“Stand firm then,” St. Paul tells us (Eph. 6:14), with the whole armor of God when the forces of evil attack us. Don’t surrender; don’t run away. Stand!

The verb “stand” is used in many combinations. There is the song: “Stand up, stand up, for Jesus, you soldiers of the cross.” We do this when we bear witness of Him as the one crucified for the sins of all. We do this when in matters of faith we stand up to be counted.

A bit different is the emphasis in the charge to “stand for”—to stand for the truth of God’s Word. It has been said that, unless we stand for something, we are apt to fall for anything. We must never compromise even one doctrinal truth of God’s one and only Holy Word the Bible!

An old spiritual declares that we Christians “stand on” the promises of God. We take our stand on the promise that God loves us in Christ, that He made us His children, that He cares, that He hears our prayers.

From the movie industry comes the expression “stand in”. When the scene is being prepared, someone takes the place of the actor on the set. In Christian life, many needs and opportunities arise for us to stand in and fill someone’s place—in church, at home, at work. We cannot thank the Triune God, the one and only God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit enough that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ stood in for us on the cross, suffering hell for our sins, and rising again for them. He is the only way of salvation and eternal life in heaven with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Only God could do this for us on the cross. We are not Gods, so we cannot praise our True Triune God enough for what He has done to save us sinners.

Finally, when a courtroom witness has completed his or her testimony, the judge tells that person to “stand down”. Everywhere in Christendom and the world, God has His witnesses and workers. He is pleased when they speak and work for Him. But the time comes when He says, “It is enough; it is time for you to stand down, to come home.” We can look forward to praising the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for eternity in heaven!