The Man of God  —part 1  The Characteristics  of a Spiritual Leader (6:11-14)

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But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,(6:11-14)

The title man of God is simple, yet immeasurably rich. It is a sacred privilege to be identified as God’s personal possession, a privilege that carries with it a grave responsibility. Although the phrase man of God is commonly used in the Old Testament, it describes only Timothy in the New. Paul used that title to increase Timothy’s sense of responsibility to discharge his ministry. How could the man who personally belonged to God do any less?

The phrase man of God first appears in Deuteronomy 33:1 where it describes Moses (cf. 1 Chron. 23:14; 2 Chron. 30:16; Ezra 3:2; Ps. 90:1), the great deliver of his people and author of the Pentateuch. The Angel of the Lord, (the preincarnate Christ) who appeared to Samson’s parents, is also called “a man of God” (Judg. 13:6, 8). In 1 Samuel 2:27, the term describes the prophet sent to pronounce judgment on the house of Eli, while in 1 Samuel 9:6ff. it describes Eli’s successor, Samuel. The prophet Shemaiah, who rebuked King Rehoboam, also bears the title “the man of God” in 1 Kings 12:22, as do the prophets who rebuked Kings Jeroboam (1 Kings 13:1ff.) and Amaziah (2 Chron. 25:7), and the prophet Igdaliah, a contemporary of Jeremiah (Jer. 35:4). In addition, such great figures as Elijah (1 Kings 17:18, 24), Elisha (2 Kings 4:7ff.), and David (Neh. 12:24, 36) were also called men of God. Peter uses the plural phrase “men of God” to refer to those who wrote the Old Testament Scriptures (2 Peter 1:21 KJV).

All of the Old Testament uses point to an individual who represents God by proclaiming His Word. By calling his young protege a man of God, Paul places Timothy into that rich Old Testament tradition. He, like those before him, was called, ordained, and responsible to preach the Word of God.

The only other use of the singular phrase is in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Although Timothy is the subject of those verses (cf. w. 14-15), the term can include anyone in the proclamation ministry. At its widest point of interpretation, it can embrace any believer, since the Word does equip all Christians for good works. But the primary emphasis is on how the Word equips the preacher to be “adequate, equipped for every good work.” As did Timothy, all men of God stand in the long line of historic spokesmen dating back to Moses. They are, in the words of John Bunyan, the King’s champions (The Pilgrim’s Progress [reprint; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976], 120). Having been lifted above worldly aims, they are utterly devoted to proclaiming God’s Word.

All of that was important for Timothy to consider. He faced a formidable task in Ephesus, as he attempted to restore truth and order to a church that had lost its way. Paul mentions the danger of false teachers three times in this epistle (1:3-7; 4:1-5; 6:3-10). The apostle follows each warning with a charge to Timothy to resist them in light of his call to the ministry (1:18-20; 4:14-16; 6:11-12). He was God’s man, His champion in the war against false teaching, His voice.

How is such a man of God to conduct himself? In this passage Paul lists four characteristics that mark the loyal man of God: what he flees from, follows after, fights for, and is faithful to.

A MAN OF GOD IS KNOWN BY WHAT HE FLEES FROM

But flee from these things, you man of God; (6:1 la)

The adversative sense of de (but), coupled with the use of the personal pronoun su (you), sharply contrasts Timothy with the false teachers. They are money’s men, he is God’s man; they are sin’s men, he is righteousness’s man; they are the world’s men, he is heaven’s man. Although left untranslated by the NASB, the Greek text uses the interjection ō (“O”). The use of that interjection with the vocative case is rare in the New Testament, indicating the intensity of Paul’s appeal.

A man of God realizes there are certain things to be avoided at all cost. Flee is from pheugō, from which our English word “fugitive” derives. God’s man must flee from sexual sin (1 Cor. 6:18), idolatry (1 Cor. 10:14), and “youthful lusts” (2 Tim. 2:22). The present tense of the verb indicates the man of God is to constantly flee from these things. The direct antecedent of these things is the evils associated with loving money in w. 9-10.

That is the cardinal sin of false teachers, who pervert the truth for personal gain. From Balaam, who sold himself to the highest bidder, through the greedy false prophets of Israel, to Judas and Demas in the New Testament, the hallmark of false teachers is greed.

Paul carefully avoided any appearance of loving money. In his farewell address to the Ephesian elders, he reminded them,

To the Thessalonians he wrote, “For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God” (1 Thess. 2:9). He reminded the Corinthians of his right to financial support, but then waived it so no one would question his motives (1 Cor. 9:1-15).

Although they may call themselves ministers of the gospel, those in it for the money are not God’s men. They have prostituted the call of God for personal gain. Those who put a price on their ministry devalue it in God’s sight to zero.

A MAN OF GOD IS KNOWN BY WHAT HE FOLLOWS AFTER

and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. (6:1 lb)

As fast as the man of God runs from the corrupting love of money he runs toward spiritual virtue. A man of God not only flees from sin, but also is to continually pursue holiness. The form here is parallel to 2 Timothy 2:22, where Paul commands Timothy not only to “flee from youthful lusts,” but also to “pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace.” If he stops, what is behind him (sin) will catch him, and he will miss his goal of holiness. In verse 11, Paul lists six virtues that every man of God must pursue to deserve that privileged title.

The first two are general virtues, one having to do with external behavior, the other with the internal attitude and motive. Righteousness translates the familiar New Testament term dikaiosunē. It means to do what is right, in relation to both God and man. The righteousness Paul describes here is not Christ’s righteousness imputed to us at salvation, but holiness of life. God’s man is known for doing what is right. His is a lifestyle marked by obedience to God’s commands.

The internal counterpart to righteousness is godliness. While righteousness looks to the outward behavior, godliness has to do with the attitudes and motives. Right behavior flows from right motives. Eusebeia (godliness), a familiar term in the Pastorals (appearing ten times), refers to reverence for God flowing out of a worshiping heart. It could be translated “God-likeness.” Godly people “offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe” (Heb. 12:28). They will one day receive praise from the Lord Himself (1 Cor. 4:1-5).

Those two virtues are central to a godly minister’s power and usefulness. They form an essential part of what Spurgeon called “the minister’s self-watch” (C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, vol. 1 [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980]). The Puritan Richard Baxter had much to say on that topic, devoting an entire section of his classic work The Reformed Pastor to it. He warned, “Many a tailor goes in rags, that maketh costly clothes for others; and many a cook scarcely licks his fingers, when he hath dressed for others the most costly dishes” (The Reformed Pastor [Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1979], 54).

Paul knew well the importance of the minister’s watch over himself. In Acts 20:28 he exhorted the leaders of the Ephesian church to “be on guard for yourselves.” In 1 Timothy 4:16, he commanded Timothy to “pay close attention to [himself].” Knowing his own sinfulness (cf. Rom. 7:14-25; 1 Tim. 1:12-15), Paul strenuously disciplined himself. To the Corinthians he wrote,

The Puritan John Flavel pointedly observed, “Brethren, it is easier to declaim against a thousand sins of others, than to mortify one sin in ourselves” (cited in I. D. E. Thomas, A Puritan Golden Treasury [Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1977], 191).

John Owen added, “A minister may fill his pews, his communion roll, the mouths of the public, but what that minister is on his knees in secret before God Almighty, that he is and no more” (cited in Thomas, A Puritan Golden Treasury, 192).

The nineteenth-century English pastor Charles Bridges wrote,

The apostle next names the dominant internal virtues: faith and love. Faith is simply confident trust in God for everything. It involves loyalty to the Lord and unwavering confidence in His power, purpose, plan, provision, and promise. Faith is the atmosphere in which the man of God exists. He trusts God to keep and fulfill His Word.

As he often does in his writings, Paul couples love with faith (cf. 1 Thess. 3:6; 5:8; 1 Tim. 1:14; 2 Tim. 1:13). Agape (love) is the love of volition and choice. It is unrestricted and unrestrained, encompassing love for God, other believers, and non-Christians. The man of God understands the significance of our Lord’s words in Matthew 22:37-39: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Because he is a lover of God, the man of God loves those whom He loves (cf. 1 John 4:7-21). The love of God, “poured out within [his heart] through the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 5:5) flows out of him to others (cf. 2 Cor. 6:11-13; 12:15; Phil. 2:25ff.; Col. 1:27-28; 4:12).

Paul then mentions two external virtues, perseverance and gentleness. Perseverance translates hupomonē, which means “to remain under.” It does not describe a passive, fatalistic resignation, but a victorious, triumphant, unswerving loyalty to the Lord in the midst of trials (cf. James 1:2-4). It is the perseverance of the martyr, who will lay down his life if necessary for the cause of Christ. Paul and most of the other apostles would exhibit that supreme measure of perseverance. Perseverance enables the man of God to stick with the task, no matter what the cost.

Gentleness translates praupathia, which means kindness or meekness, and appears only here in the New Testament. Although consumed with the greatest of causes, the man of God recognizes that in himself he makes no contribution to its success, and is marked by considerate humility. His is the attitude expressed by John Bunyan in The Pilgrims Progress:

A MAN OF GOD IS KNOWN BY WHAT HE V FIGHTS FOR

Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (6:12)

Being a spokesman for God calls a man into warfare. It is a constant battle against the flesh, the devil, and the resistance of the fallen world that loves sin and error and hates truth and holiness. It is also a struggle against lethargic Christians and apathetic churches. Paul charged Timothy to “suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 2:3). The apostle’s own triumphant epitaph reads, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7).

Sadly, some do not even realize they are in a battle. Others seek positions of ease and comfort, in effect going AWOL from the spiritual battle. Paul was under no such delusions, however. He told the believers in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). In his second letter to Timothy he wrote, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). Our Lord warned, “He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 10:38).

The verb fight is from agonizomai, from which our English word “agonize” derives. It was used in both military and athletic contexts to describe the concentration, discipline, conviction, and effort needed to win. The present imperative tense of the verb once again indicates the continuous nature of the battle. Good translates kalos, which could be translated “noble,” or “excellent.” The noun fight translates agōn, from the same root as the verb. It refers to the spiritual conflict with Satan’s kingdom, in which the man of God must play his part.

Faith refers to the body of Christian truth, the contents of the Word of God, the “faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). The faith is the supreme reality we all can fight for.

By commanding Timothy to take hold of eternal life, Paul obviously did not mean to imply that Timothy needed salvation. Instead, he admonished Timothy to “get a grip” on the reality of eternal life, so that he would live and minister in the light of eternity. Those who minister for what they can get in this world have a wrong perspective. The man of God “set[s his] mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Col. 3:2), knowing that his “citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20).

Called refers to the effectual sovereign call of God to salvation (cf. Rom. 8:30; 2 Tim. 1:9). Timothy had been called by God to salvation, to eternal glory; now he was to preach in the light of the reality that what is eternal is all that matters. He affirmed his calling to preach initially when he made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. That refers to his public confession of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Timothy “confess[ed] with [his] mouth Jesus as Lord, and believefd] in [his] heart that God raised Him from the dead” (Rom. 10:9; cf. Phil. 2:11). That confession was probably made at Timothy’s baptism, and again at his ordination to the ministry (4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6).

The man of God, aware of God’s effectual call to eternal salvation and his own public profession of faith in response to that call, maintains an eternal perspective. He does not engage in the petty, meaningless battles of this world, but focuses on the eternal things. He lives above the mundane and trivial matters of the passing world. He is consumed with what will never pass away—God’s Word and the souls of men.

A MAN OF GOD IS KNOWN BY WHAT HE IS FAITHFUL TO

I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,(6:13-14)

The key to this section comes in verse 14, where Paul commands Timothy to keep the commandment. The rest of verses 13 and 14 explain that phrase. Verse 13 tells Timothy why he should keep the commandment, and the remainder of verse 14 tells him how he should keep it.

There is no limiting feature in the context that would narrow the definition of the commandment. It should therefore be understood in the broadest sense as the entire revealed Word of God, which Timothy is charged to preach (cf. Acts 20:20, 27; 2 Tim. 4:2). To keep the commandment is to guard it, not only by proclaiming it, but also by protecting it. Not surprisingly, Paul repeatedly encouraged Timothy to guard the truth that had been entrusted to him (cf. 1 Tim. 1:18-19; 4:6, 16; 6:20; Tim. 1:13-14; 2:15-18). He was to do so “through the Holy Spirit” (2 Tim. 1:14). Only through His power can the man of God hold on to the truth and faithfully proclaim it.

To encourage Timothy to persevere no matter what the cost, Paul calls on two sovereign, supreme persons who will hold him accountable. God, who gives life to all things, is the first. It is in the Father’s presence that the man of God lives and ministers. He is not to be a man-pleaser, but a God-pleaser (cf. Gal. 1:8—10). Knowledge of His omniscient and omnipresent scrutiny and perfect standard should motivate the man of God to diligence. Zōogoneō (gives life to) certainly refers to God as the One who alone has created all life and can and will preserve it until His sovereign purposes are accomplished. It can also refer to God’s power to raise the dead (cf. Heb. 11:19). Paul’s point is that God is in charge of all life, including Timothy’s. Therefore, the preacher should not be concerned about the price of his faithful proclamation because the Lord will sustain him until he has finished his work. Even if the man of God is killed for his faithfulness to the Lord, God has the power and will resurrect him in glory.

The second witness is Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate. Our Lord is the supreme earthly example of One who held fast to His confession, who remained faithful to the Word of God no matter what the cost. He did so because He trusted in God to deliver Him in life and death (cf. 1 Peter 2:21-23). When Pontius Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” He fearlessly replied, “It is as you say” (Matt. 27:11). Our Lord boldly stood His ground, spoke the truth, and entrusted His life to God. Timothy, or any man of God, can do no less.

The apostle then told Timothy in what manner a man of God is to keep the commandment. First, he was to do so without stain or reproach. No blemish or legitimate accusation is to mar his testimony (cf. James 1:27). He was to be completely beyond reproach. He was also to be permanently faithful, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Epiphaneia (appearing) is a reference to the return of the Lord. Timothy was to remain faithful all his life, until his death or His Savior’s arrival. The expectation of his Lord’s imminent return further motivates the man of God (cf. Acts 1:8-11; 1 Cor. 4:5; Rev. 22:12).

To proclaim God’s Word as His own man is an immeasurable privilege. That privilege, however, carries with it a serious warning. James cautioned, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment” (James 3:1). “From everyone who has been given much,” Jesus warned, “shall much be required” (Luke 12:48).

One of the most sobering examples of a man of God who failed is found in 1 Kings 13:1-26:

The unnamed prophet had the privilege of being used by God to rebuke King Jeroboam. By violating God’s Word, however, he brought upon himself a terrible judgment. That is a warning every man of God should heed. Being a man of God is an elevated earthly privilege matched by an elevated heavenly accountability.