Philippians 4:1 ( KJV; 1611 EDITION ) reads as follows:
"Therefore, my brethren, dearely beloued and longed for, my ioy and crowne, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearely beloued."
Philippians 4:1 ( RSV ) reads as follows:
"Therefore, my brethren, whom I loue and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved."
Matthew 10:22 ( KJV; 1611 EDITION ) reads as follows:
"And yee [ sic ] shall be hated of all men for my Names [ sic ] sake : [ sic ] but he that endureth to the end, shalbe [ sic ] saued."
The Greek word ( Greek [ 4739 ] ) for the word "stand" in Philippians 4:1 ( KJV; 1611 EDITION, for example ) is defined as follows:
"to be stationary, i.e. (fig.) to persevere." [ See ABINGDON'S STRONG'S EXHAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE, STRONG, JAMES, S.T.D., LL.D., ABINGDON PRESS, NASHVILLE, Copyright, 1890, by JAMES STRONG, MADISON, N.J., ( A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek/New Testament with their Renderings in the King James Version, p. 89. ). ]
The word "persevere," in the above-given definition, is defined as follows:
". . . v.i. -vered, -vering To persist in any purpose or enterprise; continue striving in spite of difficulties, etc. . . . Synonyms: continue, endure, persist. . . ." [ See NEW ILLUSTRATED WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY Including THESAURUS of SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS, PMC Publishing Company, Inc., 118 EAST 28th STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10016, dictionary portion: pages 1-1150, Copyright 1992, by J.G. Ferguson Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, p. 724. ]
The apostle Paul, in writing to the saints at Philippi ( see Philippians 1:1; 3:1, for example ), instructed ( see 2 Timothy 3:16, for example ) them to stand fast in the Lord. Christians ( see Psalm 50:5 and Acts 11:26, for example ) today must do the same.
Moreover, the apostle Paul ( see 1 Corinthians 1:1 ), in writing to the church at Corinth ( see 1 Corinthians 1:2 ), instructed them to "stand fast in the faith" ( see 1 Corinthians 16:13; KJV; with center-column references, for example ). The preceding phrase, from 1 Corinthians 16:13, has a cross-reference back to Philippians 4:1. Thus, to stand fast in the Lord is to stand fast in the faith. Therefore, as Christians, we must stand fast in the faith; not compromising it even the least little bit, in order to be pleasing to the heavenly Father ( see Matthew 7:21, Matthew 25:21, John 7:16, John 10:30, Galatians 2:4, 5, Colossians 2:8, 9, and 1 John 5:7, for example ). Jesus said, in Matthew 10:22 ( NKJV, for example ), that "he who endures to the end will be saved."
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