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Contents
Introduction-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1
Description of Resilience ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------1
Prescription of Resilience---------------------------------------------------------------------------------5
Conclusion--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5
Bibliography-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to examine the apostle Paul’s exhortation to his son in the
faith Timothy on the importance and centrality of resilience in ministry. In 1 Timothy 4:7-10,
Paul makes the case for resiliency in ministry. The apostle Paul desires to reignite the faulting
faith and resiliency in Timothy through a series of exhortations. One of Paul’s exhortations to
young Timothy is the importance of training in “godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7) for the purpose of
holiness. The goal of every Chrisitan should be to train daily for the purpose of living a
Christlike life. To fully understand resiliency in ministry it requires a biblical understanding of
Paul’s description and prescription found in 1 Timothy 4:7-10.
Description
In chapter 4 of 1 Timothy, Paul addresses two realities that impact the servant and the
church. The first is the influence of the demonic within the church and the second the need to be
a faithful pastor in times of testing. The faithful servant must be alert to the demonic influence
that Satan can have on the congregation and how that can manifest itself within the church. Paul
describes a faithful steward as one who “nourishes” the congregation through the word of God.
A faithful steward requires two basic realities. The first is the faithful steward must give careful
attention to the word of God and then must teach and apply the scriptures to his people. The
practice of an inward work of Christ in the heart and life of the shepherd and then an outward
work of The Holy Spirit as he leads his congregation. Verse 6 sets in motion the understanding
of verse 7 and following, “If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a
good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of the faith and the good teaching that you
have followed.” The past tense of the word “nourished” in verse 6 implies that the servant has
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already been feeding off the blessings of holy scripture. However, verse 7 makes a transition to
the focus of the servant and his godliness, McDonald makes the point, “Paul is thinking of
Christian service as a form of athletic contest. In verse 6, he spoke of the suitable diet for one
who is serving Christ-he should be nourished int eh words of the faith and of the good doctrine.
In verse 7, he speaks of exercise that has godliness as its aim.”1 Therefore, a resilient servant is
one that is faithful in the study of the scripture for the purpose of godliness.2 To the apostle Paul,
the chief aim of the servant and the follower of Christ must be the pursuit of the nourishment that
comes from the study of the word of God.
Considering the transition made in verse 7, Paul warns Timothy to stay away from
“pointless and silly myths” but to train for the purpose of godliness. Paul uses the metaphor of an
athlete to make the point that godliness is not something that just happens. It is the tendency of
followers of Christ to drift away from the faith not towards a deeper walk with Christ. The
deeper walk with Jesus must be sought after, worked for, and pursued as an athlete would
prepare for an event. Paul concedes that physical exercise does have benefit but only in the
temporal sense. However, spiritual exercise has both temporal and eternal benefit for the
believer. Paul desires Timothy to work and be resilient in the ministry through the study and
delivery of the Holy Scriptures. Paul employs words such as “labor” to imply that ministry is
hard work. The faithful servant must know that the study of God’s word and the pursuit of
godliness is not easy but laborious (kopia) and even requires energy.3 In other words a resilient
leader of the gospel must labor in the word as a faithful minister for Christ.
1 McDonald, William. Believers Bible Commentary. Nashville, TN. Nelson Publishers, 1995. 2093.
2 Towner, Philip H. The Letters to Timothy and Titus. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 2006.304.
3 Lea, Thomas, and Griffin, Hayne P.. 1, 2 Timothy, Titus : An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of
Holy Scripture. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 1992. 134
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Prescription
The advice that the Apostle Paul gives to Timothy is straightforward and worthy to
remember. For the third time in the” book, Paul emphasis the truthfulness and need of attention
to his words in the phrases in verse 9 “This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance,”
Paul wants Timothy and ultimately the Christian church to pay close attention to the pursuit of
godliness through the hard work of the study of God’s word. Paul in his metaphor of an athlete
also makes the case for the diet of a believer. The successful athlete is nourished though the
intake of a healthy diet. The same way for the faithful minister and follower of Jesus Christ we
must have a steady diet of scripture to be a healthy, vibrant and strong Christian. The teaching
and application of the passage for a resilient follower of Jesus is that it takes more than an
occupant in the pew on Sunday to be spiritually in shape.
The words of the passage invoke the principle that what you put into your body
has everything to do with the health of the physical body. Conversely, the follower of Christ
must have the daily intake of prayer, scripture study and labor to be spiritually fit for the work of
Christ. Paul reminds us that if we place ourselves in the pursuit of godliness through scriptural
intake that we will experience current benefit and eternal. The work of the gospel is truly a win
win for the Christian.
Conclusion
The letter to Timothy by the Apostle Paul makes the point clear that life is more than just
living. For the Christian, life is a commitment to be resilient in our pursuit of holiness that leads
to godliness. The labor of a Christian may appear at times to be ineffective but the eternal
rewards for faithful service are abounding. The message of Paul to everyone is to remain
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Bibliography
Charles Spurgeon Study Bible (ESV)
Lea, Thomas, and Griffin, Hayne P. 1, 2 Timothy, Titus : An Exegetical and Theological
Exposition of Holy Scripture. Nashville: B&H Pulbishing Group, 1992.
McDonald, William. Believers Bible Commentary, Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 1995.
Towner, Philip H.. The Letters to Timothy and Titus. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 2006.
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