How to Save
Yourself and Others
A sermon on 1 Timothy 4:12-16 by Coty
Pinckney, Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary Graduation, June 7, 2002
As you graduates
go out to your new assignments, what is your primary goal? What do you want to
achieve, by God’s power?
Surely one of
your goals is the salvation of those who hear you. But consider another
possible goal: Do you aim to save yourself?
I hope that
questions begin to run through your mind when you hear me say “save yourself.”
Questions such as:
Those are good
questions. But the passage we will consider this morning tells us very
explicitly how to save ourselves. Furthermore, this passage promises us that we
will save others by following those same methods.
Please turn with
me to 1 Tim 4:12-16. If God had given us the privilege of staying at CBTS one
more year, I would have asked the President and Academic Dean if I could teach
a course on the pastoral epistles. In lieu of that course, this morning we can
only look at these five verses. Listen carefully, and see how Paul tells
Timothy to go about saving himself and those who hear him. I will read from the
NIV, with two changes in v 16 that we will discuss later:
12 Don't let
anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the
believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 13 Until I come,
devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to
teaching. 14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic
message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Be diligent in
these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your
progress. 16 Watch your life and teaching closely. Persevere in them, because
by doing so, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
So I hope you’re
now able to answer “perhaps” to the question: “Does this speaker know what he
is talking about?”
Paul DOES tell
Timothy how to save himself – along with his hearers – by watching his life and
teaching closely. We’ll consider in more detail HOW to do that, but first,
let’s be sure we are clear about WHAT PAUL MEANS by “save yourself.”
What does “save
yourself” mean here?
Although 1
Timothy 4:16 is the only place in the New Testament that uses these exact words
in a positive sense, several passages provide similar teaching. This morning we
will only look briefly at two of them.
The first is in Jesus’ discourse on last
things, in Matthew 24 (and Mark 13). After warning His disciples about
persecutions and false prophets, he says in verse 13, “he who endures to the
end will be saved.” That is, the one who endures the persecutions, who is not
deceived by the false prophets – that person will be saved. In some sense, the
person who endures the persecutions and rejects the teaching of the false
prophets can be said to save himself.
Secondly, consider Philippians 2:12-13.
Paul has been appealing to the Corinthians to be united, to be humble toward
each other, to have the same attitude as Jesus Himself. He then summarizes
these commands with this statement:
“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is
at work in you.” In effect, Paul is saying. “Keep on saving yourself, for God
is saving you.”
That is, you save yourself as you take on
the character of Jesus Christ, particularly those aspects of Jesus’ character
that Paul has been discussing. But it is really God who is saving you – for God
is the one who is working within you, changing you, molding you. Otherwise, you
could never take on the character of Christ.
How, then, can
we understand this phrase “save yourself” in a way that is consistent with the
New Testament’s teaching on salvation?
We are
justified, we are declared righteous, we are forgiven immediately upon
our first act of genuine faith. But genuine, saving faith is a faith that
endures. The person who is truly saved will face trials, persecutions,
struggles, and difficulties. But that person will struggle and overcome; that
person, by the power of God, will take on the character of Christ.
So “save
yourself” in 1 Timothy 4:16 means the same thing as “work out your salvation”
in Philippians 2:12. But if this is the case, surely the primary meaning of
“save your hearers” in 1 Timothy is the same: that is, helping the saints to
endure to the end, helping them work out their salvation. Thus the primary
sense of this promise is not that Timothy will bring his hearers to a saving
knowledge of the Lord Jesus (though that surely will occur also), but that by
fulfilling Paul’s commands he will enable the saints to endure.
This is a vital
thought, with profound implications for ministry. God gives us the grace to
endure – THROUGH the ministries of others. This makes the fulfillment of our ministries
extremely important. As John Piper says
Here is
a key to great earnestness in preaching. If you really believe that “those who
endure the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13), and that not only the first act of
faith but all subsequent acts of persevering faith are sustained by the Spirit
through the Word of God, then virtually every sermon is a “salvation sermon”
and the souls of the saints are being saved every Sunday. There is not an
earnest sermon for evangelism when the souls of the lost are at stake, and then
a less serious and less critical message for the saints to simply add a few
stars in their crown. Rather every sermon is crucial and critical in sustaining
the faith of the saints and so bringing them safely to glory.
In addition to
what Piper says, not only preaching but EVERY aspect of ministry is part of the
saving process. God uses every ministry to protect, preserve, and perfect His
people.
Saving yourself
and others is thus extremely important. How do we accomplish that? Our text
tells us.
In these five
brief verses, Paul gives seven commands to Timothy and one command to his
people. But these two commands contain basically two ideas. The first is found
in 12b:
Set an example
to the believers in speech, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity.
The word
translated “set” in the NIV is the normal word for “become.” And since it is in
the present tense, we could render this phrase more literally, “become and
continue to be an example to the believers.” Becoming an example is thus an
important aspect of saving yourself and others.
An example of
what? Paul lists five areas that, in effect, refer to all aspects of our life.
And like the Philippians text we considered, Paul here is telling Timothy to become
Christlike.
Let’s look at
each of the five areas briefly:
Christlike
Speech: This refers to
our speech in private as well as in public, our tone of voice as well as the
words we say, our speech with Christians as well as with non-Christians, our
speech within our families as well as with those outside the family.
Christlike
Manner of Life: This
refers to our conduct, our behavior, our bearing. In particular, being we are
to be gentle and godly (as Paul tells Timothy in verse 11 of the next chapter).
Our Christlike manner of life extends to how we treat others, how we use our
time, how we react when wronged, how we interact with authority.
Christlike Love: What are the two greatest commandments,
according to Jesus? To love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength,
and to love others as we love ourselves. Thus, Paul tells Timothy to be an
example both in the way he loves God, and in the way he loves others. As Peter
says, “love one another deeply, from the heart.” (1 Pet 1:22)
Faith: Believing God completely, trusting Him completely, even when
circumstances seem to suggest that God is not in control.
Purity: Purity of heart, purity of desires. The
Greek word refers particularly to purity with regard to sexual desires, so
that, if we are married, our sexual desires focus only on our spouse. Married
or not, we do not allow impure thoughts to invade our minds.
So Paul tells
Timothy to become an example of Christlikeness in these five ways. Briefly, let
us note the relation of the second to the first part of the verse. In the NIV,
the verse begins, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young.” In
English, this sounds as if Timothy should go around saying, “Don’t you look
down on me! Hey, you, appointed deacon – stop looking down on me!”
That is not the
meaning at all. Indeed, in Greek it is clear that this command is given not to
Timothy, but to those who are under his ministry, the same one who are called
his hearers in verse 16. Perhaps a better English rendering of the phrase would
be, “No one must look down on your youth.”
What is the
relationship between that phrase and the second half of the verse? Timothy ensures
that they do not look down on him by becoming an example of Christlikeness. He
doesn’t tell them not to look down on him; rather, by becoming
Christlike himself, no one is even tempted to look down on him.
So we have
examined one way to save yourself and others: Become an example of
Christlikeness.
In verses 13,
14a, and 15a Paul gives Timothy commands in the second area:
13 Devote
yourself to the public reading of the Scripture, to preaching, and to teaching.
14 Do not neglect your spiritual gift
This is the SAME
command, restated in two ways. Why do I say that? For two reasons:
First, preaching
and teaching clearly are spiritual gifts (Romans 12:6-8). Since none of the New
Testament lists of spiritual gifts is exhaustive, and since the public reading
of the Scripture Is listed with two obvious spiritual gifts, that too is likely
a spiritual gift.
Second, verse 15
begins, “be diligent in these matters.” The Greek verb “be diligent” is the
flip side of the Greek verb used in verse14, translated “neglect”; we could
translate these commands “have a care for the public reading . . .” and “do not
fail to have a care for your spiritual gifts.”
Yet Paul does not say “be diligent in this” but “be diligent in these
matters”. The verb makes clear that he refers to Timothy’s spiritual gift,
but why then does he use a plural form, “these matters”? He does so because
Timothy’s spiritual gift is plural: reading, preaching, and teaching.
So what is this
second command? Paul tells Timothy, “Devote yourself to the use of your
spiritual gifts. In this way you will save yourself and your hearers.” In other
words: Using your spiritual gifts is absolutely vital to having an effective
ministry.
If you are to do
this, you must first KNOW your spiritual gifts. Do you know them? Assessment
tools can be helpful here, such as the one found in the Biblical Eldership
Workbook (among many others). Do not neglect the discovery of your
spiritual gifts! Pray about this matter, consider those areas of ministry that
are your passions, look at the areas where you have been most effective. If you
want to save yourself and others, you must learn how God has gifted you.
Second, once you
know your gifts, DO NOT NEGLECT THEM. Unfortunately, many in ministry neglect
their gifts. I am not talking about hypocrites, pastors who are living lives of
sin, but good men, men who may be good examples of Christlikeness in their
personal lives, but fail to devote themselves to the use of their gifts. This
happens when a minister:
Some
examples:
·
A
Pastor/teacher who focuses most of his energy on the church’s building program,
or its ministry to the poor, or its administrative needs.
Romans 12:6
says, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use
them.” (ESV). As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12, each of us has a vital role in
the body of Christ. And if you are a mouth, yet try to do the job of a foot,
the body of Christ will not be able to walk at all, and Christ will not be
glorified.
So if your
primary gift is as a church planter, and a church of 1000 members calls you and
offers you a big salary, what should you do?
If your primary
gift is as a preacher/teacher, and someone nominates you to be the next
Director of Evangelism and Missions, what should you do?
If your primary
gift is as a pastor/shepherd, and the General Secretary calls inviting you to
assume a prestigious administrative position in Bamenda, what should you do?
The answer to
each of those questions is not necessarily, “Say No”. Perhaps you have gifts of
which you are unaware, which the General Secretary or others have noticed.
Perhaps God is shifting your calling. If, after prayer and fasting, you are
convinced that God has gifted you in such a way that you can better serve Him
in this new position, then say “Yes.”
But if, after
you pray, you remain convinced that your spiritual gifts are best used
right where you are, then you should call the General Secretary and tell him,
“Sir, thank you so much for thinking of me. I am honored. But I believe with
all my heart that God has called me to serve Him right here, and to accept that
position would be to neglect my spiritual gift, in violation of 1 Timothy 4:14.
I am sorry, but I cannot accept that position.”
And how will the
General Secretary respond? He is here with us, so you can ask him. But his goal
is the same as yours: He wants each seminary graduate to work where God has
called him, where he is most gifted, so that the Cameroon Baptist Convention
might bring great glory to God. So while I do not know his exact words, he will
commend you for staying where God has called you.
You see, the
ministry is NOT a career. In the ministry, the goal is NOT to climb some
corporate ladder of prestige. The goal is to serve our Lord and Master where He
has called us, in the way He has gifted us. And by doing this, we save both
ourselves and those who hear us.
So we have seen
Paul’s two types of commands to Timothy: Become and example of Christlikeness,
and be diligent to use your spiritual gifts. Verses 15 and 16 then emphasize
the extreme importance of these two commands. In these verses Paul gives four
commands to Timothy, underlining these two commands again and again:
Be diligent in
these matters; give yourself wholly to them. . . . Watch your life and teaching
closely. Persevere in them
Verse 16a makes
crystal clear that the two commands we have highlighted are in view. Paul says
first, “Watch your life” – or, more literally, “pay attention to yourself.”
That is, “Set an example.” Then he says, “Watch your teaching.” (The NIV
translates this word “doctrine;” the
Greek word can have that meaning, but since the same word is used in verse 13
and is there used for the spiritual gift of teaching, it almost certainly means
the same here.) That is, “Put your spiritual gifts into practice.”
Verse 15b says
we should do this in such a way that our “progress is evident to all.” Clearly
we should be growing in these areas. Do you think now that you’re graduating,
now that you’re about to flip your tassel from the right to the left, you’ve
learned all you need to know? Can you now stop reading? Can you stop studying?
Can you stop working hard?
My friends,
there is no standing still. If you are not diligent to progress, through your
lack of diligence you will regress. And you should be diligent to such an
extent that everyone notices that progress.
But note: The
other commands indicate this is not easy. Paul says, “Be diligent! Give
yourself wholly to these matters! Persevere!”
Sometimes we
hear people say that the key to living the Christian life is to “let go and let
God”. These verses and many others show that Paul would never have used those
words. Again and again he tells us: “Work! Strive! Persevere! Endure! Suffer
hardship! But do all this not by your power, but by the power of the
indwelling Spirit.”
And all this
hard work is for a purpose: the promise of 16b:
“By doing this,
you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”
So where are
you? How are you doing in obeying these commands?
Graduates, and
indeed everyone here: This is God’s Word to you today: Pay close attention to
yourself and to your spiritual gifts, for by doing this, you will save both
yourself and others.
Preached
at First Baptist Church, Ndu, Cameroon, on the occasion of the graduation of
the Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary, June 7, 2002. The John Piper quote
is from "Thoughts on Earnestness in Preaching," unpublished teaching
notes dated 3/15/99.
Copyright © 2002, Thomas C. Pinckney. You may
copy this text for distribution to others, but only in its entirety for
circulation freely without charge. All such copies of this text must contain
this copyright notice. You may also use brief excerpts in sermons, reviews, or
articles. Other than these exceptions, this text may not be copied in part,
edited, revised, copied for resale or incorporated in any products offered for
sale, without the written permission of Thomas C. Pinckney, email, c/o Desiring God Community Church, Box 620099, Charlotte NC 28262.
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