Verse 13
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
As McGarvey declared, "In these brief ... phrases, Paul sums up the burden of this entire epistle."[21]
Watch ye ... Although originally directed as an admonition to Corinth, this is a timeless duty of all Christians. The things they were to watch against were: (1) the danger of division, (2) the deception of false teachers, (3) the atheistic denials of the resurrection, (4) the failure of love of the brethren, etc.
Stand fast in the faith ... It is deplorable that the RSV renders this "Stand firm in your faith"; for what Paul plainly meant was that they should not depart from the Christian faith. This is the marching order for every Christian of all ties and places. Paul himself gave this the highest priority, saying near the end of life that "I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7).
Quit you like men ... This carries the weight of "Stop acting like spiritual infants, quarreling, boasting and indulging yourselves without discipline!" Many church problems are due to pure infantilism on the part of members who do not grow up spiritually.
Be strong ... Strength is manifested by courageous and unwavering loyalty to the word of God, by the resistance of temptation, by fleeing from it, by regular and faithful attendance at worship service, by constant and liberal giving, by loving consideration of the rights, opinions and needs of others, and by the repudiation of the world's value judgments.
Let all that ye do be done in love ... This summarizes the teaching of the whole 13th chapter. A constant and unfeigned love of the Lord, of his church as a whole, and of its individual members is the mark of a strong Christian. Love is "the greatest" because it is always marked by obedience. See under 1 Corinthians 13:13.
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