At Gettysburg, on July 1, 1863, the 16th Regiment of Maine held off repeated assaults by the Confederates. General Robinson ordered the 16th of Maine to remain behind to allow the rest of the division to escape. Colonel Tilden of the 16th protested because he knew his men would be slaughtered. But General Robinson persisted ordering the men of the 16th to “hold at all costs.” Colonel Tilden told his men, “You all know what that means.” By the next morning, the regiment of over two hundred men had suffered an eighty-three percent casualty rate. But they followed their orders to stand fast.

To “stand fast” means to “hold something unyieldingly, or to refuse to budge.” It is noteworthy how many times the Apostle Paul instructed the saints to “stand fast” and in what ways they were to do so. The Philippians were told to “stand fast in one spirit…striving together for the faith of the gospel; and in nothing terrified by your adversaries…” (Philippians 1:27-28). Strong opposition arose nearly everywhere Paul went to preach the good news of eternal life through faith in Christ. It was true for his converts too. These believers needed to band together and stand uncompromisingly for the clarity of the gospel without being intimidated by persecution. These same believers were urged to “stand fast in the Lord” (4:1). Internal strife within the church had produced self-conceited attitudes that had damaged their unity (2:2-4; 4:3). They were to keep their eyes on the Lord and strive to reestablish harmony by embracing the kind of humility the Savior demonstrated by dying for our sins. The believers at Thessalonica had suffered severe persecution for their faith (I Thessalonians 2:14-15), and Paul feared their “afflictions” (3:3) might cause their walk with Christ to wane. He told them, “For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord” (3:8). He would be encouraged and they would persevere if they remained unmovable in a close relationship with the Savior. Paul wrote these same saints saying, “…brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle” (II Thessalonians 2:15). As it is today, a danger persisted for these believers that they might drift from the exclusive doctrines of grace given from the Lord and through the Apostle Paul. But they must not. They must stand fast!

In our daily battle against Satan, these are still our commands from our Supreme Leader, the Lord Jesus Christ. Stand fast at all costs.