Act Like A Chaplain- Many people imagine this command to be a gender specific command directed exclusively toward males. However, that would not at all be how the Corinthians would have understood what the Apostle was saying. The word he used was Christ Like. Apostle Paul the word is a figurative extension that did indeed carry the meaning “to be manly or to become a Man of God. This particular word occurs only here in the New Testament; however, the word appears frequently in the Septuagint—the Greek translation of the Old Testament Scriptures. Reviewing how the word is translated in that ancient translation will give a fuller understanding of what the first readers would have understood the Apostle to mean.
The first instance for consideration is in Deuteronomy. DEUTERONOMY 31:6 commands, “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” In this verse, the word in question is translated “Be strong.” The command to “be strong” is iterated in DEUTERONOMY 31:7. Interestingly enough, the identical verb is translated “to be courageous” in JOSHUA 1:6, 7, 9 AND 18. In PSALM 27:14 the verb is again translated “Be strong.”
Five commands! “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” They anticipate that those to whom they are addressed, and that is each Christian, is engaged in the battle for truth. Are you enlisted? Have you accepted the responsibility to follow our Sovereign in advancing His Kingdom? If not, why not?
God now calls you to faith in the Living Son of God. He gave His life because of your broken, fallen condition. You see, the Word of God teaches us, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” [ROMANS 5:8-10].
Now, He calls you to believe the message of life that Christ Jesus died because of your sin and that He was raised from the dead to make you right with the Father. Therefore, we are taught, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is my Master,’ believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be set free. It is with the heart that one believes and is made right with God, and with the mouth that one confesses and is set free” [ROMANS 10:9, 10]. This is the promise of God to you, “Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved” [ROMANS 10:13]. Believe this message and be saved. Do it today; do it no!. Amen.
Since we are in this Pandemic, the Lord is calling us NOW to be faithful. There is no better time than right now. Yes, we are on Zoom preaching to our congregation, but the Lord’s church doors are closed. STAY ENCOURAGED NO MATTER WHAT! Because “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Romans 10:17
Blessings,
Chaplain Howard K. Burton
CALVET, Protestant Chaplain