18 November 2007
 
How Not To Be Spiritual Wimps
Brian R. Kenyon
The term "spiritual wimp" applies to those in the church today who claim to be faithful Christians but either do not really know what the Bible teaches concerning Christianity or do not have enough conviction to put self aside and live the way Jesus really wants us to live (cf. Mt. 16:24) or both. There are too many spiritual wimps in the churches of Christ today. How do we keep from being spiritual wimps? Paul gives us the answer. In the midst of his conclusion to what we know as First Corinthians, Paul gives a series of exhortations that, when heeded, will keep us from being spiritual wimps. Paul writes, "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love" (1 Cor. 16:13-14, NKJ). 
Be Alert
The first of Paul’s exhortations is to "watch," also translated "be on the alert" (NAS). The word behind the translations means to be or keep awake; watch, be alert. It is the same word found in Matthew 24:42, "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming," and in Matthew 25:13, "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming." In order to keep from wimping out on the Lord, we must remain alert in our morality: "Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober" (1 Thes. 5:6); and in our avoidance of Satan’s deceptive schemes, "Be sober, be vigilant [alert]; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). 
Be Firm In The Faith
The second of Paul’s exhortations is to "stand fast [firm, NAS] in the faith." To stand firm is to be unwavering, and that in which we are to be unwavering is "the faith," which here is synonymous with the Gospel (cf. Acts 14:22; Rom. 1:5). We become spiritual wimps when we back down from the Gospel when faced with persecution (cf. Mt. 26:69-75), or when we no longer love the Lord more than the world (cf. 2 Tim. 4:10). In order to keep from wimping out, Christians must "let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ...that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel" (Phil. 1:27). Stability results only when we grow spiritually. "You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen" (2 Pet. 3:17-18).
Be Courageous
The third of Paul’s exhortations is to "be brave." The King James Version translates this, "quit you like men." This was an old English way of saying, "acquit yourselves like men," meaning, "prove yourselves to be manly (courageous)." The phrase is also translated, "act like men" (NAS). The Greek word behind the phrase occurs only once in the New Testament and is defined as to act like a man. Not only does the word mean to be brave and courageous (the opposite of wimpy), it also carries the idea of being mature. Only as we become spiritually mature can we become brave and courageous in the Lord. Why would suffering persecution be the final beatitude (Mt. 5:3-10)? Let us realize that the worst persecution we can suffer on earth (even torture and death) pales in comparison with the glory we will share with Christ in eternity (Rom. 8:18; 2 Cor. 4:17-5:4; Rev. 2:10). Knowing and living according to this will keep us from becoming spiritual wimps.
Be Strong
The fourth of Paul’s exhortations is to "be strong." Grammatically, this word is in the passive voice, which implies that this strength is derived from a source other than us. That source, of course, is the Lord, as Paul would say elsewhere, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" (Eph. 6:10 cf. Ps. 31:24). Obviously, this strength is not physical (2 Cor. 12:10; 13:4), but spiritual. It is internal spiritual fortitude. Paul prays that the Ephesians be not spiritual wimps: "that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man" (Eph. 3:16). Likewise, for us not to be spiritual wimps, we must accept the strength that is offered through God (cf. Josh. 1:7-9).
Be Governed By Love
The final exhortation by Paul in these verses is to "Let all that you do be done with love" (1 Cor. 16:14). Love is to be the overriding factor in the Christian’s life (1 Cor. 13:1-7; Col. 3:14). This exhortation to love shows that the exhortations to be brave and to be strong must not be carried out by aggressiveness or self-assertion. Not being a spiritual wimp does not equate to being a bully. Rather, mature Christians are anything but bullies because they realize the importance of love and live the importance of love. "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love....God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him" (1 Jn. 4:8, 16). May the Lord help us to take these exhortations to be alert, firm in the faith, brave, strong, and loving seriously. Let us not be spiritual wimps!