Preaching demands patient, prayerful preparation in God’s word. It’s one of the primary mandates of the church, preachers especially (Acts 20:27). “Until I come,” Paul writes to his mentee, “devote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to preaching and to teaching” (1 Timothy 4:13). The importance and priority of preaching can be even seen within the architecture of some Protestant traditions, where the pulpit is usually raised to portray its prominence. Only we mustn’t allow this emphasis to overshadow another central aspect to pulpit ministry: the character of the preacher.
Preaching demands patient, prayerful preparation in God’s word.
Consider what Paul writes a few verses after insisting churches are devoted to the public reading and preaching of scripture. “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:16). Though much more could be written, below I want to consider two aspects of a preacher’s character and their significance to the church.
1. Character Confirms the Gospel
It is true that the gospel is the unchanging reality of Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension. It is also true that the gospel is the message by which sinners are brought to face their inability to keep God’s law; and, at the same time, to see the rich treasures of God’s grace in meeting the law’s demands through Christ’s atoning death on the cross and his resurrection. This message continues forth in bearing much fruit regardless of the messengers who preach it.
The preacher’s character can positively commend the gospel they preach.
However, the preacher’s character can positively commend the gospel they preach. Paul’s counsel is timeless for us who preach the gospel. For he points us to watchfulness. Yes, we must watch our doctrine closely. We do this by having consistent habits of being immersed in the word, reading good theology, and attending fellowship as well as conferences that encourage these healthy habits. But Paul’s counsel also speaks to watching our life or character closely.
Hypocrisy Undermines the Gospel
What distinguishes the kind of preacher that Paul wishes Timothy would be, and the other false teachers, is that the false teachers live a hypocritical life (1 Timothy 4:2). They live this way because of their “seared conscience.”
A critical instrument for the preacher’s preaching ministry, therefore, is their conscience. Paul’s summons to Timothy often speaks to this issue:
- The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a faith without hypocrisy (1 Timothy 1:5)
- Having faith and a good conscience (1 Timothy 1:19)
- Holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience (1 Timothy 3:9)
- I am thankful to God, whom I have served with a clear conscience (2 Timothy 1:3).
We cannot give what we do not have.
From these verses, we can say that a good and pure conscience confirms that the preacher’s character conforms to their gospel calling. A good conscience also keeps the preacher’s faith intact; it safeguards the moral confidence to declare the mystery of the faith. A tested conscience is a primary confirmation of the maturity of someone to serve as an elder, entrusted with the task of preaching and teaching (1 Timothy 3:2). Thus, a preacher’s character confirms to the preacher themselves and those who listen to them, that the gospel they preach is true and effective. After all, we cannot give what we do not have.
2. Preacher, Set an Example
Though preaching is a prominent ministry in the church, it is usually attached to the shepherding ministry of elders or pastors (1 Timothy 1:3; 1:18-19; 3:2; 2 Timothy 4:1-5; Acts 20:27-28). It is as if the preaching ministry in the pulpit must be observed in the minister’s life with people. Paul’s last half of the counsel cautions pastors and preachers: persevere in being an example, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers (1 Timothy 4:16).
Preachers are called to persevere in watching their lives carefully. Persevering speaks to a continual vigilance. It is easy for preaching to become a task rather than an act of worship; to preach to others rather than letting the message also speak to the preacher. It is easy for the seasoned preacher to feel that they are beyond the same watchfulness required of ordinary Christians. But before the preacher is a preacher, they are a child of God. As believers ourselves, we are called to live out the gospel in ways that honour God (Philippians 1:27; Ephesians 4:1-2).
Paul says the false teachers’ character is contrary to the message they preach. Paul emphasises that a continual watchfulness is not only central in the preacher’s own future glorification, but also for those who hear the preacher. This follows the many other cautions in the scripture concerning the need to walk the narrow path, the reality of spiritual warfare in the Christian life and the need to wage the good warfare of faith.
Paul’s farewell address to the Ephesian elders shows that he lived in such a way that was commendable (Acts 20:32-36). When Christian doctrine is adorned by lives that are being transformed, the aroma and offence of the gospel are maintained.
Preaching Is a “Dangerous Calling”
So, preacher, keep making progress in your preaching by devoting yourself to God’s word. Rely on God’s Spirit to embolden and inspire your preaching. Attend to your own theological development, for a firmer grasp and handling of God’s word. But, also, make progress by watching your life.
The devil knows that if the shepherd falls, the sheep scatter.
One of the things I have seen in my own life is that the ministry of preaching has great dangers. Primarily, the devil knows that if the shepherd falls, the sheep scatter. We who preach are therefore prone to unique challenges. Failure can have grave consequences. The gospel we preach will always be a calling that we aspire towards. But we must daily strive to adorn it with our own character. This will clear our conscience as we steadily feed God’s flock with God’s word. It will commend the gospel to believers and challenge a watching world.
I offer you this prayer, tucked away in Calvin’s commentary on this verse, in conclusion. “Now let us cast ourselves down before the face of our good God, acknowledging our faults, and praying that he may grant us such repentance that we are sorry for having wronged him and for breaking his holy laws. May zeal so inflame us that we strive to be conformed to his righteousness, and may we so cast off our worldly affections that his glory may be revealed in us. May he mercifully remember those who have wandered from his flock and bring them back, enlightening them by his truth, in which we too must grow until we attain that fullness for which we yearn.”
