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 (ESV)
In his famous book of poems, Lays of Ancient Rome, the English author Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859) recorded the legend of Horatius. Faced with an Etruscan army about to destroy Rome, Horatius, and his two companions, successfully held the last remaining bridge into the city, until it could be demolished. A grateful city erected a statue to his courage,
And underneath is written,
In letters all of gold,
How valiantly he kept the bridge
In the brave days of old.
Paul’s prose in this last chapter to the Corinthians is full of military metaphors as he urges the church to be on its guard. In such a pagan city, he warns them to watch out for the corrosive influence of the enemy which has shown itself in their toleration of sexual immorality (5:2) and their intolerance of weaker brothers (8:9-13). He wants them to hold their ground and not to retreat in the face of attack. They are to stand firm in the faith (cf. 2 Thess. 2:15), a reference to the gospel of Jesus’ death and resurrection (15:3-5) and a lifestyle free from impurity and idolatry (6:18-20).
Such a stance requires courage. This is not restricted to men only, but it is particularly required of them. Reflecting a well-known Old Testament theme which connects masculinity and courage (e.g., Deut. 31:6-7; 2 Sam. 10:12; Ps. 31:24), Paul calls for them “to play the role of a man” in a perilous age. In contrast to their selfish, boastful, and arrogant behavior, the Corinthians are to exercise this virtue with love (vv. 13-14, 22, 24) in the service to others (vv. 10-11, 15).
In every age, the Church is called to demonstrate her courage by moral steadfastness, gospel fidelity, and watchful endurance vis-á-vis the world’s corruption. But the peculiar, pervasive, and potent wickedness of twenty-first-century Western culture, calls the pastor to a new level of valor. Only decades ago, he was esteemed by societies known for their Christian consensus. It cost him little to identify with biblical truth. But today, simple affirmation of Scripture is a risky act of defiance, all the more perilous when the pastor has the audacity to urge his people to stand for Christ in the marketplace.
The courage of Horatius led to the successful defense of Rome against overwhelming odds. Pastors can feel daunted as men in their churches abandon the faith or the prevailing culture compromises them. Yet Paul’s exhortation gives confidence that a similar call will resonate with men. They will rally to the cry to turn from cowardice and aloofness and, with steely determination, remain true to the gospel. It requires one man to act like a man for others to follow suit.