Standing Firm

[B-A-C]

There are at least 19 verses in the New Testament that talk about standing firm.
What does it mean to stand firm?

Could it simply mean exercising authority over our own will?

1 Cor 7:37; But he who stands firm in his heart, being under no constraint, but has authority over his own will, and has decided this in his own heart, to keep his own virgin daughter, he will do well.

Is by resiting the devil a way to no longer be in slavery to sin? Does God allow us to be tested this way in order for us to see where our hearts are?

Gal 5:1; It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
1 Pet 5:8; Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
1 Pet 5:9; Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.
Jas 4:7; So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
1 Cor 16:13; Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.

There seem to be warnings in the Bible about being wishy-washy, about being tossed around by different doctrines. Maybe this is where the phrase "stand up
for what you believe in" comes from. ( Eph 4:14; Jas 1:6; )

Heb 3:6; but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house--whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.
Heb 3:14; For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,

1 Thes 3:8; for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord.

In Ephesians 6, we have the passages about putting on the armor of God, but even after you put on the armor,you still have to stand firm.

Eph 6:11; Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
Eph 6:13; Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
Eph 6:14; Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,

We are even told to stand firm in our church body as a group.

Php 1:27; Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
2 Thes 2:15; So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.

 

[james1523]

Standing firm is the opposite of being shaken, just like faith is the opposite of doubt. Standing firm means to not be troubled in our mind. Our mind is the battleground and this is where the troubling thoughts will occur.

We must not be shaken by heresies - any doctrines that cause us to doubt, eg that Jesus was not resurrected from the dead, or that Jesus was a liar and won't be coming back (as the Roman Catholics now believe).

So standing firm is a matter of not being troubled in our thoughts or emotions. We cannot stand firm in ourselves because we are weak and powerless, we can only stand firm in the Lord (1 Thess 3:8) and we do this by practice God's will by using our own will:

1 Thess 5:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

The result of practicing 1 Thess 5:16-18 is a mind which is set on spiritual things resulting in life and peace which comes from the Spirit (Isaiah 26:3, Psalm 16:9, Col 3:2, Rom 8:6).

So to "stand firm in the Lord" practically, is by our continual rejoicing, prayer and giving thanks in all circumstances, which is our dependence on the Lord. And if we exercise our will do this we will not be troubled in our mind.

The way not to stand in the Lord, i.e. to stand firm by our own self-effort, is to recite bible verses from memory, to occasionally pray and ask Jesus to help us, to try and put the troubling thoughts out of our mind by thinking positive thoughts, to seek comforting words from a pastor or priest, or to fill our mind with calming influences such as music, alcohol, drugs, herbal remedies etc. All of these methods, do not involve continual rejoicing, prayer and thankfulness, and do not result in us standing firm in the Lord.