Where do you stand?  It is important to stand in proper places with proper posture.  You probably know that I am not talking about how and where you stand physically.  That is not usually all that significant.  However, where are you standing spiritually?  Let us see what the Bible says about where we should be standing.

We should stand in God’s grace (Romans 5:2).

The grace of God is a marvelous thing.  Were it not for God’s grace, we would all be hopelessly lost.  You see, one sin condemns the soul.  This is true because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).  Once a person sins, the only way back to God is by His grace.  We must rely on God by having faith in His Son, Jesus, and by obeying the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16).  Once you accept Jesus as your personal Savior through your faith and obedience, you enter into a saved condition (Ephesians 2:8-9).  But you can fall from grace (Galatians 5:4).

Because falling from grace is possible, we must determine to stand in this grace.  We do this by continuing to trust and obey God.  Obedience to God is the only way that one can secure for himself a place in heaven (Hebrew 5:8).  Due to the abundance of scriptural evidence, it has always been amazing to me that some teach otherwise.  Do not risk an eternity in hell by listening to the lies of men.  Being faithful to God unto death is the only way to stand in the grace of God (Revelation 2:10).

We should stand in the gospel of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1).

Standing in the gospel of Christ also points to the importance of continual obedience.  However, it also points to abiding in the doctrine of Christ.  Some people have tried to make a distinction between the doctrine of Christ and the gospel of Christ.  The truth is these terms (doctrine and gospel) are used interchangeably by inspired writers of the New Testament.  They both refer to God’s Word as revealed in the New Testament.

To stand in the gospel of Christ means to remain true to God’s Word by not adding to or taking away from it.  If anyone tampers with the gospel of Christ by adding his own opinions and ideas to it, it only succeeds in perverting the gospel.  The penalty for doing that is damnation (Galatians 1:6-9).  Let us all determine to stand in the gospel by speaking where the Bible speaks and being silent where the Bible is silent (1 Peter 4:11).  To stand anywhere else is to stand on shaky ground.

We should stand fast in the faith (1 Corinthians 16:13).

This tells us not only where to stand, but how to stand.  Consistency is the key to faithful service to our Lord.  Too many people want to serve God only when it is convenient.  There are even some in the body of Christ who have developed this mindset.

To serve God occasionally is to place the soul in a dangerous position.  Tomorrow is not promised to any of us (James 4:14; 1 Peter 1:24).   Previous acts of faithfulness in our lives will not make up for our unfaithfulness if the Lord comes back and finds us lacking.  This is why Paul pleaded with the brethren in Corinth to be steadfast and unmovable (1 Corinthians 15:58).  Paul did not want their labor to be in vain.

We should stand in the liberty that we have in Christ (Galatians 5:1).

The liberty we have in Christ is based upon our sins having been washed away.  At one time we were the servants of Satan and sin, but now we are free from sin (Romans 6:1-23).  In Romans the sixth chapter, Paul personifies sin as a cruel master.  Through Christ, we have escaped the one who used to enslave us.  Now our mission must be to stay as far away from that old master as we possibly can.  If we allow him to catch up with us again, we will be right back under his domain, and the end of that is spiritual death (Romans 6:23).

We must be determined to stand in this new freedom that we have in Christ.  Why would a person who has been set free ever want to be in bondage again?  Physically we understand that a slave set free will do all he can to hold on to his freedom.  Why should it be different spiritually?  Let us stand in our liberty by abstaining from every appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22).  To flirt with sin is to risk the soul by being made sin’s servant once again.  There aren’t too many things more foolish than doing that.

We should stand against the wiles of the Devil (Ephesians 6:11).

The word “wiles” refers to the deceitful and artful trickery of the Devil.  That Satan is cunning and crafty is something that has long since been decided (Genesis 3:1).

Satan will use every trick or scheme he has to ruin our souls.  We must protect ourselves by putting on the armor of God.  That is how we stand against the wiles of the Devil.  It is the only way.  Without the armor of God, we are vulnerable to all the attacks of Satan.  The fact is without God’s armor we will not be standing very long at all.

For the most part, the armor of God consists of His Word.  The Bible is the sword of the Spirit with which we are to fight against Satan when he presses us.  It is the truth that sets us free when we live by it.  The Word of God protects every part of our being, front, side, and back when we properly apply it to our lives.  Put on the whole armor of God and stand against the schemes of the Devil.

We should stand fast in one spirit with one mind (Philippians 1:27).

Unity among Christians is the desire of God.  Jesus prayed for unity in John 17:21-22.  Paul begged the brethren at Corinth to be united in the faith (1 Corinthians 1:10).   The Psalmist referred to how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity (Psa. 133:1).  Finally, Paul tells us to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Unity among Christians is clearly what God wants from us.  God’s people are at their best when they are standing together with the same mind.  Local churches shine the most when members are speaking the same thing and are perfectly joined together in the same judgment.  The goal of every Christian should be to stand fast in one mind with other Christians.

It should be pointed out, however, that the Bible does not advocate unity at all costs.  The only unity God wants us to have is the unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3).  That means that our unity must be based on God’s Word.  Unity amid doctrinal differences is not the plea of God.  His will is that we stand united by abiding in the doctrine of Christ (2 John 9).  When brethren are divided, the answer is not to ignore the doctrinal difference; the answer is to study the issue that is causing division with an open Bible and resolve the difference with the Word of God.  Only then can brethren dwell together in the unity of the Spirit.

We should stand perfect and complete in the will of the Lord (Colossians 4:12).

Spiritual maturity should be the aim of us all.  In many ways, completeness in Christ is an ongoing process.  We must all continue to add to our faith (2 Peter 1:5-10).  But we can be complete in the will of God right now.  We can be fully assured of God’s will for us because he has revealed it to us.  That is why Paul said we should be wise and understand the will of God (Ephesians 5:17).  This enables us to stand in the will of the Lord.

How are you standing?  Let us all determine to stand properly in the right place.  Our eternal destiny depends upon it.