³¹”Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.”

Paul repeats himself using a different word: elders need to be on the “alert.” Paul’s example should suffice to raise the warning. But it is not unique to Paul. The Lord and the apostle Peter gave similar warnings:

“But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into.” (Luke 12:39)

And in Gethsemane, during His temptation to turn away from the cross, using the same Greek word here translated “keep watch,” we read,

Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” (Matt. 26:38)

Peter, in his later years, after instructing the elders among the persecuted and scattered believers, wrote:

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

Alertness to false teaching is necessary for the Christian life—not just for elders but for all believers. We need to be vigilant with ourselves to know right doctrine, to defend the truth, to stand against the destructive notion that “doctrine doesn’t matter.” The movement today in many parts of Christendom is toward tolerance and simplistic or reductionist views of faith and truth. Paul was willing to go the wall on the purity and truth of the gospel. This was absolutely non-negotiable.

In the word “admonish” we see clearly the apostle’s passion for the purity of the gospel. This was not a side job for him, a fill-in-his-spare-time endeavor. Anytime, anywhere, he was ready to teach, admonish, and defend the truth. We have already seen Paul preaching well past midnight (Acts 20:7–11). Many times his tears were the pillows upon which he slept after admonishing believers who were struggling with embracing the truth in the face of the constant pull back to legalism.

The apostle shares these things to provoke us to consider following his example. Have I, have you, been so enraptured by the truth of the gospel that we will make it a priority in our lives? Peter writes:

“[S]anctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense . . . to give an account for the hope that is in you . . .” (1 Peter 3:15)

Lord, I want to become more of a faithful defender of the truth. Help me do so.