Dear Pastor, You Must Prioritize Godliness Over Giftedness

This article is part of the Dear Pastor series.

3 Arguments from Scripture about Prioritizing Godliness

I see three lines of argument emerging from Scripture that together make a compelling case for the priority of godliness in the life of the pastor/preacher.

The first is found in 1 Timothy 4:16. Paul says to the young pastor Timothy, “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching.” Notice the sequence—it is not accidental. That sequence represents a priority in Paul’s mind that reflects the priority in God’s mind. Over and over again, Paul spoke like that and lived like that. Yes, the “teaching” is very important. We should watch over it closely, making absolutely sure we are teaching exactly what God has said in his word. Clearly that was a priority in Paul’s ministry. But Paul always led with his life. Consider his words in 1 Thessalonians 2:5–10:

For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers.

It’s hard to miss what Paul is saying: “You saw what our lives were like! Yes, we watched over the teaching closely, but first we watched over ourselves closely, knowing that if our lives were out of line with the gospel, it would be very hard for you to receive the gospel.” We see this stance repeatedly in Paul’s preaching ministry, and in 1 Timothy 4, he is urging the same priority for Timothy—and for us. Granted, 1 Timothy 4:16 is not, by itself, a conclusive argument. But it points suggestively to the priority of godliness in pastoring and preaching.

This is compellingly supported by a second line of argument, which comes one chapter earlier in 1 Timothy. In this passage, we find the list of qualifications for pastors. Paul offers fourteen specific qualifications. The overwhelming majority of them have to do not with gifting but with character—that is, with personal godliness. Even though they are likely familiar to you, they bear repeating:

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self- controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. More- over, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. (1 Tim. 3:1–7)

Thirteen of those qualifications have to do with character. Yes, tucked into the middle of that list is the requirement that the pastor must be “able to teach.” It’s true—we must be able to teach. We must “keep a close watch” on the teaching (1 Tim. 4:16). We must be able to handle God’s word faithfully and effectively. But—and please don’t miss this—there are thirteen other things that also must be true of us, and they all have to do with our character, our godliness. That ratio argues compellingly for the priority of godliness in pastoral ministry generally and in preaching specifically.

A third line of argument for the priority of godliness is the fact that the concept of “example” figures so largely in the New Testament descriptions of pastoral ministry. Peter says it so clearly: “I exhort the elders among you . . . shepherd the flock of God that is among you . . . being examples to the flock” (1 Pet. 5:1–3). Paul says the same thing to Timothy: “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example” (1 Tim. 4:12). Paul is saying, “That’s how you pastor, Timothy! Be an example!” And that’s how we pastor—by our example. Yes, exhort and teach, as Paul tells Timothy (1 Tim. 4:13). And don’t neglect our gift (1 Tim. 4:14). But first, always first, set an example!

We must set examples in:

• Speech. Paul says, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building [others] up” (Eph. 4:29).
• Conduct. Paul says, “Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Phil. 1:27).
• Faith. Paul says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).
• Purity. Paul says, “Flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness . . . along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:22).

Setting the example in each of these areas is immeasurably important to your pastoring and preaching.

Yes, we must teach and preach, but our primary influence is through our lives and the example they set. Leadership is influence, and there is no greater influence than our lives. It doesn’t matter how dynamic a preacher may be, example is more powerful than precept. Precept riding on the back of example is more powerful still.

So the Bible makes it clear: There is a priority to godliness, a truly surpassing value. Our character—more specifically, our godliness—is the most important thing in our pastoring and our preaching.

The first-century Roman educator and rhetorician Quintilian defined the ideal orator as “a good man skilled in speaking.”¹ Likewise, we could define a pastor/preacher in a similar way: a godly man who is able to teach. But we must remember that the “godly” part is most important. That’s what Paul was saying to Timothy. That’s what God is saying to us through his living and active word.

We must pursue this. We must train ourselves for godliness. We must be intentional about making it the priority that God says it is. We cannot be content with what Paul later describes as “the appearance of godliness” (2 Tim. 3:5). There is an ever-present temptation for a preacher to try to “appear” godly. Because of what people are expecting from us as their pastors/preachers, there will always be pressure to manufacture a counterfeit to the real thing. We must instead train ourselves, engaging in a disciplined pursuit of godly character so as to actually grow in godliness.

How Can I Grow in Godliness?

What does training in godliness actually look like? How exactly do we pursue it? While this is not a discussion on the spiritual disciplines, it is important for us to make a few points here in connection with the claim about the priority of godliness.

There is something I call a “Scripture path.” It’s simply a string of verses that helps me to lay hold of some larger truth in Scripture. Let me take you on one of my favorites. It starts in Jeremiah 17:10, which says, “I the Lord search the heart.” He is a heart-searching God. Then the path goes to Psalm 139:23–24, where David says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” David is calling out to the God who searches hearts and he is asking him to do that for him. Then the path goes to Hebrews 4:12, where we read, “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” God searches hearts, and we should pray with David for God to search our hearts for any grievous way and to lead us in the everlasting way—that is, the way of godliness. And how does God do that? He does it through his active and incisive word that has the ability like nothing else to discern and speak into the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. Therefore, if we intend to grow in godliness, we need a life in the word.

It doesn’t matter how dynamic a preacher may be, example is more powerful than precept. Precept riding on the back of example is more powerful still.

God has given us his word to help us keep a “close watch” on our lives and to help us “train . . . for godliness.” God’s word is powerful in this way, for God intends it to be. His word is the primary instrumental means of our sanctification, which is another way of speaking of our growth in godliness. And while this power is by no means limited to pastors/preachers, there is a heightened reality we deal with as pastors/preachers. It is the underlying assumption in Paul’s words to Timothy about the nature of God’s word: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17). What encouragement that passage should bring us! Through his word, God nourishes us, strengthens us, and helps us to grow in godliness so that we can be better pastors/preachers.

But note that while God has given us his word, he does not force-feed us. It is our responsibility as pastors/preachers to create opportunities for the word to have its intended effect in our lives. We must choose to place ourselves in this stream of God’s grace toward us. We must make effort. Nobody drifts into godliness. After exhorting Timothy to train himself for godliness Paul quickly adds, “To this end we toil and strive” (1 Tim. 4:10). To what end? Growth in godliness. Paul is telling Timothy that it involves some work, some sweat. While our sanctification is God’s work—“It is God who works in you” (Phil. 2:13)—we need to cooperate with that work, and that cooperation is costly. We must press into this training. And the wonderful thing is that God has provided, and will provide, “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3).

Just think of all the things that God promises that his word will do for us. It revives our souls (Ps. 19:7a). It makes wise the simple (Ps. 19:7b). It rejoices the heart (Ps. 19:8a). It enlightens the eyes (Ps. 19:8b). I want (and need!) every one of those blessings. And that’s from just two verses of one psalm. Think of the vast treasure of Psalm 119, with all of its reminders of the life-giving, soul-satisfying, sin-stopping power of God’s word. But even more, verses scattered throughout the Bible speak of the powerful efficacy of God’s word:

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
      and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
      giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
      it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
      and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
            (Isa. 55:10–11)

Most certainly, one of the things “for which [God] sent” his word is the training in godliness of the man of God so that he might be thoroughly equipped for every good work that God has ordained for him to do.

This article is adapted from The Heart of Preaching: The Functional Centrality of the Gospel in the Life and Work of the Preacher by Mike Bullmore.

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