Soldiers and Vessels

- Pastor Dawson Oquist

“Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. All that you do must be done in love.” – 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (NASB)

This passage comes at the end of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. In a way, it is a summation of all that Paul has said up to this point: watch for the Lord's return, remain faithful to the faith, and have the courage to live out your faith. Paul uses these words that echo a military approach: alert, stand firm, be courageous, and be strong. Following this list is perhaps the answer to all the Corinthian church had been going through: All you do must be done in love.

Strength on its own can overpower and oppress. Our knowledge of the gospel can belittle those without such knowledge. Our relationships can be strained while our faith remains firm. Without verse 14, verse 13 will leave us in a similar position to the Corinthians, secure in our faith but surrounded by broken relationships.

Even though we face countless 'this or that' situations, we serve a God of both. He is both merciful and just; Jesus was fully human and divine; he is both one and three. God calls us to be soldiers of the gospel and vessels of his love. As his followers, we will find ourselves in the tension-filled relationship of both that the Bible invites us into. How do we do both? That is the Christian journey.

Make a Difference:

Think through areas of your life where you’ve been called to love someone through conflict. It is possible to live as both soldiers and vessels, to live in the tension. Where is God calling you to exist in that tension?

As You Read:

Start to compare and contrast things you’re reading in different books. What similarities do you see between Corinthians and Romans? Paul is trying to communicate overarching themes through these letters; write down what you’ve noticed.