"Man of God"

SOME years ago my wife and I were sailing by passenger ship en route to the mission field. We were young and recently married and found the rather fast type of entertainment provided by the ship's officers not too much to our Adventist tastes. . .

SOME years ago my wife and I were sailing by passenger ship en route to the mission field. We were young and recently married and found the rather fast type of entertainment provided by the ship's officers not too much to our Adventist tastes. We were able to participate in the deck games, but the midnight dances, the movies, and the drinking parties as the ship crossed the line in the Indian Ocean found us excluded. We made a number of friends on board ship, but two men in particular interested us. One was an acquaintance from the dining table. Tall and middle-aged, he was reserved but friendly, cultured, and dignified. It came as no surprise to us to learn even though he did not wear a clerical collar, that he was a Presbyterian minister. The other was a young man whom we only came to know on our last day or two on board ship. But we could hardly have failed to notice him earlier: boisterous and rowdy, he was always in the thick of things on deck, in the lounge, or at the bar. Then, when at last we made his acquaintance, the bombshell dropped: he too was a Protestant minister!

I have often thought of the shock we had on learning that the second passenger was a man of the cloth; and I have reflected on the bearing of the first which marked him without any formal clerical robe as a man apart.

There Must Be a Difference

No doubt we as ministers are to be men who are actively involved in the concerns of humanity. Like the worker-priests of Paris, we must go where the people are, we must play with our young people if we expect them to listen to us, we must have the common touch. And yet there must always be a difference. There should always be a certain reserve commensurate with our high calling; certainly it is a tragic debasement of our office if people are shocked to learn we are ministers!

This "separation" of the minister is crystallized in the expression "man of God." The phrase occurs only twice in the New Testament, both from Paul, and significantly, in each place addressed to Timothy (1 Tim. 6:11; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17). Although Berkouwer (Man, the Image of God, p. 349) suggests that Paul uses the term in a general sense to refer to the believer, it seems likely that he has in mind here the minister in particular. Else where, Paul commonly refers to the believers as "sons," "saints," the "called" or the "elect"; the "man of God" in the pastorals surely denotes one with a special commission. The first reference, moreover, unambiguously denotes the minister, Timothy, as a "man of God."

The term "man of God," if it is rare in the New Testament, is nevertheless of frequent occurrence in the Old Testament (at least sixty-five times) and the usage here is always to one called in a special way to act and speak in God's name. Thus, it is used of Moses (Deut. 33:1), of Samuel (1 Sam. 9:6), and of David (2 Chron. 8: 14). By the ninth century it was obviously of very common occurrence. For instance, both Elijah and Elisha were actually ad dressed as "man of God" as well as so designated in biography (e. g., 2 Kings 1: 9, 11; 4:16, 21, 22). However, this term, which in the ninth century was equivalent to "prophet," dropped out of use in later centuries. Why, we cannot be sure; perhaps the prevalence of so many prophets in later times who were clearly not "men of God" but political hacks or mere men pleasers (e.g., Micah 2:11; 3:5-7; Jer. 23:16, 17) hastened the decline.

Not I, But Christ

As it does with other terms, the New Testament takes over the primary Old Testament concept of the "man of God" and invests it with new meaning in the light of the revelation of God given in Jesus Christ. With the coming of Christ, the idea of God is given a breadth of meaning far beyond the Old Testament concept, though not in any way contradictory to it; the "man of God" becomes the one who will speak and act in God's name, but "God" now has special reference to Christ so that the minister is really a "man of Christ." He is to walk in the pat tern of service laid down by the great Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4); he is to bear the message of what God has done in Christ (2 Cor. 5:18-21); he is to be so identified with Christ that it is "not I, but Christ" (Gal. 2:20).

Check Yourself

We would suggest that the following features will be pre-eminent in the SDA minister who is truly a "man of God."

1. A God-Centered Life. Being a "man of God" means, first of all, that we are God's man—He always has first claim on our time, our talents, our service. We live to please Him first; as the old gospel song says:

I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord, Over mountain, or plain, or sea; I'll say what you want me to say, dear Lord, I'll be what you want me to be.

Of course, every Christian is to make God first in his life, but the minister is in a pre-eminent sense to be God's man. He is from God in that the Lord has placed His hand on him for a special task, a task that is to give direction to all his energies and his endeavors.

If we have such an inner life, it will be impossible to conceal it. Without any formal clerical dress (although our dress will surely be consecrated with the rest of the "whole man"!), we will have a certain bearing, an unconscious "atmosphere" so that we will find people asking us, "Are you a minister?" rather than our having to parade the fact.

On every plane or train or ship as we travel there are people whose hearts are breaking. There are people who are yearning for a word of hope or comfort. There are souls looking wistfully to heaven. It is God whom they need; but God may only be found through one of His appointed agents, and the "man of God" is surely to be a pre-eminent agent. Many such people often desire to find a minister to whom they can unburden their hearts. Will they recognize us as men of God? Will they come like the Shunammite to us for help and guidance?

"The servants of Christ are not only to be instruments through the preaching of Jesus to lead men to repentance, but they are to continue their watch-care and interest by keeping before the people, by precept and example, the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. They are to sanctify themselves that their hearers also may be sanctified. Thus all will grow in godliness, going on from grace to grace, until the ambassador for God can present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Then the ministerial office will be seen in its true, sacred character." ---Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 152, 153.

2. A Forsaking of Other Interests. "But as for you, man of God, shun all this; aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness" (1 Tim. 6:11, R.S.V.). What the "all this" is that we are to shun is made clear earlier it is conceit and a craving for controversy (verse 4) and especially a "desire to be rich" (verse 9) the "love of money" (verse 10).

A well-known Christian magazine recently carried an advertisement for a plan by which ministers could supplement their stipend by thousands of dollars annually at part-time work. While we are well aware of high living costs, especially educational, is it necessary for SDA ministers to resort to various side interests? Are we not in danger of falling into the condition pictured in Wordsworth's sonnet:

The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.

One early morning, as we were wearily passing through airport customs, I said to the customs officer, "You needn't worry about us I'm a minister." To which he replied in all seriousness, "We find that they are the ones we have to watch!" A certain country, after it was discovered that members of the clergy were personally smuggling gold, ordered that all priests and missionaries be carefully searched even to the extent of making them undress! (Fortunately for us, the customs officer we mentioned above proceeded to say, "You're O.K. You can go through"!)

It is tragic that a "man of God" should ever compromise his devotion to the Lord's service for the sake of Mammon.

3. The Task. "All scripture is inspired 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, R.S.V.).

Here is the positive side, for which the laying off of all other interests was the negative preparation. God's ministers are to be complete, lacking nothing "for every good work" as they go forward in God's name. And this task, in all its varied facets, whether the minister preaches from the public platform, directs departmental activities, or teaches the Bible to the youth, is summed up in one work soul saving.

There are plenty of social workers; there are politicians who are greatly concerned about uplifting humanity; there are thou sands of educators and teachers. But only in the church is man's soul given its rightful place a pre-eminent worth for time and for eternity. Only the church is concerned with saving men to a better life now and an unbroken fellowship for ever with God. This is the primary raison d'etre of the ministry, and let us never forget it: "I am a debtor ..." (Rom. 1: 14, ff.).

Every Adventist minister would do well to ponder the phrase "man of God." It is a high calling; and who can say he has attained to the heights of office that God designs for him? Nevertheless, while admitting our frailty and inevitable short comings, we should constantly examine our selves by the following standard:

1. Does the stranger in need feel drawn to me as a "man of God"? Will he intuitively recognize that I am a minister?

2. Do I represent God aright in all my dealings?

3. Does God and His work come first in my interests, hopes, and desires?

4. Am I daily consecrated to the supreme task of the minister soul saving? Do I help at least one soul each day nearer to the kingdom?

May each one of us be characterized as "men of God."


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December 1970

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