by Nathan L Morrison
Synopsis: A significant part of preaching involves offering instruction in righteousness. If sinners and saints are to know what they must do to please God, we must properly emphasize biblical instruction.
In his second letter to Timothy, Paul "solemnly" charged him before God and Jesus to "preach the word" (2 Tim. 4:1-2, NASB). What a privilege it is to be called to preach the good news of salvation, the word that can save one's soul (Jas. 1:21)! Gospel preachers today stand in the esteemed company of the apostles, men like Timothy and Titus, the early church writers, and countless others down through time. What responsibility falls upon the one who proclaims the saving word of God! Paul solemnly charges this young preacher "in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus" to preach the word. Then he offers six ways that young Timothy may accomplish this, closing out his exhortation by emphasizing the importance of instruction.
In today's world, evangelists are frequently assigned works and titles not found in the inspired word of God. Many people view the work of a preacher as an entertainer or stand-up comedian. Others count him as counselor, charity administrator, or social events planner. In contrast, consider the biblical pattern, as set forth by the inspired apostle. In his second (and final) letter to Timothy, Paul instructed his young apprentice in the work of a preacher:
He must retain the standard of sound words (2 Tim. 1:13). Guard the truth entrusted to him (2 Tim. 1:14). Teach faithful men who will teach others (2 Tim. 2:2), suffer hardship as a good soldier of Christ (2 Tim. 2:3; 3:10-13), avoid useless arguments that are unprofitable (2 Tim. 2:14), study to handle accurately the word of God (2 Tim. 2:15; 3:14-15), correct the opponents of the truth (2 Tim. 2:24-26). Finally, Paul commanded Timothy to preach the word of God (2 Tim. 4:1-4).
Gospel preachers serve as instructors of divine truth. Instruction involves telling/showing someone how something is accomplished. I am a visual learner. If it is not something with which I am familiar, I benefit from seeing an example, illustration, or even better yet, in today's world, a video! By spending time with Paul, Timothy learned many things from the apostle, not just through his words, but also through his conduct. Sometimes Paul's instruction was verbal: "which you have heard from me," or "which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses." Sometimes it was visual: "Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings." Timothy observed these qualities in Paul's preaching and practice. He learned how to preach, what to preach, as well as the purpose and goal of preaching. He also learned how to endure hardships, sufferings and persecutions. Through it all, Paul was instructing Timothy on how to be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. In like manner, evangelists today instruct others on how to be obedient to the "words of eternal life" (John 6:68). This is accomplished, not just by our preaching and teaching, but also by demonstrating discipleship in our daily lives, and in how we respond to the storms of life.
In Paul's first letter to Timothy, he started off his exhortation by offering this reminder: "The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (1 Tim. 1:5). This brief exhortation reminds us of the overall purpose of preaching.
Sin is a heart problem (Mark 7:14-23). Preachers instruct sinners on how to cleanse sin from their lives, beginning with obedience to the gospel in baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:38; 22:16). Through faith, repentance, and baptism, we are transformed from being a sinner to becoming a saint. By conforming to the gospel pattern, we become children of God with pure hearts!
Preachers instruct saints to be pure because God is pure (1 John 3:3). The instruction to maintain a pure heart includes guarding one's thoughts, actions, and influence (2 Cor. 10:3-5; Phil. 4:7-8; 1 Thess. 5:21-22; 2 Pet. 3:17).
Isaac Walton once wrote, "Look to your health; and if you have it, praise God, and value it next to a good conscience." In order to guard our lives, saints must develop, or train, their consciences.
Paul frequently spoke of the conscience: He said, "I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men" (Acts 24:16). However, a word of warning is in order. Before his conversion, Paul had a good conscience, despite his opposition to Christ and mistreatment of the saints (Acts 22:4; 26:9-11). Paul persecuted the Way to the death, imprisoned disciples, and pressured them to blaspheme because he thought this was his duty, since he "lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion" (Acts 26:5). Despite his good conscience, Saul was still in sin. After his conversion, Paul had a good (and cleansed) conscience because he was acting in obedience to the will of God (Acts 23:1; 26:19-20).
Preachers instruct sinners to be obedient to the word of God in baptism, for that is where having "a good conscience" starts (1 Pet. 3:21-22). Once we come to a knowledge of the truth, we must but hold to the faith (1 Tim. 1:19) and not violate our consciences (Jas. 4:17). When we sin, we should repent and seek God's forgiveness (Acts 8:22; 2 Cor. 7:9-11).
There is a correlation in holding on to one's faith and maintaining a good conscience (1 Tim. 1:19). To have a "sincere faith" is to have a faith free of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy has no place in the life of a child of God, for it can hinder one's prayers (Jas. 1:6-8). Paul wrote to the saints at Rome saying, "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good" (Rom. 12:9). Peter said that believers must lay aside "all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander" and desire the "pure milk of the word" (1 Pet. 2:1-3). Paul knew of Timothy's "sincere faith," which first was seen in his mother and grandmother, who had taught him from childhood (2 Tim. 1:5). By the blood of Jesus, we can have confidence to "draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water" as we hold fast our confession of hope (Heb. 10:19-25). Preachers instruct sinners to put aside lying and be honest. Dishonesty is a trait of the old self that is put to death in baptism (Rom. 6:3-7; Col. 3:8-11).
Instruction is an important work of preaching. It is accomplished through teaching but is most impactful when reflected in the preacher's life! The Corinthians saw Paul's good conscience manifested in his sincere and godly conduct (2 Cor. 1:12). Sinners and saints alike can benefit in seeing the word of God in action!
God's inspired word is profitable for teaching and "instruction in righteousness" so that saints may be "equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17, NKJV). A great responsibility of preaching is instruction in righteousness, so that alien sinners and children of God may know what is expected of them. In all the other aspects of preaching the word, don't forget the importance of instruction!
