This article explains the Apostle Paul's exhortation to the Corinthian church to be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong, and be loving (1 Corinthians 16:13-14).

     Consider.  In what areas of your personal life today are you being challenged to stand firm in your faith in Christ?  In what areas do you believe the church of Christ today needs to stand firm against the attacks of the enemy? 

     Introduction.  The Apostle Paul concludes his letter to the Corinthian church with a concise and sharp series of exhortations.  The first four exhortations in 1 Corinthians 16:13 - be alert (be watchful), stand firm in the faith, act like men (be courageous), and be strong - are like "pistol shots" or shouted military commands (Ref. 1).  In contrast, the last exhortation in 1 Corinthians 16:14 - "Let all that you do be done in love" - is more gentle.

Paul loved the church at Corinth, and he spent much time teaching them (Acts 18:1, 5, 11).  Even though Paul loved them and had taught them about Christ, he was concerned that they were "schismatic and factious," "ill-grounded in regard to very fundamental doctrines of the faith," undisciplined, and incapacitated for "vigorous warfare" (Ref. 1).  Paul includes these sharp and emotional exhortations at the end of his letter to help them preserve their souls and to stand firm against the enemies of truth.

     Be on the alert.  The Greek word for be on the alert is grégoreó.  Grégoreó means literally, stay awake, and figuratively, be vigilant, responsible, and watchful (Ref. 2).  Paul's exhortation to the Corinthian church (to be alert, watchful) applies equally to us as believers in Christ today.  Paul urged the Corinthian church to guard constantly against evils such as dissension, erroneous doctrine, false teaching, and temptations, "lest the enemies of truth and of holiness should steal upon them and surprise them" (Ref. 3).  "They were to watch with the same vigilance that is required of a sentinel who guards a camp, lest an enemy should suddenly come upon them, and surprise the camp when the army was locked in sleep" (Ref. 3).

     Stand firm in the faith.  The Greek word for stand firm in 1 Corinthians 16:13 is stékó which means to persist, persevere, and stand fast (Ref. 4).  The Greek word for faith is pistis which means belief, trust, faith, and confidence (Ref. 5).  As believers in Christ, in addition to being watchful, we are to stand firm in the faith - that is, stand firm in our belief, trust, and confidence in Christ and in the word of God.  I suggest these examples for standing firm in the faith:

• Believing in and defending the absolute truths of the Bible (for example, Christ's sacrificial death for our sins and his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).  Another example - believing in and relying upon the inspiration and authority of the Bible - "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
• Maintaining full confidence in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ - we are able to stand firm because of who we trust (Jesus Christ).  David wrote, "My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:2).  Paul wrote, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). 
• Remaining faithful to God when we encounter temptation (James 1:12-15, 1 Corinthians 10:13).  David wrote, "How can a young man keep his way pure?  By keeping it according to Your word" (Psalm 119:9).
• Trusting God through distress and affliction - "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all" (Psalm 34:19).
• Holding our ground and opposing the attempts of those who compromise Biblical standards to mimic worldly culture.  In contrast to imitating the world and compromising with the world, Jesus said that we are to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16).  The Apostle John wrote, "Do not love the world nor the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15, Ref. 6).
  
  

     Act like men (be courageous and brave).  Paul  uses the Greek word andrizó, which the 1995 New American Standard Bible translates as act like men (Ref. 7).  Andrizó means "properly, to act as a full-grown, mature man; (figuratively) to be responsible and courageous by taking the initiatives God reveals through faith" (HELPS Word-studies, Ref. 8).  Note the connection in the Greek definition between God providing the Christian believer faith and the Christian believer being courageous and brave to stand firm.  The Greek word andrizó (act like men) occurs only once in the New Testament - here in 1 Corinthians 16:13 (Englishman's Concordance, Ref. 8). 

Paul's message applies to both male and female believers today.  We are to be spiritually mature, courageous, and brave as we stand firm in the faith.

     Be strong.  In 1 Corinthians 16:13 Paul uses an unusual word which is translated as be strong.  The Greek word used here for be strong is krataioó.  Krataioó (be strong) means to prevail by God's dominating strength working in the believer through faith (Ref. 9).  Paul uses the same Greek word krataioó in his prayer for the church at Ephesus.  "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man ..." (Ephesians 3:14-16, italics added).

     Let all that you do be done in love.  Paul transitions from the captain's words of command in 1 Corinthians 16:13 to the gentler exhortation, "Let all that you do be done in love" (1 Corinthians 16:14).  The Greek word for love in this verse is agapé, which means divine love (what God prefers) (Ref. 10).  As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, when we stand firm in the faith, we are to show God's divine love to others in everything that we say and do.  Paul describes the love we are to show others when he wrote, "Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered ..." (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). 

     Apply.  In what area of your personal life do you need God's strength to help you stand firm?  What can you do to help the church of Christ today to stand firm against the enemies of God's truth?

References
1.  https://biblehub.com/commentaries/maclaren/1_corinthians/16.htm
2.  https://biblehub.com/greek/1127.htm
3.  https://biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/1_corinthians/16.htm
4.  https://biblehub.com/greek/4739.htm
5.  https://biblehub.com/greek/4102.htm
6.  http://www.ScriptureWay.com/home/do-not-love-the-world
7.  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+16%3A13&version=NASB
8.  https://biblehub.com/greek/407.htm
9.  https://biblehub.com/greek/2901.htm
10.  https://biblehub.com/greek/26.htm

"When the storms of life are raging, Stand by me (stand by me);
When the storms of life are raging, Stand by me (stand by me);
When the world is tossing me Like a ship upon the sea
Thou who rulest wind and water, Stand by me (stand by me)."
-- Charles Albert Tindley, 1905

This article describes the background and scripture allusions for the gospel hymn, "Stand by Me," by Rev. Dr. Charles A. Tindley.

     Consider.  Are you going through a personal storm today?  The same Jesus who rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still," can calm your personal storms.

     Hymn Author and Composer.  The Reverend Dr. Charles Albert Tindley (1851-1933) was an American Methodist minister and was one of the founding fathers of American gospel music (Ref. 1, Ref. 2).  He was the son of a slave, and he taught himself to read and write.  After the American Civil War he moved to Philadelphia as a young person where he found employment as a hod carrier (brick carrier) (Ref. 1).  He and his wife Daisy attended the Bainbridge Street Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia where Charles became the sexton (janitor) (Ref. 1, Ref. 3).

Tindley was never able to go to school (Ref. 1).  He was self-taught, never graduating from college or seminary, yet he acquired and read more than 8,000 books (Ref. 4).  Tindley learned Hebrew through the help of a Philadelphia synagogue, and he learned Greek by taking a correspondence course through the Boston Theological School.  Tindley qualified for ordination in the Methodist Episcopal Church by examination (Ref. 1).  After serving churches in Delaware, New Jersey, and Maryland, Tindley later became the pastor at the same church in Philadelphia where he had been a janitor (Ref. 1, Ref. 4).  Under his leadership and powerful preaching, the multi-racial congregation grew from 130 members to more than 10,000 members (Ref. 1, Ref. 3).  Tindley was awarded honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees by Bennett College (North Carolina) and Morgan College (Maryland) (Ref. 1).

Life was not easy for people in the northeastern United States at the turn of the 20th century.  The area near Tindley's church was economically depressed, especially for African Americans during this time (Ref. 4).  The hymn "Stand By Me" speaks to the difficulties that many of Tindley's parishioners faced (Ref. 4). 

Charles A. Tindley composed and published over 40 gospel songs (Ref. 1, Ref. 2).  His best-known gospel songs include "Stand by Me" (Ref. 5), "Leave it There" (Ref. 6), and "We'll Understand It Better By and By" (Ref. 7).  His song, "I’ll Ov­er­come Some Day" (Ref. 8) was the ba­sis for the Am­er­i­can civ­il rights an­them "We Shall Ov­er­come," pop­u­lar­ized in the 1960s (Ref. 2).   

     "Stand By Me" Scripture Allusions.  Below I describe several phrases from the "Stand by Me" hymn text and their scripture allusions.  To see the complete set of all five verses of the hymn text, please click either on the attached lyric sheet or hymn sheet.

• "When the storms of life are raging, Stand by me" (hymn, verse 1).  Verse 1 refers to the event described in three of the Gospels where Jesus rebukes the wind and the waves and the sea becomes calm (Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25). 
  
  
• "Thou who rulest wind and water, Stand by me" (hymn, verse 1).  Scripture tells us that Jesus rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still" (Mark 4:39).  In Jesus' early ministry, Jesus' disciples did not know fully who Jesus was.  They were afraid and said, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?" (Mark 4:41)  God is the only one who can still the roaring sea (Psalm 65:5-7).
  
  
• "When I do the best I can, and my friends misunderstand" (hymn, verse 3).  Rev. Tindley may have had 2 Timothy 4:9-18 in mind.  The Apostle Paul wrote about his friends deserting him when he was on trial.  "At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them.  But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth" (2 Timothy 4:16-17, italics added).  Benson's Commentary states that it was astonishing that none of the Christians in Rome stood with Paul in court for his defense (Ref. 9).  However, the Lord Jesus Christ stood with Paul, and the Lord stands with us today through our trials.
  
  
• "When my foes in battle array undertake to stop my way" (hymn, verse 4).  When the Apostle Paul was in Jerusalem, such dissension arose that the Roman commander sent troops to take Paul away from his opposers (Acts 23:10).  Luke, the writer of Acts, reports that the Lord encouraged Paul.  "But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, 'Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also' " (Acts 23:11, italics added).  The Lord Jesus Christ stood with Paul, and the Lord stands with us today to give us courage in our battles.  Jesus said, "In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
  
  
• "Thou who savèd Paul and Silas, Stand by me" (hymn, verse 4).  Luke tells us about the time the chief magistrates in Philippi threw Paul and Silas into prison.  When Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise in the prison, God rescued them by sending an earthquake which opened the prison doors and unfastened their chains (Acts 16:11-12, Acts 16:22-30).  Consider how the Lord Jesus Christ releases us from our chains to sin when we turn to him in repentance and faith.
  
  

     Listen.  The music for "Stand By Me" will encourage you.  Watch one or both of the music videos below.

• Elvis Presley (1966):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Aqu8aLqHcU
• Wyeth Duncan (2010): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v24qf16zP58
  
  

     Apply.  Thank Jesus for the times he has stood by you during the challenges you have faced in life.  Ask Jesus to stand by you, to give you strength and courage, and to calm the storm you are going through today.

References
1.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Albert_Tindley
2.  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/t/i/n/tindley_ca.htm
3.  http://www.dubois-theward.org/history/congregations/tindley-temple/
4.  https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-stand-by-me
5.  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/s/t/a/n/standbym.htm
6.  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/l/e/a/v/leaveitt.htm
7.  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/w/e/l/u/welunder.htm
8.  http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/i/l/l/o/illoverc.htm
9.  https://biblehub.com/commentaries/benson/2_timothy/4.htm