Striving to be a Man of God

What does it mean to be a man of God? Paul says that a man of God is known for seven things (1 Tim. 6:11–21).

(1) A man of God is known by what he flees from (6:11)

“But as for you, O man of God, flee these things.”

What things? In 6:9, Paul speaks of those who “desire to get rich.” (1) They fall into “temptation.” (2) They fall into a “snare;” they’re like trapped animals. (3) They fall into “harmful desires;” these endanger both body and soul. (4) They succumb to “all kinds of evil.” (5) They “wander away from the faith;” they neglect their souls. (6) They “pierce themselves with many a pang.” The verb “pierce” means to put on a spit. The word “pang” refers to grief, distress, boredom, dissatisfaction, gloom, etc.

We must flee from these things. Why? They’re perilous to the pursuit of godliness. Christ warns, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate one and love the other, or her will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matt. 6:24). A servant (who has two masters) will find himself in difficulty. One will ask him to do this, while the other will ask him to do that. There will be a conflict of interest. So too, says Christ, when it comes to serving God and money. It’s impossible to serve both. Materialism wants your affections; so does Christ. Materialism wants your devotion; so does Christ. Materialism wants your time; so does Christ.

(2) A man of God is known by what he seeks after (6:11)

“Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.”

As we flee from the “desire to get rich,” we don’t run in any direction we feel like. When we run aimlessly, we fall into all sorts of trouble. As we flee from a self-centered life, we must seek after a Christ-centered life.

(3) A man of God is known by what he fights for (6:12)

“Fight the good fight of faith.”

Anyone who flees from a self-centered life and seeks after a Christ-centered life will find himself in the midst of a pitched battle. He’s going to struggle with the flesh, the world, and the devil.

(4) A man of God is known for what he holds onto (6:12)

“Take hold of eternal life...”

Eternal life is our future hope. We’re to take hold of it by making it a present reality. When we do, we find motivation to worship God, mortify sin, deny ourselves, rejoice in affliction, and live for God.

(5) A man of God is known for what he aspires to (6:13–16)

“Keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach...”

This likely refers to everything Paul has said in this letter – how we pray, how we dress, how we speak, how we eat, how we manage our families, how we raise our children, how we care for our widows, how we honor our leaders, how we work, how we handle wealth. God’s grace compels us to bring every area of life under His influence.

(6) A man of God is known for what he hopes on (6:17–19)

“Charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches...”

We must not fix our hope on riches, but on God. Why? One is uncertain; one is certain. “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matt. 6:26). I like to imagine there was a flock of birds flying overhead when Christ spoke those words. If God’s providence extends to the birds, then His providence most assuredly extends to us.

(7) A man of God is known for what he believes in (6:20–21)

“Guard the deposit entrusted to you.”

Clearly, as far as Paul is concerned, there’s a standard of Christian belief. It’s called “the teaching” (6:1), “the doctrine” (6:3), “the sound words” (6:3), “the truth” (6:5), and “the faith” (6:10). We must avoid two dangers. (1) Liberalism: blindly promoting change, thereby sacrificing truth. (2) Conservatism: blindly opposing change, thereby confusing tradition with truth.

Quotable: “Christ doesn’t want us to trifle with the things of God. We are not to pick them up and play with them at our convenience… If our passion, chief interest, focus, priority is sports or self or things or pleasure or anything besides God, then we have misunderstood the meaning of life. We’re still lost. To know God at all is to passionately long for Him and His righteousness” (Terry Johnson).