Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13)
Men love Paul’s call to action. Writers on biblical masculinity wave it like a flag, men’s groups recite it proudly, and many a man has been chastised for their behavior by the biblical command to “stop acting like a girl.”
But is Paul telling biological males to be less sensitive, suppress weaknesses, be decisive, enjoy manly hobbies, fix things, and never cry? Do men violate God’s command when they speak softly, ask for help, or don’t fill their time with busyness? Does this verse tell us to measure our biblical masculinity by our income, skills, or sex life?
No, because this verse applies to women just as much as it does men.
Solving deep problems with shallow interpretations
Christian men have a major problem in America. Our culture teaches men to abandon their God-given responsibilities in the home, hold on to the self-indulgence of childhood, and choose apathy over actively killing sin. Men have abdicated the essentials of their Christian life, and the culture they live in celebrates them for it.
Then we find a verse that seems to fix the problem by telling them to “man up.” It’s a clean, simple fix found in a seemingly simple command: meet whatever standards an author or speaker says are “manly” if you want to obey the Bible. Recover your masculine identity instead of catering to feminism.
Thus, this verse’s prominence in nearly any discussion about biblical masculinity.
But that’s not what Paul is saying. We’ve committed the dangerous error of eisegesis, reading our own meaning into the text instead of extracting the true meaning from the text (called exegesis). We haven’t done it maliciously; after all, we should call men to holiness and obedience to Christ.
The issue comes when we not only ignore what the text says, but then impose our own meaning on it. We rob what the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write, imposing more cultural stereotypes on one gender than what God intended and ignoring the other half of the population who need Paul’s words just as much. We start with good intentions, but risk being lazy in solving a widespread problem with a verse that seems like a magic bullet. It’s a pragmatic way to get to correct behavior, but we don’t justify the mishandling of God’s word by whether it produces the results we want.
But if “act like men” doesn’t command males to conform to cultural stereotypes, what does it mean?
Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?
First, it’s worth examining where we’ve seen this command in Scripture.
The Greek word that Paul uses is andrizesthe. Interestingly, we never see this word elsewhere in the New Testament. However, we do see it in the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament that people in Paul’s day would have used.
Below, I’ve underlined where Greek readers of the Old Testament would have seen the exact same word used:
[Context: Moses speaking to all of Israel] 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. (Deuteronomy 31:6)
[Context: God to Joshua] Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them….. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:6, 9)
[Context: Joshua to Israel’s warriors] And Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous. For thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight. (Joshua 10:25)
[Context: Joab to Israel’s warriors] Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him. (2 Samuel 10:12)
Love the Lord, all you his saints!
The Lord preserves the faithful
but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.
24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord! (Psalm 31:23-24)
When we see the word appear, the speaker never commands their audience to fulfill a masculine stereotype (which we’re especially thankful for when the audience includes women). Instead, the command always carries a similar tone: the world out there is hostile to you, so remain faithful to the Lord and put your trust in Him. Even in war settings, the reality of God’s faithfulness for His people is the basis of their courage, not their innate strength or masculinity.
Thus, when Paul said:
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
Many English translations render “act like men” as “be courageous,” based on the term’s usage in the Septuagint and Paul’s likely meaning. After all, consider how often the Greek word andrizesthe is linked to “be strong” in the Greek Old Testament… and notice that Paul is likely drawing on that phrase when he says “be courageous, be strong.”
A final, but important, point to this section is to consider Paul’s audience:
To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours (1 Corinthians 1:2)
This is defensive language for the church, not a male-specific command. As Paul concludes his letter, he calls on all readers and listeners to be courageous as they live in the world. Just as Israel faced impossible odds and had no choice but to trust God to carry them through, so too are Christians called to live in a world of darkness without compromise. Paul calls his audience, and us by extension, to a mature spiritual courage instead of a child-like bluster that men are prone to adopt.
However, I’d argue that not only is Paul commanding men and women to be courageous, but he also concludes his letter this way to reiterate an important point he’s been making throughout his letter.
Anti-child, not anti-woman
1 Corinthians is the second longest letter in the New Testament, surpassed only by Romans. Paul has a lot to say to this church, and like any good letter, Paul uses his final words to sum up his points and give them some weighty closing reminders. And I think considering some of Paul’s sharper words helps us understand why Paul used a word with the root of “man” instead of a different word for “courage.”
But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:1)
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. (1 Corinthians 13:11)
Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. (1 Corinthians 14:20)
What was the problem in the church? Though Paul addressed many specific issues, a core issue is that they were weak in their faith and understanding. They spent their time living and thinking like spiritual children, rather than growing in holiness and sanctification. Their selfishness was especially problematic, leading them to act more like the world and less like Christ’s bride.
So, as Paul closes out a letter of genuine concern delivered with tough love, what is his final plea to them?
It’s not “man up, stop acting like a girl.”
But rather, “grow up, stop acting like a child.”
His use of “act like men” in the midst of his other defensive commands of “be watchful, stand firm, be strong” is calling on another key aspect they need: Christ’s followers are expected to grow into spiritually mature adults, not remain babies. Rather than being content to think and live like the world, they seek to defend the truth of God’s word as they continue to live it out. They need to stand their ground and refuse to compromise God’s word with worldliness.
This command has nothing to do with cultural or psychological masculinity and everything to do with spiritual maturity.
Does this tell us anything about men?
Some assume this suggests that most men are naturally courageous, and therefore men and women need to act more manly. Others may argue that this call is specifically for men, since they are natural protectors and thus must have the courage to protect others. While there’s some merit to the idea that men’s roles require courage, this once again does nothing but narrow Paul’s intended meaning, accidentally grounding obedience in personality or inclinations rather than in what God has revealed. Courage doesn’t need to come naturally for us to be more or less obedient to what God commands.
Yes, obeying and glorifying God through male headship requires courage. However, women are no less capable, and no less commanded, to be courageous in the role God calls them to. This call to courage applies equally to both genders, but it will functionally play out differently
A man’s courage
For example, consider a few things that men are uniquely called to do:
[A pastor] must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?
Though this is a pastoral qualification, it evaluates a man’s fitness for ministry by whether he does what a mature man is expected to do. Namely, managing his family. This requires courage to trust in what God commanded him to do while resting in Him for his and his family’s spiritual health and guidance. It demands that he know God’s word so he can stand between his family and a world that wants to conform them to itself.
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, (Ephesians 5:25)
In Genesis 3:16, we see a two-fold aspect of how the curse affects the husband/wife relationship. She will want to fight him for his authority, but he will also seek to dominate her. Ephesians 5:25 shows that men must courageously live out Christ’s reversal of this curse by modeling their Savior’s sacrificial, loving headship. This requires the God-focused courage to not only lead, but do so with gentleness and sacrifice.
Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. (1 Peter 3:7)
Similar to above, men must trust God’s design for marriage in how they live with their wives. Whatever ways they may want to live with their wife doesn’t matter; they are commanded to live out how God wants them to treat their fellow heirs of eternal life. So essential is this that a man who refuses to trust God in how he treats his wife will have his prayers “hindered.”
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)
If God gives a man the responsibility of fatherhood, he is called to play two major roles in that child’s life: discipline and godly instruction. A man is not only commanded to teach these things, but to know his children well enough to teach them in a way that models God the Father to them. This takes significant courage and resolve for dads who spend a day hard at work and choose to come home and lead through sacrifice rather than serve themselves through relaxation.
The courage that biblical masculinity requires is different from what we may think of. Men are called to fight two enemies here: worldliness and their own sinful hearts. Granted, a key aspect of leadership is a willing self-sacrifice for the good of those entrusted to him. But for most men, the day-to-day courage God calls them to, based on their gender, is a Christ-like love for their family that takes their leadership seriously. A man who owns a gun while doing little to protect his family from worldly influences is, simply put, failing his actual responsibilities.
A woman’s courage
Likewise, a woman’s courage will look different based on the role God calls them to:
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:22)
Just as men’s sacrifice and understanding reverse their aspect of the curse, a wife’s submission reverses her sin-cursed desire to reject God’s marriage roles. This takes a unique courage to not only trust God’s will, but also trust her husband’s imperfect headship, submitting to him as an act of submitting to God Himself.
However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. (Ephesians 5:33)
Similar to submission, a wife must choose to respect her husband. This requires a courageous denial of her own sinful desires, and even rejecting cultural norms, to live out what God calls her to.
Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. (1 Peter 3:3-4)
Across cultures, women are trained to find their value in their externals. Instead, they are told to reject what the world says makes them valuable by putting their time and hope in cultivating their spiritual beauty.
Being a godly woman demands immense courage, especially in a world that despises authority and biblical gender roles. They must boldly stand against worldviews that call them to love themselves over their family and their God. They must be ever watchful over their hearts and outside influences, stand firm for what God’s word says, be strong in their convictions, and be courageous in the face of those who call them weak.
Genderless courage
Beyond a few things unique to their roles, men and women are called to a lifetime of courage in every other area of life. As we see throughout the Bible’s many examples and commands, the vast majority of our lives require the sort of biblical courage that trusts God over our reason, emotions, and cultural pressures. It’s a faith that says “despite how things seem, I will trust my God in this situation and do what He wants me to do.”
This is the sort of life-wide courage Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 16:13, and it’s what men and women are equally called to.
Am I just splitting manly chest hairs?
A fair question right now is “What’s the big deal?” What I’m arguing for seems much more nuanced than the more obvious interpretive issues I typically cover. Arguing that we shouldn’t use 1 Corinthians 16:13 to correct men for betraying their gender seems like I’m just splitting hairs.
Ultimately, it comes down to what we believe about Scripture. If we recognize that this passage is aimed at both genders, then using the passage because it lets us tell guys to “man up” might reveal a dissatisfaction with what God’s word truly teaches. After all, what is God’s word good for when we properly understand it?
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
I don’t think most people who use this verse want to twist the Bible. But the way we use it might reveal that we accidentally assume God’s word affirms more about gender stereotypes than it really does. If God’s word truly does have things to say about how men ought to behave, then let’s correct and train them with those passages. But if we must distort a passage because we want it to correct something that God isn’t correcting, we aren’t letting His word be profitable.
Also, on a personal note, I have an increasing concern with online ministries that take God’s word and blend it with American masculinity and self-empowerment to make men gauge their obedience to God by worldly standards. As I said above, men today have a serious problem with fulfilling the roles God has given them. However, the answer isn’t to employ pragmatism and try to shortcut our way to getting men to modify their behavior without addressing the heart behind their disobedience. This can lead to the dangerous consequence of having men who outwardly conform without the internal transformation God calls for in places like Romans 12:2 and Ephesians 4:22-24.
Worse, those who teach a distorted view of biblical masculinity teach men to misunderstand their obedience. If “manning up” uses cultural measures like career success, a growing family, toughness, and a willingness to fight, men may believe they are pursuing holiness by working a lot, taking their family to church, praying at dinner, and getting into fights with strangers on social media or complaining about culture in the safety of people who already agree with them. Meanwhile, their wives aren’t being sacrificially led, their children aren’t being instructed in God’s ways by their father, and the family’s spiritual health stagnates because the one God calls to lead is more focused on whether he “feels” like a man than on obeying God’s clear commands. This is outward conformity without the spiritual maturity God calls them to.
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. (1 Corinthians 16:13)
Paul’s final reminder in 1 Corinthians 16:13 is a call to courage for men and women alike. This courage isn’t found in internal merit, outward bravado, or conformity to gender stereotypes. It’s not found by men channeling their natural courage.
It’s found through humble reliance on the character of God and what He’s revealed in His word. It’s a call to grow up and stop thinking like those who don’t have Christ. It’s a reminder that men and women are expected to keep growing, just as much as a child is expected to move beyond diapers and breast milk. This verse is a valuable, and challenging, call for all of us to repent of the ways we’ve been thinking and living like children.
May we never confuse it with a call to act more like the world.