1 Corinthians 16:13-14

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 16:13

Watch , etc. The brief impetuous imperatives show a sudden burst of emotion as he draws to a close. The next clause seems like an after-thought. Watchfulness ( 1 Thessalonians 5:6 ; 1 Peter 5:8 ; Revelation 3:2 ; Revelation 16:15 ), steadfastness ( Philippians 1:27 ), and strength ( Ephesians 6:10 ; Colossians 1:11 ; 2 Timothy 2:1 ), and love ( 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 .; 1 Peter 4:8 , etc.) were frequent subjects of Christian exhortation. The verb which expresses Christian... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 16:13

The word of command to Christian soldiers. Now and again we meet with passages in the New Testament which remind us that Christianity does not lose sight of the sterner virtues. Certainly our religion has brought the softer and more amiable virtues into honour and prominence; but we should make a mistake did we suppose that for the severer excellences of character it finds no place. I. THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS A SCENE OF WARFARE . It is an opportunity for bearing witness to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

The demands of Christianity on its adherents. " Watch ye, stand fast in the faith," etc. Here are certain demands which Christianity makes on all men. I. A demand for VIGILANCE . "Watch ye." A military metaphor this, derived from the duty of those who are stationed to guard a camp or to observe the motions of an enemy. There were many evils, as we have seen, in the Corinthian Church—dissensions, heresies, inchastities, intemperances, etc. Hence the necessity of watchfulness. But... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

A fivefold exhortation. This the Corinthians needed. It fitly comes near the conclusion of the Epistle, summarizing much that has gone before. The Corinthians tended towards false security, reliance upon gifts and teachers; so the apostle says, "Watch ye." They were wavering in adhesion to the gospel which Paul preached; so he says, "Stand fast in the faith." They were but "babes" ( 1 Corinthians 3:1 ); so the apostle incites them to seek more of the qualities of manhood: "Quit you like... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 16:14

Let all your things be done with charity; rather, as in the Revised Version, Let all that ye do be done in love. This is equivalent to the "Above all things, have fervent love among yourselves," of l Peter 1 Corinthians 4:8 . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 16:14

Love a principle of action. We may regard love as a sentiment. It is such; and yet its place in the economy of human nature and life is not fully described when thus much is said. For it is one of the most powerful practical principles of our being. Human love can effect great things. And Divine love is the motive which God himself has appointed for the renewal and salvation of our humanity. And this same emotion becomes in Christian society an elevating, purifying, regulating, and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 16:14

The limitation of the robuster virtues. "Let all your things be done with charity." The connection in which this sentence stands suggests the topic. The apostle had been calling the Christians at Corinth to manliness, strong and vigorous action, watchfulness, and firm holding of the faith. He knew well how readily firmness could become stubbornness, and strength roughness. The strong may forget the rights of the weaker brethren, and the manly may fail to realize that full manliness which... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Corinthians 16:13

Watch ye - The exhortation in this and the following verse is given evidently in view of the special dangers and temptations which surrounded them. The word used here (Γρηγορεῖτε Grēgoreite) means, to keep awake, to be vigilant, etc.; and this may, perhaps, be a military metaphor derived from the duty of those who are stationed as sentinels to guard a camp, or to observe the motions of an enemy. The term is frequently used in the New Testament, and the duty frequently enjoined; Matthew... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Corinthians 16:14

Let all your things ... - All that you do. This direction is repeated on account of its great importance, and because it is a summing up of all that he had said in this Epistle; see 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; 1 Corinthians 14:1. Here he says, that charity, or love, was to regulate all that they did. This was a simple rule; and if this was observed, every thing would be done well. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

1 Corinthians 16:13-14. To conclude. Watch ye Against all your seen and unseen enemies; stand fast in the faith Seeing and trusting in Him that is invisible: quit you like men With courage and patience; be strong To do and suffer his will. Let all your things be done with charity Namely, your differences about worldly affairs, mentioned chap. 6., your disputes concerning marriage and a single state; (chap. 8.;) your eating things sacrificed to idols; (chapters 8., 10;) your eating... read more

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