Will You Stand Firm in the Faith? – 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Will you stand firm in the faith even when it’s hard? And how do you stand strong in your faith when the world is against everything you believe?

I think we can all agree it’s easy to be a Christian on Sunday. We go to church where we’re surrounded by other people who believe as we do. We sing and worship together, and we listen to the sermon to find inspiration for the week ahead.

The challenge comes when we leave that church building. Waiting for us outside those doors is a world filled with people who oppose our beliefs and want us to be silent.

In their eyes, it’s okay if we believe our silly little thoughts as long as we don’t talk about them or try to persuade anyone else to believe them.

Have you ever had someone tell you that you shouldn’t talk about your faith? I know I have! And it always takes me by surprise.

Yes, they want us to be silent. But our faith is bigger than them and it’s bigger than us too.

Bible verse about standing up for what is right

This quote from Jesus says “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32.

We have the truth because we have Jesus. We know who we serve, and we know what has been done for us.

So, it’s our job and our privilege to share our faith with the people around us. To stand up for what we believe in and tell them the good news so they can have the same assurance of freedom in the Lord Jesus Christ that we have.

Here’s what the Apostle Paul had to say in 1 Corinthians 16:13 about this challenge every Christian faces.

Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.

                                                   1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NKJV

This is an inspirational Bible verse about standing up for what you believe in. And within this scripture, there are five distinct commands to follow. Let’s explore each one together and discover the meaning of stand firm in the faith.

#1 Watch

As women, we are taught to watch what is going on around us when we’re in a public place.

Our parents teach us when we are young girls not to talk to strangers. When we get a little older, we’re told not to park our car in a dark parking structure or next to a van. They say don’t go on long walks alone in a neighborhood park or on a blind date with someone we just met online.

We’re taught all of this to keep us safe from someone who may want to harm us physically. But this command, “Watch” is directed at our spiritual wellbeing.

Because there are people out there who are against our faith. And they would like nothing more than to cause us to doubt our beliefs. So, we should take this warning seriously. Be watchful and on alert. Be aware of who we surround ourselves with. And be mindful of what their agenda may be.

#2 Stand Fast

As we just talked about, there are unsaved people out there who would like nothing more than to put doubt in our minds.

But there is another, more dangerous enemy to be on guard against. They are false teachers who sow confusion, not just in other religions, but within our own too.

These false teachers have a watered-down view of Christianity, or what I like to call the “rose-colored glasses” version of the Bible.

And they are not doing us any favors by misleading us about what the Bible says!

It is up to us to know what the Bible teaches and to stand fast in our faith, or as the NIV translation of the Bible puts it, stand firm in the faith.

I love that word, “firm”. It makes me think about Jesus being my firm foundation and the rock that I can stand on no matter what circumstance I face.

I hope when you hear the word firm, you have a similar image in your mind. Because our faith is built on the firm foundation and truth of Jesus Christ.

Our job here on earth is to stand fast in the faith. We are responsible for knowing the truth of God’s word for ourselves, understanding what is in it, and not allow false teachers to lead us astray.

Read More: Jesus is Our Firm Foundation

#3 Be Brave

It’s never fun to be called out and have to defend yourself. I get it, and I feel the same way. I don’t like confrontation either, it’s awkward and uncomfortable.

But we live in a world where our faith will be tested. We will be challenged, and we will be asked questions.

So when this happens, we have to be brave enough to face the challenge head-on. We can be ready with an answer and be willing to share our faith with an unbelieving world because we know the truth of God’s Word.

#4 Be Strong

Our society tells us that we are supposed to be politically correct. We shouldn’t say anything that might offend someone else. If we don’t agree, then we should just be polite and keep our mouths shut.

But God has not called Christians to be silent, He has called us to be strong.

Instead of silence, we should speak openly and plainly about our faith with those people who hold different beliefs and have questions about ours.

And we should be mindful that our words are always grounded in Biblical truth. If they are, then we should be strong enough to speak these truths with confidence knowing that God’s Word never returns void. (Isaiah 55:11)

#5 With Love

The four previous commands are forceful, maybe more forceful than we feel we should be sometimes.

But our Christian love for other people is the most important part of this equation.

Love is what binds us together and our love for the unsaved should be what motivates us to share our faith.

God doesn’t ask us to be judgmental or to beat people over the head with a Bible. Our kindness and love for our fellow man will go a lot farther than browbeating them ever could.

God wants us to show His love to an unbelieving world so that when they look at us, they can see Him.

Together we can show the love of Christ to those who need Him the most. With our love, we can be the beacon of light that shines the way to Jesus.

Read More: Why Should We Love One Another?

Sundays are a great day for us to get fired up for Jesus, and connect with other Christians. But our challenge is to live our life for Jesus every day of the week. When we do the benefits of standing firm in the Lord will speak for themselves.

The quote, actions speak louder than words, is very true. And our actions are important because the world is watching us.

What will they see? Someone who loves them with the love of Christ? Someone who is standing firm in the faith every day? Or are we just casual Christians going to church on Sunday and living our lives as we see fit the rest of the week?

I hope I am not that person. And my prayer is that I will be able to stand fast in my faith when challenged, have love for those people God puts in my life, and share the truth of Jesus with them.

How about you? Will you stand firm in your faith? Have the courage to live for Jesus every day? And share His love with those around you?

I pray you will join me in taking up this challenge to live for Jesus and stand firm in the faith every day of the week!

As always, May God bless you!

Bible Verse Art from Master’s Hand Collection

More Bible Studies from Master’s Hand Collection

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Sandra J.