真理的勇氣，愛中的建造 Courage in Truth, Building in Love

By Cathy Chen

【經文】  

你們務要警醒，在真道上站立得穩，要作大丈夫，要剛強。凡你們所做的，都要憑愛心而做。(哥林多前書 16: 13-14)

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.

這幾天反覆思想這段經文，我發現它們不只是保羅最後留下的勉勵，更像是整卷哥林多前書的縮影，也是全書最精煉的總結。這兩節經文，不只是四個命令，也反映了他處理問題的順序:

警醒、站立得穩、作大丈夫（勇敢）、剛強。

然後他說：「凡你們所做的，都要憑愛心而做。」

很多時候，當我們一想到哥林多前書，最先想到的是第十三章「愛的篇章」。但保羅並不是一在書信一開始就在講愛，而是首先勇敢指出教會的問題，糾正錯誤的觀念和做法，提醒教會需要設立的界線。當時的教會裡分門結黨、自高自大、容忍各種罪惡、敬拜混亂。保羅不是不愛教會，反而因為他愛教會，所以不能假裝這些問題不存在。

接著，他一步一步教導他們如何彼此建造、如何使用恩賜、如何追求合一。到了第十三章，更寫下聖經裡最有名的愛的篇章。

保羅不是把真理和愛放在天平的兩端，他先面對問題，糾正偏離，再談到建造和成長。換句話說，在次序上他先潔淨，後建造，而這一切，都要憑著愛心去做。

這使我想到我們如何整理房子：

不斷購置新家具、卻任由家裡到處發霉、長蟲，假裝没看見，應該不是正確的順序。又像一顆已經爛了一半的蘋果，不論你再怎麼用心去雕花、用創意去精緻擺盤、熱情分享，都不能改變所端出來的水果已經腐敗的事實。生命也是如此，真正的愛，不是把腐敗包裝得更漂亮，而是願意誠實面對問題，除去該除去的，修復該修復的，好讓生命重新恢復健康，長得健壯。

另一方面，保羅並沒有停在「警醒、站立得穩、勇敢、剛強」。他最後仍然提醒教會：

「凡你們所做的，都要憑愛心而做。」

這句話提醒我，愛若離開真理，就失去了方向；真理若失去愛，就失去了基督的樣式。

保羅責備哥林多人，是因為愛他們；他設立界線，是為了保護教會；他勸勉、教導、糾正，也都是為了建造個人和群體。

今天，我們也常常走向兩個極端：不是為了維持和諧而不敢說真話，就是為了堅持真理而失去了愛心。保羅提醒我們，無論是提醒人、勸戒人，或做出每一個決定，都要先問自己：

我是因為愛，還是只是想證明自己是對的？

憑愛心去做每一件事，並不容易，也正因如此，更需要我們天天倚靠主所賜的智慧。願神幫助我們，既有勇敢持守真理的心，也有溫柔愛人的生命，使我們所做的每一件事，都真正是為了建造人、榮耀神而行。

【禱告】 

主啊，謝謝祢藉著這段經文提醒我們。

求祢讓我們每天一開始，就先警醒自己的心，站立在祢的真道上，願意接受祢的光照，也願意被祢改變。

求祢使我們在勇敢持守真理時，也學習如何在每件事上活出愛心，願我們今天所說的每一句話、所做的每一件事，都榮耀祢。

奉主耶穌基督的名禱告，阿們。

Courage in Truth, Building in Love

By Cathy Chen

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love (1 Corinthians 16:13–14)

Over the past few days, I have been reflecting on these two verses again and again. The more I meditate on them, the more I realize that they are not merely Paul’s final exhortation to the Corinthian church. They are also a concise summary of the entire letter. In just two verses, Paul gives four commands, while also revealing the order in which he addresses the church’s problems.

Be on your guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.

Then he adds:

“Do everything in love.”

When we think of 1 Corinthians, many of us immediately think of chapter 13—the famous “love chapter.” Yet Paul did not begin his letter by talking about love. Instead, he first courageously confronted the problems within the church. He corrected wrong beliefs and sinful practices, and he reminded the believers that healthy boundaries were necessary. The Corinthian church struggled with division, pride, tolerance of sin, and disorder in worship. Paul did not ignore these issues because he loved the church. Rather, it was precisely because he loved them that he refused to pretend the problems did not exist.

Only after addressing these issues did he patiently teach them how to build one another up, how to use their spiritual gifts properly, and how to pursue unity. Then, in chapter 13, he gave us one of the most beautiful passages on love ever written.

Paul never placed truth and love on opposite sides of a scale. He first confronted what was wrong, corrected what had gone astray, and then led the church toward growth and maturity. In other words, there was an order: cleansing came before building up—and every step was to be done in love.

This reminds me of cleaning a house.

It would make little sense to keep buying beautiful new furniture while ignoring mold, insects, and decay throughout the house. Or think of an apple that is already half rotten. No matter how carefully you carve it, arrange it beautifully, or enthusiastically serve it to others, you cannot change the fact that it is already decaying.

Our spiritual lives are much the same. Genuine love is not about making corruption look more attractive. It is about honestly facing what is wrong, removing what needs to be removed, repairing what needs to be repaired, so that life can become healthy and strong again.

Yet Paul did not stop with “Be on your guard,” “Stand firm,” “Be courageous,” and “Be strong.” His final reminder was still this:

“Do everything in love.”

This reminds me that love without truth loses its direction, while truth without love no longer reflects the character of Christ.

Paul rebuked the Corinthians because he loved them. He established boundaries to protect the church. His exhortation, teaching, and correction were all intended to build up both individuals and the body of Christ.

Today, we often fall into one of two extremes. Either we avoid speaking the truth in order to keep the peace, or we insist on truth while losing love along the way.

Paul’s words challenge us to pause before we correct someone, offer counsel, or make an important decision, and ask ourselves:

Am I acting out of love, or am I simply trying to prove that I am right?

Doing everything in love is not easy. That is exactly why we must depend daily on the wisdom that God gives. May He grant us both the courage to stand firmly in His truth and the gentleness to love others well, so that everything we do may truly build up His people and bring glory to His name.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for reminding us through this passage.

Help us to begin each day by guarding our hearts and standing firmly in Your truth. Give us humble hearts that are willing to receive Your light and be transformed by You.

Teach us to hold firmly to the truth with courage while learning to express that truth in love. May every word we speak and every action we take today bring glory to You.

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.