Ministerial Godliness: Rooted in Christ
During my years at seminary, in what now seems like a different lifetime, a little group of us first encountered Robert Murray McCheyne in the Banner of Truth reprint of his Memoir and Remains by Andrew Bonar. The story of his life immediately struck a chord with us. He was young and so were we. He was eager for the work of the ministry – a heartfelt aspiration we all shared that had brought us to seminary in the first place. And he became an instrument for unusual blessing under God, a dream that we cherished as we wondered what might lie ahead of us in ministry, should we eventually be called to a church.
As with many who have read his story and considered his sermons, we wondered what lay behind his effectiveness in the ministry – especially since he died so young at a mere 29 years of age. We discovered, of course, that he himself answers that question, at least in part, in his often-quoted comment, ‘It is not great talents God blesses, so much as great likeness to Jesus; a holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.’ But, tied in with this, there was his deeply held conviction: ‘My people’s greatest need is my own personal holiness’.
It might be tempting to gently dismiss these comments as examples of 19th Century Scottish Presbyterian pietism, except that what he says is firmly rooted in Scripture. Indeed, it is vigorously stated by Paul in his first letter to Timothy, a letter addressed to one pastor, but written for the benefit of all pastors that they in turn might truly bless their people through their ministry.
It surfaces repeatedly in what Paul has to say about ‘godliness’ as the vital sign of healthy ministry.
Written against the backdrop of a looming crisis in the church in Ephesus, where Timothy was pastor, Paul begins by issuing a warning to those who were spreading false teaching in the church, which in turn was corrupting the behaviour of its members. In response to this, he urges prayer for those in authority in order that God’s people ‘may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness’ – because ‘this is good and pleases God our Saviour’ (1Ti 2.2-3). But what is interesting is that he goes on to speak of how that prayer is answered through the kind of ministry that is characterised by godliness.
This comes out surprisingly in the way he punctuates his lengthy section on qualifications for elders and deacons in the church. He explains that the reason behind these instructions to Timothy is that he ‘will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God’ (1Ti 3.14-15). But then comes the big surprise, because he then says,
Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great:
He appeared in a body,
was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
was taken up in glory. (1Ti 3.16)
Given the context, it is virtually impossible to read these words that conclude this chapter and not wonder how is they are connected to what Paul has just been saying about the qualities of faithful leaders in the church. Because when he speaks about ‘the mystery of godliness’ he clearly goes on to speak about the Lord Jesus Christ.
However, on deeper reflection it becomes obvious that the godliness we need for ministry can never be found apart from the Christ who is its very embodiment.
In that light, as we start to unpack what is probably an early creedal summary of the Person and Work of Christ, we realise Paul is linking it to godliness in at least four ways.
First in that Christ is the template for our godliness. Unlike the warped ideas peddled by the false teachers in Ephesus that Paul identifies in his references to asceticism and legalism (1Ti 4.3-5), true godliness is seen perfectly in Jesus. By stating ‘he appeared in a body’ he points to Jesus as the eternal Son incarnate by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. As God in human flesh he is literally the incarnation of true ‘god-likeness’. Ian Hamilton speaks of Jesus as ‘the prototypical man’ – the archetypal human. Since human beings were created to be ‘godlike’ from the beginning, the image of God defaced through sin, is restored in Christ. So, in ways that go beyond the title St Francis of Assisi’s book, Christians are indeed meant to be An Imitation of Christ as they pursue godliness. And ministers of Christ are called to lead the way.
Not surprising, therefore, in the second place, Christ is also the source of true godliness. When Paul speaks of his being ‘vindicated by the Spirit’ he is echoing what he has said of Christ’s being ‘declared with power to be the Son of God’ by his resurrection ‘through the Spirit of holiness’ (Ro 1.4). Although salvation was declared as having been secured through Christ own victory cry on the cross, ‘It is finished!’ (Jn 19.30), the necessity for him to die and be buried meant that this victory was only publicly acknowledged through his resurrection. So, having secured this great salvation, its benefits and the power to live a new life are now freely available to his redeemed people. So the godliness seen in Christ can now be lived out by all who are united with him in salvation.
Paul speaks thirdly about Christ as he is proclaimed in the gospel. He was ‘seen by angels’, whose testimony punctuates the gospel record from the moment of his incarnation right through to his exaltation and enthronement. And their testimony accords with the apostolic testimony which ‘was [and still is] preached among the nations’. Reinforcing what he has just said about Christ as the sole source of the salvation that is made visible in godly lives, he reminds his readers that we do not come to know this Christ mystically, but through his word written and proclaimed. And since proclamation is the primary calling of ministers of the New Covenant, then their lives should be stamped with the godliness that is his.
The final component in what Paul sets out by means of this ancient quote, is the trajectory of godliness. Just as the risen exalted Christ ‘ascended into heaven’, so ultimately for those who are in him and, through his saving work are being made like him. Those who believe on him in the world shall be with him in glory.
For McCheyne in his all-too-brief ministry in Dundee in 19th Century Scotland, his life and work bore those marks of Christ in a special way. And that explains, not only the impact of his ministry while he was alive, but also why it has continued to impact people’s lives ever since. He bears out the truth of what Paul was saying to his own young ministerial friend – not least as someone who was painfully aware of his own inadequacies for the task. Godliness matters for all Christians, but it matters in a distinctive way for those who are called to the ministry. And we will flesh this out more fully in the weeks to come.
