Be a Man!
1 Cor. 16:13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
We get an interesting phrase here, be a man. This passage is one that multiple translations allow us more insight into the depth of meaning. At first glance I read this passage and simply see Paul flippantly say be a man. Something you might see a dad say to his son when he is crying over losing at baseball game or when he falls and scrapes his knee. Our view of this statement is skewed by the way years of failure on the part of men to be men of God and our media's portrayal of what a man "should be", even the skewed vision of it we get from some of our church experiences lead us to a spinning question, what the heck does it mean to be a man?!"
This is a question that I think in it's context and from their cultural understanding didn't carry the same stigma that we glean from it today. Ready multiple translation leads us to a broader understanding by looking at some surrounding phrases.
-Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong ASV
-Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. NIV
-Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you’ve got, be resolute MSG
-Watch! Stand firm in the faith! Be courageous! Be strong! WEB
And maybe the one that gives us the greatest context amplified---
-Be alert and on your guard; stand firm in your faith (your conviction respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, keeping the trust and holy fervor born of faith and a part of it). Act like men and be courageous; grow in strength! AMP
If we are to be men of God one thing that is certain, we must hold fast to the Truth of scripture. See Ephesians 4:11-16
11. And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
If we are to grow into Biblical manhood, our foundation has to be rooted in scripture or else we will lose our footing and buy into a false sense of what it means to be a man.
Why special attention given to men here? This is not men(generic, meaning people) this is men(as in males). Because as men we have a greater responsibility to be spiritual leaders of our families and in the church. And as men there are so many footholds the enemy can use to derail us and even disqualify us from ministry in certain contexts. Sexual sin, complacency, passivity, aggression, distractions like over-zealous interests in sports, hobbies, or work. All these and more can lead us into a neglect of our God given responsibilities to be spiritual leaders.
Verse 14 shows us how we are to lead as men, "Let all that you do be done in love".
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