Time to be a Lion

by Heather Tietz

Watch! Stand firm in the faith! Be courageous! Be strong!

1 Corinthians 16:13

Jesus is the Lion and the Lamb.

Christians have a place for both temperaments. In the scripture above, Paul incites the Corinthians to gird themselves with strength when dealing with their stumbling Christian brethren. The Corinthian church was full of them.

The Corinthian church was greatly influenced by its pagan city. Many of its members needed strong but kind correction. There was gross adulterous relationships in the church there that many members were actually proud to tolerate.

There were abuses during their evening meals together too. Some hoarded food. Some went hungry. Others got drunk. Also some church members were suing one another. So Paul writes, “Watch! Look! Don’t wave away other Christian’s behavior. Is the sin happening right in front of you? Say something! Speak the truth in love.”

Jesus did. He turned over tables in the temple to abruptly stop people’s sin. He spoke boldly to the rabbis who had rebellious hearts. He spoke gently to an adulterous woman tossed at His feet. He spoke eagerly with a sinful tax collector over dinner.

He declared truth when Satan spit lies at Him in the desert. There were times when, like a Lamb, Jesus was quiet before His enemies. But to lawbreakers in the faith, Jesus had an insightful word.

Today, too, Christians deliberately breaking God’s commands need a loving Lion in their lives.