Pastor Jim Howard
First Baptist Church
233 S. Main, Cedar Springs
“What is a real man? By the standards of today, a real man is someone who doesn’t exist except in the imaginations of those in Hollywood and the marketing industry. Today, we deal with Becoming Men of God (1 Timothy 4:6-8; 2 Peter 1:5-7). You will discover that by embracing this final step, the first two will follow.
Paul’s words to Timothy are very appropriate for what we need in our lives today. The first thing to note is that we should be men who are given to a life of instruction. “In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following” (1 Tim. 4:6, NAS). Paul says we ought to teach (“pointing out”) the Word, be “nourished” by the Word and be obedient (“follow”) to the Word. Teaching a subject demands that one know the subject. Try teaching a subject, you will find yourself studying to stay ahead of the students. The word “nourished” would be better translated “trained” which requires little explanation.
Becoming men of God also means that we should be given to a life of exercise. “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 Timothy 4:7-8, ESV). First Paul tells us where NOT to spend our time. There is much in this world on which we waste time. Not the least of which are the fanciful tales that some people spin! I stand in absolute amazement at what people will believe today without checking the facts. We are being programmed to accept at face value what we are told. Never mind that it’s not true. There is one thing about the Word of God that you can hang your hat on, it can stand the test of scrutiny. Truth will be truth no matter what the circumstances. Truth doesn’t change!
Finally, men of God are given to a life of Godliness! “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (2 Peter 1:5-7, NKJV). This is an interesting verb here in that it reflects a command with the idea that we are to aggressively, passionately pursue the virtues listed.
Becoming a real man essentially boils down to three things: having a clean heart (a relationship with Jesus Christ); having clean hands (keeping short accounts with God); and having a clean mind (aggressively pursuing a passion for godliness). Remember Paul’s words to Timothy, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine (that which is right), for reproof (that which isn’t right), for correction (how to get right), for instruction in righteousness (how to stay right), that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NKJV).
