God’s Word for You
1 Corinthians 4:2 Faithful
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Thursday, December 8, 2022
2 Now it is required that those who have been entrusted must prove faithful.
The faithfulness of God is eternal (Psalm 117:2). The faithfulness of fallen man is fallible and flawed. The whole head of man is injured, the whole heart of man is afflicted (Isaiah 1:5). But the Lord still chooses to use flawed men to carry his message to the world. His called pastors and prophets will sometimes make poor choices, like the prophet who let himself be deceived by the advice of another prophet who lied to him, and he was killed by a lion as he returned home (1 Kings 13:21-24). Others will be sinners of every stripe, because all sin and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23).
The faithfulness of this verse is aimed at two targets at the same time. First, every Christian who reads this verse can take it to heart, for we have all been given the very special trust of the gospel and the forgiveness of our sins. We share this privately with our friends and family, and most especially with our children. For we teach those little ones their Jesus stories so that they will know their Savior. We show them the manger scene and the cross and bring home a palm branch to talk about what we heard in church. Moms and dads are truly bishops in their own homes, responsible as overseers for the souls of their children.
Second, ministers in a much more particular way must prove faithful with the trust they have been given. Our Master wants to discover that we have made the five talents he gave us produce five more (Matthew 25:20), or that the two talents he gave to us have produced two more (Matthew 25:22). But it is the message that is preached that Paul is especially concerned with. Luther says:
“Why should I trust the pope and his preachers? I must say: ‘Boast all you will, but I will test your sermon and decide whether it agrees with the Word of God—for instance, with the Ten Commandments, the articles of the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the doctrine of the Gospel. If it does, I shall be glad to listen to you, whether you are Peter or Judas, whether you are firmly rooted in the faith or have fallen from the faith. But if it does not, I will not listen to you, even if you were St. Peter three times over.’ It does not depend on the person, which one may have reason to detest; but one must ask whether the person is faithful. Thus St. Paul says (1 Corinthians 4:2): ‘It is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy’ in their doctrine.”
Of course it should go without saying that Luther’s words do not give the minister a license to sin; no Christian has such a license. His words were spoken from the pew about the message, but the messenger is still the one who must prove faithful. What terrible damage can be done to the poor people in the pews when ministers do not guard their lives. Paul did not only say to Timothy, “Watch your doctrine closely,” but he said, “Watch your life and your doctrine closely” (1 Timothy 4:16). The trustworthiness God requires of his called servants is necessary because the Lord relies on his ministers to care for his flock in this lifetime. This trustworthiness, faithfulness, is judged by God alone. Men (especially a particular minister’s colleagues and congregation) will have their judgment of him, but their judgment may be clouded by personal preference. “I like my pastor because he tells good stories” is not God’s judgment, and neither is: “I don’t like my pastor because he tells boring stories” or “because he talks about football too much.” God tests our words the way one tests gold or silver, by refining. Whatever burns away is useless. Whatever does not burn away is useful.
When a preacher proclaims the Word of God as it appears in Scripture, then he is above suspicion. It doesn’t matter who he is, angel or scoundrel, as far as the message goes. We would think that the church would not long put up with a scoundrel, but the history of the church, especially in the Middle Ages, teaches otherwise. In fact, the church will listen to a scoundrel longer than the world will put up with an angel. But whichever he is, even an angel from heaven, if he “should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:8). A minister is not required to be happy, or folksy, or friendly, or funny, but faithful in his doctrine. Pray for your pastor. He is praying for you.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.