreserved surrender to God puts heaven's strength at the command of believing ones, and the one who makes God his trust is barricaded by an impregnable wall. Those who understand the truth for this time pray, believe, and remain firm in the faith while proclaiming the message of mercy to the world.
For a believer who has accepted the Sabbath truth and faces bitter family opposition, inducements, and pressure to give it up, the verse means to keep watching, hold firmly to faith, act with courage, and be strong rather than cast off the Lord and draw back. Endurance under trial to the end is required to be saved, to remain a true disciple, to keep the crown, to overcome and to remain in the book of life. Trusting the compassionate Saviour preserves the soul from evil and works the matter for His glory even when cut off from human help.
For the tempted and tried person the verse means to stay vigilant, hold firmly to faith, act with courage and be strong, being steadfast, unmovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord. All is to be done to the glory of God with no offense to Jew, Gentile, or church, finding rest and strength only in companionship with Christ rather than yoking with the enemy. Standing fast means trusting in the Lord with the whole heart and clinging to Jesus, praying to be hidden in the cleft of the Rock while beholding His glory, never taking the eyes off Jesus as helper but receiving spiritual power from Him. It means clinging firmly to Jesus Christ as the only hope and strength, so that when Satan returns to the point of past temptation, stumbling, and falling, the person will not and cannot stumble or fall, but stands up in the strength of Jesus as more than conqueror, going forward in the name of the Lord God of Israel without doubting victory and without worrying over betrayal of trust.
The verse calls Christians to courageous manly strength in active service for God, doing and daring danger instead of being idle drones. It means holding no parley with Satan but meeting him with It is written, remaining steadfast and clinging by faith to Christ. It means keeping the gospel lamp burning and purest principles undefiled in unfavorable places such as the marketplace and workshop as well as in prayer, proving unfeigned faith by a clean pure example that is not slothful in business but fervent in spirit serving the Lord, so all work is done on Bible principles.
The verse means arming oneself like a man when pressed by care and perplexity instead of giving up to feelings. It calls for willingness to learn, patient learning, and control of feelings rather than a reckless, desperate spirit when the path is obstructed, cultivating opposite traits of character and persevering through obstruction to gain experience and victory with God's help. Giving way does not remove difficulties and leaves a person weak and powerless without experience in surmounting obstacles and without victories under temptation. It means fighting the battles of the Lord manfully and righteously, doing the utmost to help one another obtain the victory, and living so that the light of heaven shines into heart and mind to grasp the treasures of heaven. It means educating and training the younger members of the Lord's family to stand firmly with God's people, so that all may meet together in the city of God.