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Introduction
The attribute of resilience is a must for any chaplain who will be in a leadership position.
A great definition for resilience is given by the Civil Air Patrol Chaplain Core. They write,
“Resilience is the strength we have to face and work through stresses, changes and adversity in
our life. It is the ‘toolbox’ of coping mechanisms that we learn and use when we aren't ‘in
control’ of a situation that brings us suffering, pain (emotional or physical), loss and emotional
grief.”1 Understanding this definition one can see why the attribute of resilience is so important
in the life of a chaplain or leader. When a person faces a difficult situation beyond normal
stresses in day to day life, they will need to be resilient to overcome the obstacle. A resilient
person will reach into the “toolbox” and learn to cope with whatever challenge lay in front of
them. Ultimately, a resilient attitude will help one to bounce back from any challenging situation.
This is especially true when speaking of spiritual resilience in the life of a chaplain. The Bible
teaches on the subject of resiliency. In Paul’s First Letter to Timothy he explains how a leader
should be resilient spiritually and physically. This paper will explain the passage found in First
Timothy 4:6-11 which deals with resiliency and offer applications of the passage to one’s life.
Description
Paul offers his advice to Timothy on the importance of being resilient. He is especially
focused on the spiritual resilience of Timothy. Spiritual resilience is having four main pillars of
strength within yourself according to the Civil Air Patrol Chaplain Core. These four pillars
correlate with the passage Paul wrote to Timothy. The pillars are: (1) values - what code or
ethical principles guide us through life, define who we are and remind us of our importance. (2)
Having perseverance - the ability to keep going when things look bad or difficult. (3) Having
1 Civil Air Patrol, “Cap Chaplain Corps: a Resource for Resiliency, Spiritual Resiliency and Suicide
Prevention,” capchaplain.com, 2018, https://capchaplain.com/resiliency.
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perspective - the ability to see things happening in a ‘bigger picture’ so that it becomes a small
part of a larger whole to your life. (4) Having purpose - the ability to remember what your goals
are and to see that your life is connected to others and to events that make you uniquely
important in the world at this particular time.”2
Resiliency begins with core values of an individual. In 1 Timothy 4:6 Paul writes, “If you
put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in
the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed” (1 Tim. 4:6, ESV). Paul
here is expressing the need for strong Christian values. These values can be found in “the words
of faith and of the good doctrine.” Paul is stressing the fact that Timothy must be consistently
training himself which in turn will build his core values. Aída Besançon Spencer comments on
this writing, “Timothy needs to make sure he himself is nourished or trained and educated. He
should regularly “feed” himself by two means: the words of faith and the good doctrine which he
followed (4:6). These two phrases appear to be synonymous. Possibly, words of faith refer
specifically to summary creeds, and the good doctrine is a broader term which includes all
Timothy has taught and done.”3 Spencer is stressing importance for a leader to be trained and
educated in their core beliefs and values which will build resilience.
Paul goes on to encourage Timothy to persevere in any circumstance. This is the second
pillar of spiritual resilience. Paul writes, “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths.
Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of
value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Tim.
4:7-8). Paul understood that Timothy faced many difficulties in his ministry. He does not want
Timothy to give in to the ideas from false teachers, rather he wants him to stay on the course of
2 Civil Air Patrol., 1.
3
Aída Besançon Spencer, 1 Timothy: A New Covenant Commentary. (Cambridge: The Lutterworth Press,
2011. Accessed March 18, 2019. ProQuest Ebook Central), 108.
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godliness. Paul wanted Timothy to be persistent in his training in godliness so he could overcome
the difficulties he faced. According to Albert Barnes Paul wrote this to Timothy so he would not
occupy all of his time and attention to false teaching, but rather cultivate piety, and seek to
become more holy.4
The third pillar of spiritual resilience is the ability to have perspective. Paul writes to
Timothy, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and
strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people,
especially of those who believe” (1 Tim. 4:9-10). Paul is encouraging Timothy to look at the
bigger picture as it pertains to Jesus Christ. Timothy can be one hundred percent sure of God’s
promises because of the work that Christ had done. Having this perspective on life will allow
Timothy to persevere and ultimately build his resiliency. In verse 4:10 Paul highlights for
Timothy the bigger picture that God is judge of all. He is encouraging Timothy to realize this so
he will persevere in his desire to please God in his words and actions because Timothy’s ultimate
judge is God, who is living and a savior.5
Furthermore, the word Paul chose to use for strive in verse ten is Agonizomai. This was a
word used when talking about athletics. It means, “contend for a prize, especially in the public
games, or fight.”6 The Greeks and Romans would do everything they could while training to give
them an upper hand to contend and win a prize. However, Timothy needed to realize that his
prize was not dependent on a severe mortal judge, but on the merciful living Savior, who favored
his own people.7
4 Albert Barnes. 1 Timothy: Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament. (Database WORDsearch Corp., 1969.
Retrieved from https://app.wordsearchbible.com.).
5
Aída Besançon Spencer., 111.
6
Ibid.
7 Aída Besançon Spencer., 111.
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The final pillar of spiritual resiliency is having purpose. This is the ability to remember
what your goals are and the importance of them. Paul speaks of this purpose concisely. He
writes, “Command and teach these things” (1 Tim. 4:11). Timothy’s purpose in life is to pass
along the message of Christ and the core doctrines of the Church. Paul made it clear that
Timothy’s goal is to instruct the church and explain all of the knowledge bestowed upon him.
Paul uses the word didasko which has a causative sense, to cause to learn.8 Spencer goes on to
note, “it implies not only explanation but repetition because the ancients, including the Jews,
taught mainly by repetition.”9 Barnes sums up the idea of having purpose well writing, “A
minister of the gospel is solemnly bound to teach that there is a sense in which God is the Savior
of all men. He is just as much bound to teach this, as he is that only those will be saved who
believe. It is a glorious truth-and it is a thing for which a man should unceasingly give thanks to
God that he may go and proclaim that he has provided salvation for all and is willing that all
should come and live.”10
Prescription
It is important to apply the pillars of resiliency, as they correlate to Paul’s letter to
Timothy, to one’s life. For one to apply the pillars of resilience to their life they must first define
their core values and ask themselves where these values come from. Paul explains this to
Timothy. It is important to get core values from the Scriptures. These values come through
training oneself in the Words of faith and the good doctrine (1 Tim. 4:6). Paul is saying Bible
study needs to be a part of the every day life. The more one trains themselves in His Word the
8
Ibid., 112.
9
Ibid.
10
Albert Barnes.
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more resilient they will become. This is because they can always keep to the core values they
have developed through the Word and the doctrines.
Furthermore, for one to become more resilient they must focus on persevering in any
situation. Paul stressed this to Timothy. He knew there would be a constant battle in his life, and
he needed to overcome these challenges. Timothy had to focus on training himself for godliness.
This training in godliness helped him to be a resilient leader. The world today is full of false
teachings and challenges just as Timothy had faced in his time. One must focus on training
themselves to overcome the challenges they face. Physical training is important, but Paul is
stressing the importance of training in godliness. He says training of godliness is of value in
every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come (1 Tim. 4:8). This
training will help one to persevere in all situations and help to make one more resilient in their
duties.
Moreover, one must work on their perspective if they are going to be a resilient leader.
This perspective must come from what Jesus Christ has done for the individual and all of
mankind. It is important to shape one’s perspective from a biblical standpoint if they want to
truly become a resilient leader. When it is understood that God is over all things and His love is
immeasurable it truly changes the perspective on life. When a problem arises, and one keeps
their eyes on Christ it is easier to withstand and recover from the challenge.
Lastly, one must realize their purpose in life as a leader if they are to be resilient. Having
a purpose allows one to stay focused on the tasks ahead of them even when challenges come
their way. Paul simply tells Timothy to command and teach these things (1 Tim. 4:11). That was
the purpose for Timothy’s life and if this remained his focus, he would have no choice but to be
resilient through the difficult time. This is true for any believer. Jesus gave the purpose for the
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life of a believer and it aligns with what Paul encourages Timothy to do. Jesus says, “All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of
the age” (Matt. 28:18-20). Therefore, one must remain focused on this purpose for their life and
resiliency will come naturally.
Conclusion
There is no doubt resiliency in the life of a leader, or any believer for that matter, is
important. One must have the ability to bounce back and keep moving forward from a challenge
in order to further the Kingdom of God. Understanding the four pillars of resilience given by the
Chaplain Corps helps one to better understand what resiliency is. It helps one to see what
resiliency entails which is their values, perseverance, perspective, and purpose in life. This ties in
well to the passage Paul wrote to Timothy on perseverance. Ultimately, if one focuses on the
pillars, and more importantly what Paul says about the subject of resilience, it will help to
overcome any challenge faced.
Bibliography
Barnes, Albert. 1 Timothy: Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament. Database WORDsearch Corp.,
1969. Retrieved from https://app.wordsearchbible.com
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Civil Air Patrol. “Cap Chaplain Corps: a Resource for Resiliency, Spiritual Resiliency and
Suicide Prevention.” capchaplain.com, 2018. https://capchaplain.com/resiliency.
Spencer, Aída Besançon. 1 Timothy: A New Covenant Commentary. Cambridge: The
Lutterworth Press, 2011. Accessed March 18, 2019. ProQuest Ebook Central.
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