Conley Sbts - PDP 0207A 10434

Copyright © 2019 Stephen Mark Conley
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IMITATION AS A MEANS FOR STRENGTHENING
PASTORAL PERSEVERANCE
__________________
A Thesis
Presented to
the Faculty of
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
__________________
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Ministry
__________________
by
Stephen Mark Conley
May 2019
APPROVAL SHEET

Stephen Mark Conley
Read and Approved by:
__________________________________________
Dr. William F. Cook III (Faculty Supervisor)
__________________________________________
Dr. Terry J. Betts
Date______________________________
To my wife and love of my life, Shannon.
Your love and support are precious treasures from the Lord that
point me to take heart in the character of Christ.
To our children, Esther, Jonas, and Isaac.

It is a joy to be your earthly father.
May you persevere with the eternal weight of glory in view to the end of your days with
your Heavenly Father!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Chapter
1. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Familiarity with the Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Void in the Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Thesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Outline of Chapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2. BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR PASTORAL PERSEVERANCE . . . . . . 11
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Perseverance of the Saints Undergirds Pastoral Perseverance . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Perseverance Displayed in All Circumstances of Life and Ministry
(2 Cor 4:1-18) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Perseverance Displayed in Faith and Practice (1 Tim 1:18-20) . . . . . . . . . . 23

Perseverance Displayed through Faithful Preaching (2 Tim 4:1-4) . . . . . . . 27
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
3. PASTORAL PERSEVERANCE IMITATED IN
JONATHAN EDWARDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Perseverance Displayed in Life and Ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Learning from the Weaknesses of Edwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Ministry Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
iv
Chapter Page
4. PASTORAL PERSEVERANCE IMITATED IN
CHARLES SPURGEON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Perseverance Displayed through Manifold Sorrow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Persevered Displayed in Gospel-Centered Preaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Perseverance Displayed in Fighting for Denominational Purity . . . . . . . . . 59
Learning from Spurgeon’s Weaknesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Ministry Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
5. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE BROADER CHURCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
The Biblical Call to Imitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Imitation Accomplished within the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Imitation Applied through the Life of Jonathan Edwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Imitation Applied through the Life of Charles Spurgeon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Imitation Applied to the Contemporary Pastor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

The Biblical Model to Suffer with Joy in Ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
The Biblical Mandate to Keep a Close Watch Over One’s

Life and Doctrine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
v
PREFACE
The opportunity to study at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary would

not have been possible without several key individuals in my life. I want to personally
thank the pastoral staff of Timberlake Baptist Church for supporting me through your
prayers, encouragement, and for providing me the necessary time to finish this project.
Spending the past twelve years serving alongside you and the wonderful people of our
church has been a privilege. Your impact on my life and ministry has marked me
profoundly.
To my college cross-country coach, Jack Noonan, I thank you for regularly
pointing out how running with perseverance is parallel to the Christian life and our
strength to persevere comes from God who enables us to endure to the finish.
To my good friend and fellow running partner, Glen Thomas, I thank you for
your kind generosity, which has enabled me to embark on this degree. Thank you for
providing me a place to write and urging me to press on to the finish, whether it be a
thesis or the Virginia Ten-Miler. Your friendship has been a source of encouragement for
my soul and my family.
To my faculty advisor, Dr. Bill Cook, I cannot thank you enough for your kind
patience and timely wisdom, and for investing in seminary students and in the flock of
God as both pastor and professor. In addition, I am truly indebted to all of the professors
that I had the privilege to learn under, including Dr. Michael Pohlman, Dr. Terry Betts,
Dr. Brian Payne, Dr. Joe Harrod, Ryan Fullerton, and Dr. David Prince. Your lectures
have helped shape my view of expository preaching and given me a Christ-centered
outlook on ministry.
I am profoundly grateful for my parents, siblings, and extended family for their
vi
prayers and support. I also want to thank my father-in-law, Doug Chaney, for his words
of support along the way and for his faithful service to Christ as a pastor. You are a living
example of pastoral perseverance in ministry for me.

I am indebted to the apostle Paul, Jonathan Edwards, and Charles Spurgeon. I
have found great comfort in studying these men and seeing how they walked through
fiery trials of disappointment, depression, loss, and personal attacks.
I want to express my deepest gratitude to my wife, Shannon, and to our
children, Esther, Jonas, and Isaac, for taking this journey with me. Throughout my
sixteen-year marriage to Shannon, eight of those years have been spent in school.
Shannon has been by my side to urge me not to lose heart and to persevere each step of
the way, pointing me to Christ. This thesis would not be possible without you. I
still wonder at the grace of our Savior in giving me such a wonderful wife and children.
Above all, I am supremely grateful to the Lord for his sustaining grace and for continuing
to complete the good work of the gospel in his saints until the day of Jesus Christ. Soli
Deo Gloria.
Stephen Conley
Forest, Virginia
May 2019
vii
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
For every pastor in service to the Lord, there are pressures that overwhelm and
temptations to despair. One pastor gave this description of a day in his ministry life:
“That was really hard. It almost killed me. And I have to do it again tomorrow.” 1 This 0F
issue is not new, but one that has confronted the office of a pastor throughout history.
While the recent statistics prove a trend that pastors are staying longer in their pastorates,
they are not staying the course with joy. 2 Clearly, there is a perceptible problem and the
1F
situation is unhealthy among pastors.

84 percent say they’re on call 24 hours a day.
80 percent expect conflict in their church.
54 percent find the role of pastor frequently overwhelming.
53 percent are often concerned about their family’s financial security.
48 percent often feel the demands of ministry are more than they can handle.
21 percent say their church has unrealistic expectations of them. 3 2F
Like the pastors who came before them, they face daunting challenges. As
Thom Rainer points out, many contemporary pastors seem to resemble the walking dead
that are awaiting their burial due to the pressures of ministry and temptations to burnout. 4 3F
1
Elliot Grudem, “Pour It Out: God Doesn’t Intend Pastors to Burn Out; There’s a Better
Way,” Leadership Journal 37, no. 1 (2016): 35.
2
Lisa C. Green, “Despite Stresses, Few Pastors Give Up on Ministry,” accessed January 11,
2017, http://lifewayresearch.com/2015/09/01/despite-stresses-few-pastors-give-up-on-ministry/.
3
Green, “Despite Stresses.”
4
Thom Rainer, “Autopsy of a Deceased Pastor,” accessed January 11, 2017,
http://thomrainer.com/2016/10/autopsy-deceased-pastor/.
1
Each one of these indicators show the symptoms of the problem, but do not get at the root
of the issue. Donald Whitney challenges those who aspire to pastor by saying, “No one
goes into the ministry to be a casualty, the ruin of almost every minister, it seems, is
inevitable. . . . Sometimes it appears that of those who do stay in the ministry, many of
them have been ruined in other ways.” 5 4F
The problem is not that pastors are quitting, but that they are not persevering
with joy to the end. The pastor’s perseverance must be rooted in the Scriptures as well as
in looking to historical examples of those who have persevered well.
Paul informs this struggle in 2 Corinthians 4, describing his own reality of
weariness, affliction, confusion, and persecution. Despite the weighty burdens of ministry,
Paul kept his focus on the “eternal weight of glory” that was incomparable to his
sufferings. Paul exhorts Timothy in 1 Timothy 1 to fight well and finish well in the battle
of the inner man. He exhorts pastors to persevere in ministry, while trusting in God and
drawing upon God’s resources. Paul charges Timothy in 2 Timothy 4 with faithfully
proclaiming the Word and pressing on to the end regardless of the culture or the
circumstances.
The historical examples of Jonathan Edwards and Charles Spurgeon serve as
two exemplary patterns of biblical pastoral perseverance in ministry. These men were no
strangers to suffering in ministry and were almost certainly tempted to despair. This
thesis will connect the biblical call to persevering in ministry to the historical examples of
men who answered that call through every season of ministry. To that end, each historical
figure went through deep struggles, but sought to finish their ministry course with God-
centered joy.
5
Richard Mayhue, “Editorial: The Almost Inevitable Ruin of Every Minister . . . and How to
Avoid It,” The Master’s Seminary Journal 16, no. 1 (2005): 1-5.
2
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was well acquainted with pastoral perseverance.
Edwards was a man God used to change the world. Christians still embrace much of what
he wrote today, for his writings reach across generations and are still fitting to be read.
Edwards became the pastor of one of the most prestigious pulpits in New England at
Northampton at the age of twenty-six, but he was voted out of this church after twenty-
two years of faithful ministry. Edwards later served as a missionary to Native Americans
for a time and he finished his life as president of the College of New Jersey. He dearly
loved the people at Northampton and sought to shepherd them faithfully. He committed
himself to proclaiming God’s Word as opposed to resigning himself to the church
political environment that sought to press him into its mold.
Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) was no stranger to perseverance when he served
as pastor to his congregation in England. He faced difficulties throughout his life, both
within his congregation and beyond. He fought valiantly for the truth within the Baptist
denomination and eventually saw his church leaders participate in his downfall. As
Spurgeon saw it, a subtle theological drift had to be confronted. He also dealt with deep
personal struggles ranging from bouts of depression and health issues that spanned to his
wife as well as to himself. Spurgeon left behind a legacy that will not allow itself to be
forgotten.
Familiarity with the Literature

This thesis will enter the conversation of pastoral perseverance through a range
of primary and secondary works. The current analysis of pastors failing to persevere
focuses on multiple factors: “conflict, family, burnout, moral lapse, and poor fit.” 6 Still,
5F
other sources would include discouragement, suffering, loneliness, and the cares of this
6
3
world to the list of causes. 7 However, a recent Lifeway Research Survey of 1,500
6F
evangelical pastors discovered that “an estimated 13 percent of senior pastors in 2005 had
left the pastorate ten years later for reasons other than death or retirement.” 8 This survey
7F
serves as a corrective to past surveys that claimed pastors were leaving in droves each
month.
Peter Scazzero, a longtime pastor and author, offers his solution to pastors who
fail to persevere in his work, The Emotionally Healthy Leader, contending that the
pastor’s inner life needs to be addressed before the outer life can be changed. 9 The 8F
emphasis of his argument is rooted in improving one’s emotional state of mind so that all
unhealthy ministry patterns are eradicated. This work is part of a larger corpus of his
Emotionally Healthy Spiritually series.
In Zeal without Burnout, Christopher Ash leads with his own testimony of
reaching the edge of pastoral attrition and explaining how the pastor can persevere
through those struggles. 10 He treats the problem not only with a look within, but also with
9F
a focus on resting in God’s sufficiency.

Paul Tripp contributes to the conversation in his work Dangerous Calling by
calling pastors to live humble, God-dependent lives that are introspective and genuine. 11 10F
7
Jason Helopoulos, “Why Pastors Quit,” accessed January 11, 2017,
https://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/kevindeyoung/2013/04/18/why-pastors-quit/.
8
9
Peter Scazzero, The Emotionally Healthy Leader: How Transforming Your Inner Life Will
Deeply Transform Your Church, Team, and the World (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015).
10
Christopher Ash, Zeal without Burnout: Seven Keys to Lifelong Ministry of Sustainable
Sacrifice (Surrey: England: Good Book, 2016).
11
Paul David Tripp, Dangerous Calling: Confronting the Unique Challenges of Pastoral
Ministry (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012).
4
He contends for the pastor to address his heart issues through self-examination and
reliance upon God’s sanctifying grace for the challenges of each season of ministry.
Several recent articles that lend their voice to this recurring problem can be
found in the Leadership Journal, which speaks to the value of establishing pastoral peer
11F
groups and focusing on self-care, family priorities, leadership structure, and spiritual
formation.12
Donald Whitney provides insight into this issue in sermonic fashion in The
Master’s Seminary Journal, uncovering the inescapability of pitfalls in pastoral ministry
and how to avoid becoming a casualty in the process. 13 Whitney focuses on identifying
13F
the warning signs of pastoral ruin and giving oneself to the principles laid out in 1
Timothy 4:15-16.
Several exegetical commentaries provide excellent insight into the biblical
foundations of perseverance throughout Paul’s letters, specifically in 2 Corinthians and
the Pastoral Epistles. One of the key resources for this thesis is George Guthrie’s
commentary on 2 Corinthians, which provides a comprehensive introduction of Paul as
well as highlights the issues within the Corinthian church that ought to be noted.14
Likewise, Paul Barnett’s commentary provides a detailed work on 2 Corinthians that
focuses on the theme of Paul’s strength being completed in weakness. 15 Murray Harris’s
15F
work on 2 Corinthians explores the text in a verse-by-verse structure to see theological
12
Heidi Hall, “Hard Job, High Calling: Reports of Clergy Attrition Are Often Exaggerated,
But Pastors Still Face Daunting Challenges,” Leadership Journal 37, no. 1 (2016): 44-48.
13
Mayhue, “Editorial: The Almost Inevitable Ruin of Every Minister,” 1-5.
14
George H. Guthrie, 2 Corinthians, Baker Exegetical Commentary of the New Testament
(Grand Rapids: Baker, 2015).
15
Paul Barnett, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, The New International Commentary on
the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997).
5
truths considering grammatical analysis. 16 Mark Seifrid’s commentary on 2 Corinthians
16F
presents Paul as both unimpressive but boasting in the power of Christ expressed through
his life. 17 In regard to the Pastoral Epistles of Paul, Robert Yarbrough’s commentary
17F
offers careful and thorough exegesis with comprehensive application.18 George Knight’s
commentary focuses directly on the Greek text and works through the major issues in
each letter. 19 William Mounce offers another scholarly work on the Pastoral Epistles and
18F
seeks to deal with the difficult passages and contends for Pauline authorship throughout. 20 19F
I. Howard Marshall and Philip Towner’s work on the Pastoral Epistles takes a thorough
approach that seeks to draw out the authorial intent of each passage while taking the
reader through technical data. 21 20F
Several biographical works will be considered in this thesis, including the

writings of Jonathan Edwards and Charles Spurgeon as well as scholarly treatments of
their lives. These biographical works will directly inform how they processed and applied
scriptural principles of pastoral perseverance. The main sources will also draw out how
these men preached the Word to their church and how they trained leaders in how to
persevere through suffering. Each of these sources will contribute differently and
16
Murray J. Harris, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, New International Greek Testament
Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005).
17
Mark A. Seifrid, 2 Corinthians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Downers Grove,
IL: Intervarsity, 2015).
18
Robert Yarbrough, The Letters to Timothy and Titus. Pillar New Testament Commentary
(Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2018).
19
George W. Knight, The Pastoral Epistles, New International Greek Testament Commentary
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992).
20
William Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 46 (Nashville:
T. Nelson, 2000).
21
I. Howard Marshall and Philip Towner, Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral
Epistles, International Critical Commentary (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1999).
6
proportionally to this study. The most significant resources for biographical material for
Edwards will be found in his own volumes of writing. 22 In addition, George Marsden
21F
provides a comprehensive and thoughtful work that speaks to Edwards’ personal life and
thought. 23 Patricia Tracy displays a fascinating look at the life of Jonathan Edwards.24
22F
Tracy enters the conversation by starting with his predecessor and father-in-law, Solomon
Stoddard and traces Edwards’ impact amid cultural change as well as showing the tender
and tense relationship that he possessed with the congregation of Northampton. Dane
Ortlund delivers a helpful resource on Edwards’ view on the Christian life.25 He also
gives an effective perspective on Edwards’ strengths and weakness. Resources for
Spurgeon’s biographical material come from his autobiography.26 Spurgeon’s sermons
from the New Park Street Pulpit are an excellent window into his early years as a
pastor.27 The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit provides voluminous material from the
majority of his preaching career.28 In addition, his recorded addresses to his pastoral
22
Jonathan Edwards, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, 26 vols. (New Haven, CT: Yale
University Press, 2000).
23
George M. Marsden, Jonathan Edwards: A Life (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press,
2003); Stephen Nichols, Jonathan Edwards: A Guide through His Life and Thought (Phillipsburg, NJ:
P & R, 2001).
24
Patricia J. Tracy, Jonathan Edwards, Pastor: Religion and Society in Eighteenth Century
Northampton (New York: Hill and Wang, 1980).
25
Dane Ortlund, Edwards on the Christian Life: Alive to the Beauty of God (Wheaton, IL:
Crossway, 2014).
26
Charles H. Spurgeon, C. H. Spurgeon’s Autobiography, Compiled from His Diary, Letters,
and Records, by His Wife and His Private Secretary, 1834–1892, 4 vols (Chicago: Curtis and Jennings,
1898-1900).
27
Charles H. Spurgeon, The New Park Street Pulpit Sermons. 6 vols (London: Passmore and
Alabaster, 1855-1860).
28
Charles H. Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons. 63 vols (London:
Passmore and Alabaster, 1855-1917).
7
ministry students provide insight into his perspective on ministry. 29 Along with these
3F
great works, Iain Murray’s work will also reveal the controversies that Spurgeon endured
as he fought the good fight of faith. 30 25F
Void in the Literature

The general consensus is that pastors are failing to persevere. Current works
seem to focus primarily on the symptoms and how one can address the heart issues that
lead to despair. While current works seek to address the problem of pastoral attrition with
a call to emotional wellness, a balanced Sabbath rhythm, and a proper understanding of
family and ministry priorities, they have overlooked the place of imitation in fostering
perseverance. While some solutions vary in their fidelity to Scripture, other approaches to
this problem may not necessarily be unbiblical. However, they have ignored the value of
imitation.
Thesis
The pastorate is frequently overwhelming and challenging. In this thesis, I will
argue that combining a biblical perspective on pastoral perseverance with the historical
examples of Jonathan Edwards and Charles Spurgeon will encourage pastors to persevere
in ministry. Therefore, this thesis will address the problem of pastors failing to persevere
by focusing on the value of imitation as a means for strengthening pastoral perseverance.
Outline of Chapters
The following chapters support this thesis and argue for the place of imitation
as a means for pastoral perseverance.
29
Charles H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students: A Selection from Addresses Delivered to the
Students of the Pastors’ College, Metropolitan Tabernacle, 2 vols (London: Passmore and Alabaster, 1875-
1889).
30
Iain Murray, The Forgotten Spurgeon (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1966).
8
Chapter 2: Biblical Foundations
of Pastoral Perseverance
Pastoral perseverance is addressed in several passages of Scripture but are
most clearly seen in the 1 Timothy 1 and 2 Timothy 4. Paul exhorts believers to press on
by fixing their hope fully on God’s grace as they shepherd the flock of God. Paul also
addresses temptations to despair in the 2 Corinthians 4, which can be applied to pastors.
The second chapter will argue for a theology of pastoral perseverance amid suffering
through these passages.
Chapter 3: Pastoral Perseverance

Imitated in Jonathan Edwards
Jonathan Edwards regularly experienced and endured the perils of pastoral
ministry during his lifetime. He maintained a God-centered focus throughout his
ministry, which provided the necessary anchor point during times of trial. The third
chapter will argue for Edwards’s unique contribution to pastoral perseverance and how
his motivation was sourced in his knowledge of God and bringing glory to His name.
Chapter 4: Pastoral Perseverance

Imitated in Charles Spurgeon
Charles Spurgeon was a pastor that consistently battled depression, sickness,
and denominational decline. Any one of these areas could provide a challenging
environment for the pastor, and yet Spurgeon persevered through them all. The fourth
chapter will argue for Spurgeon’s unique contribution to pastoral perseverance as he
pressed on in the power of the Spirit with a strong sense of vocational calling.
Chapter 5: Conclusion
This final chapter will summarize the arguments made in the thesis and focus
on the implications of imitation as a means for pastoral perseverance over the duration of
a lifetime of ministry to contemporary pastors and the broader church. This chapter will
also argue for the biblical call to imitation through five pertinent New Testament
9
passages that trace the theme of imitation.
10
CHAPTER 2
BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR
Introduction
The thesis of this chapter is to argue for a biblical foundation of pastoral
perseverance amid suffering. I will support this thesis through a close examination of
three Scripture passages found in 2 Corinthians 4, 1 Timothy 1, and 2 Timothy 4 as they
apply to pastoral perseverance from the apostle Paul’s perspective. Each passage will be
addressed in succession through the second Corinthian letter and in two of the Pastoral
Epistles. Paul exhorts believers to press on by fixing their hope fully on God’s grace as
they shepherd the flock of God.
Perseverance of the Saints Undergirds

Pastoral Perseverance
Perseverance in the Christian life and ministry would have no context if not for
the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. Grudem notes “The perseverance of the
saints means that all who are truly born again will be kept by God’s power and will
persevere as Christians until the end of their lives, and that only those who persevere until
the end have been truly born again.” 1 The doctrine of perseverance is the ground on
26F
which pastoral perseverance is built.
From God-Protected Preservation to

God-Enabled Perseverance
There is a bandwidth in Scripture for lapses in the believer’s spiritual walk, but
the direction is pointed toward faith in God and resisting sin. Bruce Demarest displays
1
Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 788.
11
how perseverance works out in the life of the Christian:
God’s eternal purpose to save (John 6:39-40), his perfections of grace, immutability,
power, and faithfulness (1 Pet 1:5; 2 Pet 1:3), his promises to keep his own people
secure to the end (John 6:37; 10:28-29; 1 Cor 1:8; Phil 1:6), and Christ’s prayers for
his own (John 17:9, 11, 15; Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25) guarantee true believers’
perseverance. The final outcome of the saints rests not on their own resources, but in
God himself. 2 27F
Perseverance is something in which every believer takes part, but it is a work
of God from start to finish. Salvation finds its beginning in God’s election of the saints in
eternity past. Frame asserts that God’s election “is an even more ultimate reason why we
will persevere. . . . Those who are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ
cannot fail to be glorified.” 3 A God-enabled perseverance drives the believer to persevere
28F
in faith as they draw from God’s boundless power. 4 29F
How then can a minister of Christ finish the race God has laid out for him? The
Bible clearly proclaims that persevering to the end does not rest solely on the believer.
Schreiner notes, “The writers of the New Testament teach us that everyone who believes
in Christ Jesus and perseveres in faithfulness to him does so by God’s grace alone. . . .
Salvation from election to glorification, is all grounded in and secured by God’s grace.” 5 30F
Christ Himself has secured the believer’s salvation by His own blood and no one is capable
of taking the believer out of God’s grasp (John 10:27-29). Grudem further declares “God
keeps those who are born again safe for eternity in the ‘seal’ that God places upon us.
2
Bruce Demarest, The Cross and Salvation (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1997), 439.
3
John Frame, Systematic Theology (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2013), 1000.
4
Demarest further develops his connection between preservation and perseverance in stating,
“God’s preservation and the believer’s perseverance represent two sides of the same coin. For the purpose
of analysis, they may be considered separately, but in truth and in life they are one. God faithfully and
powerfully preserves genuine believers; but the latter must persevere with the strength that God provides.”
Demarest, The Cross and Salvation, 450.
5
Thomas Schreiner and Ardel Caneday, The Race Set Before Us (Downers Grove IL:
Intervarsity, 2001), 13.
12
This ‘seal’ is the Holy Spirit within us, who also acts as God’s ‘guarantee’ that we will
receive the inheritance promised to us.” 6 31F
The powerful presence of the Holy Spirit resides within the believer. Thus, the
pastor who is weighed down by the cares of ministry must draw on God’s grace by
finishing the course by the power of the Holy Spirit within him. Schreiner gives keen
insight, asserting, “We need the power of God to finish the marathon that we run, and we
have the promise of God that he will supply the necessary power. Thus, we can be certain
that every believer will most certainly finish the race and obtain the prize.” 7 The power
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of God in the gospel that saves the sinner is the same power of God that sustains the
believer as he continues in obedience to the Word. 8 Robert Culver notes that it is “God
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who preserves us so that we may persevere. Our success depends on Him as we ‘work
out your [our] salvation but only ‘with fear and trembling’ knowing that God ‘works in
you [us] both to will and to work for his good pleasure.’” 9 As one rests in God’s work
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and diligently perseveres by God’s grace, he would do well to take heart in the truth that
God will never abandon him (Heb 13:6), even in the midst of suffering. As Demarest
concludes, “In the final analysis, the hope of true believers resides not in our feeble hold
of God but in his powerful grasp of us. The stability and constancy of our spiritual lives
rests not in our human powers but in God’s eternal purpose and infinite resources.” 10 35F
What hope and courage this provides in the face of ministerial trials that envelope the
pastor on a regular basis! The way to keep going and the means to move forward are
6
Grudem, Systematic Theology, 790.
7
Schreiner and Caneday, The Race Set Before Us, 245.
8
Schreiner and Caneday, The Race Set Before Us, 247.
9
Robert Culver, Systematic Theology: Biblical and Historical (Fearn, Scotland: Christian
Focus, 2005), 767.
10
Demarest, The Cross and Salvation, 462.
13
found in God’s manifold grace. Murray aptly advises the pastor, “Without motivating
grace, we just rest in Christ. Without moderating grace, we just run and run—until we run
out. . . . Where grace is not fueling a person from the inside out, he burns from the
inside out.” 11
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Perseverance Displayed in All Circumstances

of Life and Ministry (2 Cor 4:1-18)
Perseverance in life and ministry rests upon God’s preservation and enabling
grace. However, some circumstances can sound alarms of doubt and despair. During
these moments one can see God’s promises as bleak and far away. In 2 Corinthians 4, the
apostle Paul provides a God-breathed perspective on ministry. During the most
excruciatingly painful moments of ministry, he desires to encourage the Corinthian church
to continue with confidence. While Paul’s letter begins with the lofty prose of God’s
faithfulness and comfort, it leads into the lowly depths of personal affliction and desolation.
He does this in an emotional manner, pointing the reader to the hope found in the gospel.
The Apostle’s Perspective on Faithful

Ministry (2 Cor 4:1-6)
In the opening six verses, Paul discloses his own personal story and the reason
for his continued perseverance in ministry. In verse 1, Paul declares, “Therefore, having
this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.” 12 Paul is referring to the specific
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ministry of the new covenant that exposes the light of the gospel and the way it triumphs
over darkness, specifically to those in unbelief. This ministry of the gospel captivated the
apostle on the road to Damascus where he saw the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
In the backdrop of God’s mercy, Paul confesses that he will not give up, regardless of the
circumstances. Murray Harris accurately offers the meaning of the phrase, “to lose heart”:
11
David Murray, Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture (Wheaton, IL:
Crossway, 2017), 18-19.
12
All Scripture references are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.
14
Found only in Koine Greek, the verb ἐγκακέω basically means “behave badly,”
especially in a cowardly (κακός) fashion or in reference to a culpable omission. It is
a small step to the two NT meanings: “become weary” (Luke 18:1; Gal. 6:9; 2
Thess. 3:13), “lose heart” (2 Cor. 4:1, 16; Eph. 3:13). That is, weariness and despair
that lead to slackening of effort or neglect of duty are ways of “conducting oneself
remissly.” Paul was determined that no opposition, no failure, would cause him to
relax his efforts to fulfill his God-given calling. Firing that determination was his
constant awareness of the inestimable glory of the Christian ministry. 13 38F
Not only does the verb ἐγκακέω carry the connotation of giving up, it also means
to give in to evil. Seifrid points out, “Although nearly all translations (including NRSV,
NIV, ESV) translate enkakoumen as ‘lose heart,’ it is more likely in this context that this
(negated) verb should be rendered ‘not failing’ (including moral failure, i.e., ‘not acting
wrongly’).” 14 Paul’s concern was not just in giving up or quitting the ministry. His greater
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concern was to remain faithful, keep the eternal perspective, and not be disqualified
through disobedience. 15 In this personal moment, Paul is letting the Corinthians see how
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a “new covenant minister” of the gospel fulfills his calling. Barnett describes how this
unfolds in relation to 2 Corinthians 3 and 4: “Indeed, since the glory of the new covenant
ministry ‘remains’ (3:11), as opposed to the old that is ‘abolished’ (3:11), it is appropriate
that the new covenant minister ‘remains,’ that is ‘perseveres,’ ‘does not give up.’” 16 41F
Paul had been entrusted with this ministry of endurance from God, which
mirrors the ministry of Jesus Christ who willingly suffered and faithfully persevered all
the way to the end. 17 He echoes this perspective in the first letter to the Corinthians: “Be
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13
Murray J. Harris, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, New International Greek Testament
Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), 323.
14
Mark Seifrid, 2 Corinthians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Downers Grove, IL:
Intervarsity, 2015), 190.
15
First Corinthians 9:27 bears out Paul’s concern: “But I discipline my body and keep it under
control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”
16
Paul Barnett, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, The New International Commentary on
the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 212.
17
Barnett draws a connection to Paul’s claim as a genuine apostle:
Quite possibly he is obliquely answering criticism that, since his ministry is characterized by such
difficulty and reversal, his legitimacy as a minister is, to say the least, problematic. Paul will argue
that, on the contrary his endurance in the sufferings of ministry (hinted at here but made explicit
15
imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). Therefore, as Paul seeks to follow Christ’s
example, he repudiates any kind of ministry practices or personal lifestyle that would
detract from displaying the gospel in its undistorted and unadjusted form. For Paul, no
such ministry would rely on mere human wisdom or veiled tampering with the Scriptures.
Instead, the minister of God must seek to live transparently with a clear conscience before
God and others. Guthrie argues for this kind of ministerial openness:
No walls of deception, of hidden motives or shifty actions, no walls that stand
between the minister and his own conscience, or between the minister and the
people inside or outside the reach of ministry. . . . Such a minister, who lives with
integrity in the proclamation of the gospel, should be commended and embraced by
the people of God. 18 43F
In the verses that follow, Paul turns his attention to those who hear the gospel
in verses 3 and 4. Some may criticize the message as obscure or as non-revelatory.
However, it is only obscure to those who are “perishing.” Guthrie continues, “The apostle
answers that the hiddenness of the gospel cannot be attributed to his lack of rhetorical
skill nor to the weakness of his gospel. Rather, its obscuring has to do with the spiritual
condition of unbelievers and the “god of this world” (4:4), who blinds the minds of
unbelievers.” 19 Indeed, it is not the message or the messenger, but the heart of those
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receiving the message that is the problem. The blindness results in an inability to see the
glorious gospel shining like the sun. However, spiritual blindness does not have the final
word, nor does it place an impossible obstacle in front of the apostle Paul or to the
minister today. In the verses that follow, Paul describes the gospel simply and profoundly
as preaching Jesus as Lord (v. 5). In verse 6, Paul goes on to use the illustration of
elsewhere in the letter) mark the apostle out as a genuine servant of Christ, whose own sufferings are
now reproduced in the ministry of the one who represents him. (Barnett, The Second Epistle to the
Corinthians, 212)
18
George H. Guthrie, 2 Corinthians, Baker Exegetical Commentary of the New Testament
(Grand Rapids: Baker, 2015), 238.
19
Guthrie, 2 Corinthians, 239.
16
creation to show what the gospel does to dead and darkened hearts. It is the “let there be
light” moment where the gospel penetrates the darkness of sin and the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God creates a new heart. 20 The darkness-dispelling light of the
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gospel should give the minister great hope and encourage him to take heart in the power
of God!
The Gospel’s Surpassing Power in

Faithful Ministry (1 Cor 4:7-12)
While the power of God is at work through the gospel, Paul is quick to point
out that this surpassing power is not sourced in the one preaching the gospel. It is an other-
worldly, divine treasure displayed in pots of clay. As Paul devoted his life to preaching
the name of Christ to the nations, he knew on the outset that it would involve suffering
for the name of Christ (Acts 9:15-16). This suffering would come in multifaceted physical
and spiritual forms. Paul depicts his suffering as corporate and common to all ministers in
verses 8 and 9: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven
to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” Each pair that
Paul presents is a comparison of lesser to greater intensity of the suffering. Murray Harris
writes, “The first element in each antithesis illustrates human weakness, the second
illustrates divine power. . . . The negated second element does not indicate a mere
mitigation of the hardship; rather, it points to an actual divine deliverance (cf. 1:8–9); not
simply a change of outlook on Paul’s part, but God’s intervention.” 21 46F
The first comparison in verse 8 is between θλιβόμενοι and στενοχωρούμενοι.

The former refers to any kind of trials and affliction that press into a person’s life, causing
himself to feel surrounded in distress. The latter refers to being constricted and crushed.
20
The apostle Paul may have his own Damascus Road conversion in mind as he describes the
light of the gospel of the glory of Christ shining into blind and dead hearts. It was the light from the glorified
Christ that invaded his heart and transformed him from a persecutor of Christ to a minister of Christ.
21
Harris, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, 342.
17
The second comparison is between ἀπορούμενοι and ἐξαπορούμενοι. This comparison is
more of a wordplay where Paul and his fellow coworkers are as Guthrie describes,
“baffled but not to the point of despair.” 22 Barnett concludes that it could also be literally
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interpreted as “at a loss but not absolutely at a loss.” 23 The third pair, διωκόμενοι and
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ἐγκαταλειπόμενοι, describes the opposition the apostle faced on a regular basis in the
ministry. 24 While the first participle refers to persecution, the second denotes the
50F 51F
impossibility of being forsaken or abandoned by God.25 Barnett portrays this word and
its vivid display in God never forsaking His people: “Here the word implies an
eschatological intent; God will not abandon his chosen ones who he has redeemed.” 26 The 52F
final grouping of καταβαλλόμενοι and ἀπολλύμενοι exhibits the full spectrum of ministry
trials. The former is in the passive form and it means to be knocked down or laid low.
Barnett contends that “suffering apostle will not be forsaken by God, nor lost from
him.” 27
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As the preacher of the gospel seeks to proclaim the gospel, there will be dangers
and temptations. Each danger is an opportunity for the preacher to lose heart, and Paul
outlines the potential dangers in verses 8 and 9. Paul is not seeking to minimize suffering
22
23
Barnett, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, 233.
24
Guthrie writes,
The apostle must mean that he has not been drawn into an ongoing state of despair, or that he was not
touched by such a state at present, for, using the same word, he has already noted at 1:8 that the
extraordinary persecution he faced in Asia had brought him and his ministry team to a point where
“we experienced deep despair, to the point that we thought we were going to die.” The key is that
God delivered him in that situation, and consequently delivered him from the momentary despair.
(Guthrie, 2 Corinthians, 257)
25
Harris states, “In secular Greek διώκω regularly means ‘chase,’ denoting the pursuit of an
animal in a hunt or of the enemy in battle. Its meaning was naturally extended to refer to persecution, a
sense it often bears in Paul’s letters.” Harris, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, 344.
26
27
18
but to explain how God sustained him during each hardship. Seifrid notes, “His
juxtaposition of deliverance with distress recalls similar contexts in Scripture, especially
the thanksgiving Psalms. The psalmists are in distress, pursued by enemies, given over to
death, and yet are delivered.” 28 Paul’s list of afflictions is found in the pages of 1
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Corinthians 6:4-10, where he details his beatings, imprisonment, destitution, sorrow,

unreasonable treatment, and poverty while still enduring with rejoicing.
This catalogue of Paul’s suffering can only be viewed in light of God’s sufficient
grace, not in the toughness of Paul’s character to bravely persevere. Seifrid writes, “His
life is full of afflictions, yet his afflictions are, or rather shall be, overcome by the comfort
and deliverance granted him in Christ.” 29 The apostle sees ministry as a matter of life and
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death, which is a contrast that can be traced throughout redemptive history. It is also
viewed as an instrument of blessing in his life. Barnett explains, “The motif of the death
and life of Jesus is prominent within this passage . . . in two closely connected respects.
Within himself in the course of his ministry Paul experiences the death but also the life,
or deliverance of Jesus. . . . At the same time the death that is at work in Paul brings life
to the Corinthians (v. 12).” 30 While death is at work in the apostle, he is mindful that
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something inside him is very much alive. The radiant, life-giving gospel is what he
proclaims and what sustains him, regardless of the circumstances.
As the pastor seeks to carry out the gospel ministry entrusted to him, he must
trust in God’s power alone. R. Kent Hughes writes, “God fills us with his power so that
his power is manifested through us. We do not become powerful. We remain weak. We
do not grow in power. We grow in weakness. We go from weakness to weakness, which
28
Seifrid, 2 Corinthians, 206.
29
Seifrid, 2 Corinthians, 206.
30
19
is to remain vessels of his power—ever weak and ever strong.” 31 One might interject that
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this kind of ministry life is exceptional and should be avoided. However, Paul is
describing the normal life of those who engage in God’s service. Weakness is not a
separate experience that a pastor encounters when his strength has expired. Weakness is
the platform from which all pastors minister. Paul declares, “Likewise the Spirit helps us
in our weakness” (Rom 8:26). This not only applies to prayer but also life in general, as
one is disoriented and buffeted as they suffer. The Holy Spirit is aware of and
understands the frailties of the pastor’s personhood and complexity of the pastor’s
experiences. Therefore, when one finds himself in similar situations of being constricted,
perplexed, facing persecution, or struck down, he can take heart knowing that the Spirit is
at work. In the midst of those experiences, Paul outlines the good purpose of affliction in
verses 11 and 12. It is designed to put the life of Jesus on display within these weak pots
of clay, giving life to others. Guthrie concludes,
In the first statement (4:10), Paul proclaims that he and those alongside whom he
ministers are “always carrying around the dying of Jesus in our body” (πάντοτε τὴν
νέκρωσιν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματι περιφέροντες, pantote tēn nekrōsin tou Iēsou en
tō sōmati peripherontes). The adverb translated “always” (πάντοτε, always, at all
times) refers to the state of constant threat under which the apostle ministers. 32 58F
The Unsurpassed Reward of Faithful

Ministry (2 Cor 4:13-18)
When a pastor is suffering under the weight of ministry, it can be bewildering
to the soul and blinding to the eyes. Inevitably, the focus on the eternal weight of glory
that Paul promises is shielded from view as the weighed down pastor’s gaze is on the
ground, struggling to place one foot in front of another. Paul’s exhortation in 2 Corinthians
4:13-18 strengthens pastoral perseverance and is closely connected with 2 Corinthians
4:7-12. Even though Paul has been “handed over to death,” he displays how the life of
Jesus is at work in the life of His church. Guthrie rightly answers the begging question,
31
R. Kent Hughes, 2 Corinthians: Power in Weakness (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2006), 90.
32
20
“Why would someone embrace a life and ministry characterized by such affliction? The
apostle has already stated twice in the previous verses, ‘in order that also the life of Jesus
might be made known’ (4:10–11) and, further, that the Corinthians themselves might
experience life (4:12).” 33 59F
Paul rests on the Scriptures as his foundation for his ongoing public
proclamation of the gospel in verse 13: “Since we have the same spirit according to what
has been written, ‘I believed and so I spoke,’ we also believe, and so we speak.” Paul also
boldly declares the theology and efficacy of Christ’s resurrection for the church in verse
14: “Knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us
with you into His presence.” Christ’s resurrection ensures the believer’s resurrection.
Guthrie contends, “Yet with Jesus’s resurrection, a new form of being raised to life was
initiated, one in which the perishable becomes imperishable, the dishonor of death becomes
glorious, the weak becomes powerful, the natural is transformed to a spiritual body, never
to die again.” 34 Not only does being raised to life refer to the believer’s resurrection
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through Christ, it also underscores the believer’s presentation to the Father by Christ.
Christ provides the rock-solid foundation and hope for the pastor as he seeks to remain
faithful in preaching the Word. Paul revels in the vibrant increase of the gospel that will
ultimately magnify God in verse 15: “For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends
to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” The “all”
refers to the entirety of Paul’s ministry that pointed to the goal of glorifying God in every
soul receiving God’s grace through the proclamation of the gospel. As Barnett
summarizes, As Barnett summarizes, “This is the doxological motive, which must be
added to the eschatological motive, for Paul ‘speaking [the word of God]’ (v.13) as well
33
34
Guthrie, 2 Corinthians, 263-64.
21
as the sacrificial—‘dying’ that they might ‘live’ (v. 12).” 35 These vignettes of suffering
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that Paul describes are real situations on a cosmic scale. They are of this present time and
culture, and yet do not move the scales of eternity and the glory that will be revealed.
They are also akin to the exhortation Paul gave in Romans 8:18: “For I consider that the
sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be
revealed to us.”
In verses 16 through 18, Paul comes full circle in his exhortation to the
Corinthian church to “not lose heart” with three stark contrasts. The first contrast is found
in considering the two ages in which the believer lives. Barnett notes, “The outer person
(exo anthropos), who belongs to the present age is wasting away, while the inner person
(eso anthropos), who belongs to the coming age, is being renewed.” 36 While Paul points
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out the obvious outer weakening of the physical body that is taking place, there is the
reality of ongoing inward spiritual renewal. 37 Not only is there the contrast between the
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outer and inner person in verse 16, there is also the contrast between the “slight
momentary affliction” and the “eternal weight of glory” in verse 17. Paul literally calls
his ministry afflictions light, insignificant, and temporary. Paul’s description of ministry
does not diminish the weightiness of his hardships. However, when they are laid on the
scales next to the eternal importance and significance of God’s glory, there is no
comparison. Paul has experienced extreme suffering, but he looks to an extraordinary
God in the midst of those times. Guthrie explains, “Paul has in mind with this word
picture seems to be that the glory gained, by the comparatively insignificant amount of
35
36
37
Guthrie, 2 Corinthians, 269. Guthrie explains this further: “In other words, the persecution
against Paul and his mission might be consistent, but the spiritual renewal taking place amid that
persecution is incessant” (271).
22
suffering that produces it, staggers the imagination.” 38 Paul’s third contrast in verse 18
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pulls the temporal sight (what is seen) into alignment with the eternal perspective (what is
unseen). Paul is pushing a paradigm shift to seeing with eyes of faith into the unseen
eternity instead of focusing merely on the seen circumstances of this life. He is also
pointing the reader to make a deliberate and conscious choice to look forward to the glory
that is coming rather than to the hardships that are looming and unfolding. However,
Paul’s footsteps through suffering were already outlined by Christ in His death and
resurrection; for it is Christ’s pattern that every pastor who seeks to persevere in ministry
must follow.
Perseverance Displayed in Faith and

Practice (1 Tim 1:18-20)
The Minister’s Charge to

Fight Well (1 Tim 1:18)
The apostle Paul was fully vested in entrusting the truth of God’s Word to
“faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim 2:2). His first letter to Timothy,
his son in faith, provided him with tools for public ministry as well as established the
expectations for his personal life as a minister of the gospel. Paul seeks to establish that
perseverance in public ministry cannot happen apart from a commitment to fight the good
fight of faith in the inner man. These exhortations are not just for Timothy but are tailor-
made for pastors today.
In 1 Timothy 1:18-20, Paul unfolds a sacred charge to Timothy based on the
beginning of chapter 1. Yarbrough contends, “Previous verses serve now to underscore a
major intent for Paul’s writing: to fortify Timothy as he executes a game plan that will
38
Guthrie, 2 Corinthians, 272. Guthrie denotes, “The term βάρος (baros), which we have
translated ‘tonnage’ could be used by writers of the ancient world to mean ‘a burden’ that is oppressive, or
‘a claim to importance,’ but here it speaks positively and almost lyrically of the ‘fullness’ or ‘weight’ of an
accumulated ‘mass’ of glory” (272).
23
require all the resources he can muster.” 39 These “resources” will enable the
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perseverance that Timothy needs to be faithful in ministry. The first of these resources is
found in the apostle’s life message and the undergirding support it brings to Timothy. As
Paul shares his testimony with Timothy, it underscores how imitation can serve to be a
means of pastoral perseverance. In the earlier verses of 1 Timothy 1, Paul gives his
testimony of Christ’s power in taking him from a blasphemer, persecutor, and opponent
of the gospel to being drafted into Christ’s service as a proclaimer of the gospel. This
before and after picture is stunning to behold. However, none of this would be possible if
not for this truth statement in 1 Timothy 1:15: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners.” This message of redemption has now been entrusted to Timothy, who has been
called by God for this task. Knight suggests, “The word ‘παρατίθεμαι’ in this context has
the meaning ‘entrust something to someone,’ which often has the double-sided nuance of
both safekeeping and transmission to others.” 40 Paul charges Timothy directly,
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continuing his charge from 1 Timothy 1:3. Towner contends, “The personal stakes are
increased as he is reminded of the divine acknowledgement of his calling. Timothy’s
commission in Ephesus is to be seen as the corollary of his authentic faith. The continued
pattern of contrast allows us to see what becomes of leaders who let go of that faith.” 41 67F
The second resource Paul entrusts to Timothy for his perseverance in ministry
is what Yarbrough describes as “the prophecies once made (proagousas) about you.” 42 68F
39
R. W. Yarbrough, The Letters to Timothy and Titus, The Pillar New Testament Commentary
(Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2018), 131. Yarbrough also points out that “only here and in 6:20
does Paul address Timothy by name, using the vocative case (Timothee). This usage lends a poignant touch,
enhanced by ‘my son’” (131).
40
George W. Knight, The Pastoral Epistles, New International Greek Testament Commentary
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992), 107-8.
41
Philip Towner, The Letters to Timothy and Titus, The New International Commentary on the
New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006), 155.
42
Yarbrough, The Letters to Timothy and Titus, 131.
24
This prepositional phrase finds its roots in Timothy’s commission to ministry by the Holy
Spirit. Towner illuminates this ministry:
The role of prophecy in defining Timothy’s calling and authority is confirmed by
4:14, but neither the procedure envisioned, nor the time is entirely clear. As for
procedure, the best analogy is probably Acts 13:2, where, in the Spirit, words of
confirmation and calling were uttered by the group of prophets and teachers praying
for Barnabus and Paul. As for time, the translation above suggests that the reflection
here is on an earlier episode in which multiple prophecies, mutually confirmed, were
declared “upon” Timothy. 43 69F
Paul desires for his young apprentice and pastor to fight well and finish well in
the life of ministry that lay before him. Timothy needed the encouragement of Paul’s life
and the reassurance of his calling in order to “wage the good warfare” (1 Tim 1:18).
The Minister’s Resources to

Fight Well (1 Tim 1:19a)
In verse 19, Paul unfolds the resources that will enable the minister to fight
well in the arena of service to the Lord. The first of these resources in found in “holding
faith.” Towner describes faith as “that posture of trust in God that animates the individual’s
personal relationship with God.” 44 Paul is not referring to Timothy grasping hold of a
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confession of faith or creed. He is underscoring how an ongoing trust in God is essential
for perseverance in life and ministry.

The second resource is a “good conscience,” which is equally essential for the
minister’s life. Towner explains, “The ‘good conscience’ is the organ of decision, by
which the Christian may move from knowledge of the faith (considered from the
standpoint of objective content) and sound teaching to appropriate conduct.” 45 The 71F
43
Towner, The Letters to Timothy and Titus, 156. Towner states,
It is not possible to locate this event with certainty. 4:14 might seem to indicate that Timothy’s
authority was confirmed in the local Ephesian setting, or there and here the reference may be back to
some earlier occasion(s) either at the outset of Timothy’s career (Acts 16:2), or as marking the
commencement of this present assignment. Either way, Timothy is thus bound to his commission
(1:5, 18a) by the divine decision communicated to him in the presence of others. (156)
44
Towner, The Letters to Timothy and Titus, 156.
45
Towner, The Letters to Timothy and Titus, 157-58.
25
minister must possess a living faith in God and a life in sync with the teaching he
proclaims from the pulpit. In other words, one cannot separate belief and the decisions
that flow out of those beliefs.
The Minister’s Warning to Finish

Well (1 Tim 1:19b-20)
In the final verses of 1 Timothy 1, Paul paints a vivid picture of so-called
ministers who reject an authentic godly devotion to God in both faith and practice. They
have let go of the solid moorings of sound doctrine and have given themselves over to a
belief system that focuses on the outward instead of the inward. Towner contends,
“Essentially, their rejection of the Pauline conception of faith, with its insistence on
internalizing of the norm of godliness, for an external law structure without the Spirit,
rendered their conscience incapable of discerning from inauthentic doctrine and conduct
(4:2).” 46 Paul describes the disastrous end of those who continue in this rebellion as
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having “made shipwreck of their faith.” Tragically, they must have exhibited a veneer of
faith, professing to know God but denying the truth, and therefore proving they were
never truly children of God. Paul warns the church of false teachers in the each of the
pastoral epistles (cf. 1 Tim 6:3-5; 2 Tim 2:14-3:9; Titus 1:10-16, 3:9-11) and their
destructive effect on the unfounded and easily deceived. However, in 1 Timothy 1:19, the
other side of false teaching is in view. Not only does their false doctrine destroy others, it
also sets in motion a destruction that will shatter their lives. Knight contends,
The definite article with πίστιν is most likely used here as the equivalent of a
possessive pronoun (“their faith”). ναυαγέω, “to suffer shipwreck” (from ναῦς, ship,
ἄγνυμι, to break: “to break a ship to pieces”; literal in 2 Cor. 11:25; figurative here),
indicates in graphic terms the destruction wrought and provides a graphic negative
lesson for Timothy and the listening church. 47 73F
46
47
Knight, The Pastoral Epistles, 110.
26
The false teacher’s attempts to destroy the truth only ends with a disastrous backfire
effect. Paul not only calls out this kind of rebellion, but he exposes two of them by name:
“Hymenaeus and Alexander.” It is likely that these men were not only known to Timothy,
the Ephesian community, and the church at large, but could also have been prominent
leaders. While Alexander is not mentioned elsewhere in Scripture, Hymenaeus is
addressed in a later situation in 2 Timothy 2:16-18: “ But avoid irreverent babble, for it
will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene.
Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that
the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.” Paul desires
to protect the church from such men whose blasphemy and doctrine were wreaking havoc
on the church. His solution in verse 20 is that they be “handed over to the Satan that they
may learn not to blaspheme.” Paul is exercising his apostolic authority in the situation
through this act of discipline. However, Paul does not clearly outline what handing
someone over to Satan entails. Towner indicates, “ The nature of the disciplinary process
is less clear. Several texts (see also Matt 18:15-17; 1 Cor 5:5; 2 Cor 2:5-11; 1 Thess 3:14-
15), would seem to indicate that ‘handing over to Satan’ involved a last stage in which
the unrepentant sinner was turned out of the church to be treated as an unbeliever.” 48 The
74F
purpose for handing these men over to Satan was for their own good. In the end, Paul
hoped they would learn not to blaspheme the Word in both faith and practice and be
restored to the church. Paul’s warning not only served to warn Hymenaeus and
Alexander, but also to urge Timothy and the church to persevere to the end with their
faith and conscience intact.
Perseverance Displayed through Faithful

Preaching (2 Tim 4:1-4)
The apostle Paul continues his exhortation to Timothy in his second letter by
48
27
calling him to faithful preaching in the midst of a hostile environment. What is faithful
preaching? This question is not easily answered in a day where it has taken on so many
different forms. Within the church, it is described as a message, a sermon, or even a
politically-motivated talk. However, the Bible should be the starting point when seeking
to describe this office of preaching. In Scripture, preaching is portrayed as proclaiming
God’s Word. It is saying what God has already said. Because God has spoken, the
preacher has something to say. Expository preaching is foundationally setting forth the
meaning of Scripture. It is giving a message from God that is sourced in the Word of
God. Since the text of Scripture is supreme, the expositor must clearly communicate the
meaning of the text accurately. To do this effectively and responsibly, the expositor must
begin with authorial intent, which is the meaning that the author delineated when he
penned the words in his context. Few texts of Scripture would communicate the
components for expository preaching more than 2 Timothy 4:1-4:
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living
and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in
season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and
teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but
having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own
passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
Considering the accountability of the omnipresence of God, the preacher is
compelled by five imperative phrases as he prepares to preach. The first imperative,
“preach the word” (κήρυξον τὸν λόγον), plays a dominant role. The preacher’s marching
orders are found in the context of the phrase, “preach the Word.” The ultimate mandate
for the expositor is to proclaim God’s truth, which builds upon the previous commands in
2 Timothy 1:13-14 and 2:15. The second imperative, “be ready” (ἐπίστηθι), outlines how
the preaching the Word is to be accomplished. It is to be done always, when it is well
received and when it is rejected or mocked. It also carries the idea of staying on mission
regardless of the circumstances. The expository preacher is called to declare publicly
what God has said regardless of the cultural atmosphere and appetites of the people to
whom he proclaims the Word. The third imperative, “reprove” (ἔλεγξον), means to
28
correct or reprove someone who is continuing in their sin against God. This expository
message component may be easily overlooked because of its apparent negative
connotation within society at large. However, a message that rebukes is an essential
component for each expository message that cannot be dismissed. The writer of Hebrews
puts this reproving sermon element on full display in Hebrews 4:12-13: “For the word of
God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of
soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of
the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the
eyes of him to whom we must give account.” God’s chosen medium to declare who He is
and what He demands from His people until He consummates His kingdom is found in
His Word. The Word of God is the living and powerful revelation of God that exposes
the heart in both the thoughts and intentions. When the Word of God is preached, there
should be a heart disruption that should take place within the congregation. This exposure
is for the good of those who hear and obey, for it leads one away from their sin and points
them to Christ. The expositor must be willing to faithfully confront people with the truth
of God’s Word through compassionate reproof of their sin patterns. Once people are
admonished by the Word of God, the expositor must also seek to help people apply their
lives to the Word of God. The fourth imperative, “to rebuke” (ἐπιτίμησον), is akin the
previous command, but carries a different connotation. This expository preaching element
is concerned with seeing the sinful patterns put to death. Paul’s compelling emphasis on
correction proves that a sermon without compassionate call to change is incomplete at
best. Considering sin’s destructive nature, the expositor must point his people to a
continual renewal of the mind on God’s truth with the purpose of heart transformation.
In 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Paul urges Timothy to persevere in preaching the Word
through times of difficulty. Timothy’s context in Ephesus included people who refused to
hear the truth as well as people who were susceptible to departing from the truth. Paul
sought to equip him to deal with those who were intolerant of sound doctrine as well as
29
those who had an appetite for tolerant, inclusive doctrine. Timothy’s setting is not too far
removed from the challenges of the current age of skepticism and denial of God’s truth.
The pastor who perseveres must be vigilant in preaching the Word faithfully, regardless
of the circumstances.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the pastor must seek to faithfully preach the Word and persevere
in ministry—he must be present with his flock, constantly assessing their needs and
spiritual growth. He must protect them by warning them concerning to false teachers and
false teaching. He must comfort them during times of grief, confusion, and anxiety. He
must be willing to exercise church discipline in love, as well as be willing to restore the
repentant. He must pray dependently for God’s divine grace and gratefully trust the
Lord’s sovereign work to produce fruitfulness, expose false teachers, and reveal apostasy.
As the pastor preaches the Word, he must also yield to the Truth he is proclaiming
through pursuing a clear conscience. He must in all things set his focus on Jesus Christ,
his great shepherd and example.
30
CHAPTER 3
PASTORAL PERSEVERANCE IMITATED
IN JONATHAN EDWARDS
Introduction
This chapter argues for the imitation of pastoral perseverance amid suffering
through an examination of the life of Jonathan Edwards. This purpose will be
accomplished through a close examination of Edwards’ life, pastoral ministry challenges,
and theological convictions as it applies to pastoral perseverance.
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was a man whom God used to change the course
of history. Edwards became the pastor of one of the most prestigious pulpits in New
England at Northampton at the age of twenty-six, but he was voted out of this church after
twenty-two years of faithful ministry. He dearly loved the people at Northampton and
sought to shepherd them faithfully. Edwards later served as a missionary to Native
Americans and concluded his life as president of the College of New Jersey.
Edwards was born into a strong Christian family. His early education,
according to Stephen Nichols, consisted of “learning Scripture, the catechism, and the
rich heritage of the Puritan and Reformed faith from both his father and mother.”1 In
conjunction with his education, he was trained by his father in pastoral ministry, and saw
times of spiritual revival. For college, Edwards attended the Collegiate School of
Connecticut in 1716, which later became known as Yale University. Edwards studied
grammar, rhetoric, logic, ancient history, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, metaphysics,
1
Stephen Nichols, Jonathan Edwards: A Guided Tour of His Life and Thought (Phillipsburg,
NJ: P & R, 2001), 30.
31
ethics, and natural science. In addition, he studied Greek and Hebrew to help him study
the Bible more efficiently.
By 1734, Edwards experienced God’s work of conversion. Edwards records
this experience in his work, entitled “Personal Narrative.” Within “Personal Narrative”
Edwards records “70 Resolutions,”2 which were seventy commitments that he made to
God each week, which helped to serve as guideposts for his life. Each resolution
represented the genuineness of Edwards’ faith and the seedbed from which his
perseverance in ministry would spring forth. Stephen Lawson contends, “Edwards desired
to bring all areas of his life under the Lordship of Jesus Christ through rigorous self-
mastery.”3
Perseverance Displayed in Life and Ministry

Perseverance Displayed in Faithful
Proclamation of the Word
Jonathan Edwards was arguably one of the greatest preachers in American
history. John Piper notes, “One of the reasons that the world and the church need
Jonathan Edwards 300 years after his birth is that his God-entranced vision of all things is
so rare and yet so necessary.”4 He served alongside the longtime pastor of Northampton,
Solomon Stoddard, who ministered faithfully for almost sixty years. Stoddard passed
away just two years after Edwards’ arrival, at which time Edwards ascended to the role of
senior pastor. Prior to pastoring at Northampton, Edwards had the blessing of observing
his father, Timothy, in pastoral ministry. Peter Beck describes Edwards’ father, who
2
Jonathan Edwards, Letters and Personal Writings, in The Works of Jonathan Edwards, ed.
George S. Claghorn (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1998), 16:754-59.
3
Stephen Lawson, The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards (Orlando: Reformation
Trust, 2008), 31.
4
John Piper, “A God-Entranced Vision of All Things: Why We Need Jonathan Edwards 300
Years Later,” in A God-Entranced Vision of All Things, ed. John Piper and Justin Taylor (Wheaton, IL:
Crossway, 2004), 21.
32
“faithfully pastored his smallish congregation in East Windsor, Connecticut, for decades,
modeling for his son the diligence necessary to complete the task before him.”5 Having a
visual example of pastoral perseverance in front of him served Edwards well in his own
pursuit of faithfulness in ministry. Patricia Tracy describes Edwards’ first Sunday at
Northampton on February 16, 1729, when Edwards stepped into the giant shadow of his
predecessor:
Twenty-five-year-old Jonathan Edwards mounted the steps of the pulpit in the
Northampton meetinghouse and faced the congregation who were now his flock. He
was not unprepared for this responsibility, for he had received excellent academic
training and had over six years of preaching experience, two of them in this very
community. . . . Now he was alone, and now he had committed his whole life to
saving the souls of this particular group of Connecticut Valley farmers who sat on
the benches before him. The bond between them was as intimate as each man’s
concern for his own salvation.6
Edwards poured out his heart and soul for the people God gave him to shepherd.
He performed this task with delight in God and with an urgency to see his congregation
thrive spiritually in Christ. Packer observes, “His sermons were marked by riveting
expository skill . . . wide thematic range, a wealth of evangelical thought, a pervasive
awareness of eternal issues, and a compelling logical flow to make them arresting,
searching, devastating, and Christ-centeredly doxological to the last degree.”7
Edwards’ first published sermon, “God Glorified in the Work of Redemption,”
was given as a lecture in Boston where many skeptical Harvard graduates attended.8
Edwards’ sermon set the stage for Puritan doctrine of absolute divine sovereignty and
5
Peter Beck, “Jonathan Edwards: Faithful to the End,” in 12 Faithful Men: Portraits of
Courageous Endurance in Pastoral Ministry, ed. Colin Hansen and Jeff Robinson (Grand Rapids: Baker,
2018), 62.
6
Patricia J. Tracy, Jonathan Edwards, Pastor: Religion and Society in Eighteenth Century
Northampton (New York: Hill and Wang, 1980), 13.
7
J. I. Packer, “The Glory of God and the Reviving of Religion: A Study in the Mind of
Jonathan Edwards,” in Piper and Taylor, A God-Entranced Vision of All Things, 84.
8
Jonathan Edwards, Sermons and Discourses, 1730-1733, in The Works of Jonathan Edwards,
ed. Mark Valeri (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1999), 17:200-216.
33
man’s inability and dependence upon God in redemption. In his most famous sermon,
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,”9 Edwards spoke directly to awaken his church
to the reality and horrors of hell. Nichols aptly called it “the most read sermon of all
time.”10 Marsden asserts,
The subject of the sermon is that at this very moment God is holding sinners in his
hands, delaying the awful destruction that their rebellion deserves. Despite this
unfathomable mercy, God is a just judge who must condemn sinners because they
are in rebellion against God and hence hate what is truly good. Yet—and this is the
point that is often missed—being in the hands of God means for the moment you are
being kept from the burning in hell as you deserve. God in his amazing long-
suffering is still giving you a chance; his hand is keeping you from falling.11
Perseverance Displayed in a God-

Dependent Sanctification
Throughout his ministry, he faithfully preached a God-dependent sanctification
that would undergird his ministry. Lawson states, “He was keenly aware that God alone
is the agent of sanctification. While he knew he was responsible to obey God’s Word and
pursue holiness, he understood that he could not do so by sheer will power.”12 Edwards
lived his life and preached according to this theological reality of reliance upon God,
which underscores the manner in which he persevered in life and ministry. Nichols
writes, “Far from an advocate for self-help, Edwards realizes that anything he might do
that pleases God or anything that amounts to something of significance is only the result
of God working through him.”13 Edwards’ preaching focused squarely on dependence
upon God for strength:
9
Jonathan Edwards, Sermons and Discourses 1739-1742, in The Works of Jonathan Edwards,
ed. Harry S. Stout, Nathan O. Hatch, and Kyle P. Farley (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2003),
22:405-18.
10
Nichols, Jonathan Edwards, 19.
11
George M. Marsden, Jonathan Edwards: A Life (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press,
2003), 221-22.
12
Lawson, The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards, 47.
13
Stephen Nichols, Jonathan Edwards’ Resolutions and Advice to Young Converts
34
Take heed that you don't depend on your own strength. When praying and reading,
or whatever duty you engage in, let it be with a sense of your own impotency. Don't
go forth in your own strength. Go to God with all your difficulties. When you meet
with temptation that you can't well get rid of, go to God to help you. When you find
cause to complain of a hard heart and a blind mind, go to the fountain of life and
light. When you are under temptation to discouragement or despair, go to God for
help, in a sense of your own helplessness. Here I would offer some things to your
consideration: first, to influence you not to depend on your own strength; and,
secondly, to move you to look to God and depend on him.14
Even Edwards “resolutions” that he committed himself to would be null and void if he
simply relied on his own strength to accomplish them. This God-dependent perspective
also drove him to confess sin and walk in true repentance before God as he did battle
against the sin in his own heart. Dane Ortlund asserts, “Edwards’ legacy . . . was that
sanctification is inside-out and we lose it if we make it outside-in. Transformation occurs
as the heart is changed within, not as we seek to crowbar our behavior into alignment
with an external moral code or set of rules or even our conscience.”15
Along with Edwards’ keen wakefulness of his need for God, was accessing
God’s divine enablement through faith. He believed it was his responsibility to act upon
this need by daily entreating the Lord for His power to follow Him in obedience. William
Morris shares Edwards’ perspective in carefully avoided the dangerous path toward self-
reliance: “The search for personal holiness through self-discipline must not be allowed to
blind one to the truth that only God’s sovereign grace acting in and on the soul to
strengthen and nourish it could enable the soul to possess that creature holiness for which
it so much yearned.”16 Edwards displayed a humble submission to God that proved his
belief in a God-dependent sanctification. He viewed his life through the lens of Romans
(Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2001), 10.
14
Jonathan Edwards, Sermons and Discourses 1734-1738, in The Works of Jonathan Edwards,
ed. M. X. Lesser (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2003), 19:384.
15
Crossway, 2014), 193.
16
William S. Morris, The Young Jonathan Edwards: A Reconstruction (Eugene, OR: Wipf &
Stock, 2005), 44.
35
12:1 and sought to offer himself as a “living sacrifice” to God.
Above all, Jonathan Edwards continually pointed his church to the transforming
nature of the Word as he preached. Edwards asserted,
Ministers are set to be lights to the souls of men in this respect, as they are to be the
means of imparting divine truth to them, and bringing into their view the most
glorious and excellent objects, and of leading them to, and assisting them in the
contemplation of those things that angels desire to look into; the means of their
obtaining that knowledge is infinitely more important and more excellent and useful,
than that of the greatest statesmen or philosophers, even that which is spiritual and
divine. They are set to be the means of bringing men out of darkness into God’s
marvelous light, and of bringing them to the infinite fountain of light, that in his light
they may see light. They are set to instruct men, and impart to them that knowledge
by which they may know God and Jesus Christ, whom to know is life eternal.17
Perseverance Displayed through

Ministry Challenges
While Edwards led Northampton through times of awakening and revival, he
also suffered through times of trial and controversy. In October 1747, death began to
play a devasting role in Edwards’ family with the passing of David Brainerd, who was
engaged to his teenage daughter, Jerusha. Later in February 1748, Jerusha died from
tuberculosis, the same disease which took her fiancée in the previous year. The loss of
his daughter and potential son-in-law were excruciatingly difficult for Edwards and his
family. It was during this time of loss that Edwards simultaneously underwent the
greatest ministry trial of his life.
In previous years, Edwards had dealt with church discipline situations where
he had taken a stand against immorality between members of the congregation. However,
the crucible of suffering that lay before him required him to stand alone. In 1749, Edwards
opposed the church’s constitution that allowed for unbelievers to take communion.
Edwards’ position was extremely difficult for the congregation to accept, since it was in
direct opposition to Edwards’ highly respected and deeply loved predecessor, Solomon
Stoddard. Edwards published a compelling treatise entitled, An Humble Inquiry into the
17
Edwards, Sermons and Discourses, 1743-1758, 22:90.
36
Rules of the Word of God, Concerning Full Communion in the Visible Christian Church.
He hoped that the townspeople would be persuaded to reconsider Solomon Stoddard’s
position and come to see that true church members must display outwardly in sanctification
what God has done inwardly through regeneration. However, as Marsden concludes, “Few
people had read Edwards’ book and few intended to. Further, they would not allow
Edwards to hold a public debate on the subject nor to preach on it.”18
In the months that followed, the relationship between Edwards and his
congregation went from bad to worse. Edwards own cousin, Joseph Hawley joined the
dissenters against Edwards’ position on communion. Marsden includes this window into
Edwards’ suffering:
Young Hawley’s defection was a blow. A few years earlier, Edwards spoken highly
of his cousin Hawley as a ‘worthy pious’ man when the young man had been serving
as chaplain to the army at Louisbourg. Edwards probably acted as something of a
guardian and mentor to the boy, who been only eleven at the time of his father’s
death.19
The turmoil over the issue of communion was ever increasing, and Edwards
could not convince the congregation to give him an audience to discuss the issue. However,
Edwards was undeterred and refused to be swayed by the intense criticism from the people
he had served for over twenty years. Tracy depicts the scene of confrontation:
In February 1749, Jonathan Edwards officially announced to the church what had
been rumored for some time—that he had decided that his long continuance of
Stoddard’s open communion was wrong. He could not in good conscience admit
any more members to the church who would not make a profession of the essentials
of the Christian faith, essentials which included evidence of an experiential work of
grace as well as sound doctrinal knowledge. Sixteen months later the Northampton
congregation would formally and completely reject Jonathan Edwards—his doctrine,
his discipline, and his twenty-three years of struggle to make them see the light.20
Regardless of a pastor’s acumen, moments like these are some of the most gut-wrenching
18
Marsden, Jonathan Edwards, 357.
19
Marsden, Jonathan Edwards, 358. Hawley’s father committed suicide in 1735, and Edwards
sought to minister to Hawley throughout that time. Hawley would eventually sever their friendship over his
immoral behavior and his Arminian theological views.
20
Tracy, Jonathan Edwards, Pastor, 168-70.
37
for anyone to endure. Most assuredly, Edwards had counted the cost of making the decision
to oppose his predecessor and wrestled with the text of Scripture. At the end of this
struggle, Edwards stood on the firm footing of God’s Word. By opposing the church’s
constitution that permitted unbelievers to participate in communion, Edwards was asked
to resign from the pastorate in July 1750. As Mark Dever points out, “Only 10 percent of
the church members voted to keep Edwards as their pastor.”21
Edwards gave his “Farewell Sermon” on July 1, 1750 from 2 Corinthians 1:14.22
It was arguably one of the best sermons he had ever preached and should be noted for its
tenderness and compassion. Murray describes Edwards’ unwavering devotion to the people
of his church:
In his last official duty to his flock it is their needs rather than his own which are
uppermost in his mind as he longs that they and he, “now parting one from another
as to this world . . . may not be parted after our meeting at the last day.” No
congregation was ever spoken to more tenderly than the people of Northampton on
July 1, 1750.23
Once Edwards was dismissed, he continued to live in the parsonage and
graciously accepted the church’s weekly invitation to preach to them while they searched
for his replacement until October 1751. Even in the midst of incredible pressure, Edwards
stood upon the Word and preached it faithfully and selflessly. His chief concern was that
his church would follow their Chief Shepherd by being the visible demonstration of his
obedient bride. In a personal letter to Reverend William McCulloch, Edwards shared his
heart: “I have now nothing visible to depend upon for my future usefulness, or the
subsistence of my numerous family. But I hope we have an all-sufficient, faithful, covenant
God to depend upon. I desire that I may ever submit to him, walk humbly before him, and
21
Mark Dever, “How Jonathan Edwards Got Fired and Why It’s Important for Us Today,” in
Piper and Taylor, A God-Entranced Vision of All Things, 129.
22
Jonathan Edwards, Sermons and Discourses, 1743-1758, in The Works of Jonathan
Edwards, ed. Wilson H. Kimnach (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2006), 25:462-94
23
Ian Murray, Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust,
1987), 329.
38
put my trust wholly in him.”24
Edwards’ future proved to be bright and useful beyond anything his imagination
could conceive. He left the farming community of Northampton for the wilderness of a
Native American missionary station in Stockbridge. However, Edwards’ ministry to the
church at large would continue. Beck notes,
Free of the hassles of an unappreciative congregation, Edwards produced many of
the greatest and most important works during his five-year sojourn in Stockbridge.
He wrote Freedom of the Will, Original Sin, and his two treatises, the Nature of
True Virtue and The End for Which God Created the World. These works continue
to affect Christians and have secured Edwards’ legacy for generations to come.25
Edwards’ example of faithfulness to persevere through ministry challenges is
noteworthy. However, in his intense contending for the truth, Edwards has been criticized
for being prideful and unnecessarily rigid regarding the issue that ended his pastorate at
Northampton. Marsden states,
His [Edwards] accompanying seriousness made him not an easy person to spend
time with as a casual acquaintance, although he would been fascinating to talk to
about matters that concerned him. His prowess as a logician made him exceedingly
sure of his opinions, sometimes given to pride, overconfidence, tactlessness, and an
inability to credit opposing views. At the same time, he was often aware of his pride
and was constantly trying—and apparently often succeeding—to subdue his
arrogant spirit and to culture such Christian virtues as meekness, gentleness, and
charity. As was common for eighteenth-century leaders, he was authoritarian, yet he
was also extremely caring. He was much loved by those closest to him. His
opponents found him aloof, opinionated, and intolerant. For a time he won the
hearts of almost everyone in his Northampton parish; then he lost them again in a
bitter dispute, a quarrel of former lovers.26
While Edwards is to be admired for his perseverance, one must consider the importance
of seeing Edwards and other “heroes of the faith” as men who were in the process of
being sanctified as they sought to persevere in ministry. These men of faith were not
perfect, and thus should not be placed on a pedestal to be admired and worshipped.
Instead, the lives of such men should cause the pastor to imitate them in their authenticity
24
Edwards, Letters and Personal Writings, 16:358.
25
Beck, “Jonathan Edwards,” 71.
26
Marsden, Jonathan Edwards, 5-6.
39
to be like Christ. Edwards finished his life as president of the College of New Jersey
before passing into eternity on April 7, 1758.
Perseverance Displayed in
Glorifying God
For Edwards, the glory of God was his relentless pursuit and intentional
endeavor of every day. Within this gaze, he dwelled on the “excellencies” or beauty of
God. Ortlund contends, “For Edwards, beauty is what makes God God. . . . No
sovereignty, not wrath, not grace, not omniscience, not eternity, but beauty is what
defines God’s very divinity. Edwards clearly believed in these other truths about God and
saw all of them as upholding and displaying and connected to God’s beauty.”27
According to Edwards, beauty does not minimize God’s attributes, but becomes
the lens by which one sees God and His attributes. Piper speaks of this lens as stunning
and captivating: “To read him [Edwards], after you catch your breath, is to breathe the
uncommon air of the Himalayas of revelation. And the refreshment that you get from this
high, clear, God-entranced air does not take out the valleys of suffering in this world, but
fits you to spend your life there for the sake of love with invincible and worshipful joy.”28
Edwards was determined to see beauty in God’s holy and righteous character, as
well as see the beauty in God condescending to earth in Jesus Christ to be the sufficient
Savior of mankind. He also sought to appreciate the beauty in God’s creation as a tribute
to the Creator Himself. The beauty displayed in nature displays the beautiful character of
God. Furthermore, Ortlund accentuates that Edwards desired “to raise our eyes from the
loveliness of creation to the loveliness of God.”29 Since “all things were made through
Him and for Him” (Col 1:16), the gaze of the one created must look upward.
27
Ortlund, Edwards on the Christian Life, 24.
28
Piper, “A God-Entranced Vision of All Things,” 18.
29
40
For Edwards, “every thought, passion, and desire must lead to the glory and
honor of Christ. He knew he was not his own, but belonged to Christ. Therefore, he must
decrease and Christ must increase, so he reveled in the advancement of Christ’s
kingdom.”30 God’s glory and coming kingdom dominated Edwards’ thoughts and became
the overriding goal of his life. This key theological conviction is rooted deeply in
Edwards’ personal study of the Word at a young age. As Piper contends, “This is the
essence of Edwards’s God-entranced vision of all things! God is the beginning, the middle,
and the end of all things. Nothing exists without his creating it. Nothing stays in being
without his sustaining word. Everything has its reason for existing from him. Therefore,
nothing can be understood apart from him.”31 This fixed determination drove Edwards to
give himself to an unwavering commitment to live for God’s glory alone.32 Even though
Edwards’ resolve would be tested in some excruciatingly difficult ways, he saw each
circumstance as an opportunity to give God glory for the spiritual growth it would
produce in him.
Learning from the Weaknesses of Edwards

Failure to Relate the Gospel
to Christians
Ortlund states, “Jonathan Edwards’ greatest weakness may have been a failure to
adequately apply the gospel to the hearts of Christians. . . . His focus is on subjective much
more than the objective aspect of Christian living: Christ in us more than Christ for us.”33
30
31
Piper, “A God-Entranced Vision of All Things,” 24.
32
33
Ortlund, Edwards on the Christian Life, 178-79. Ortlund continues by clarifying, “Jonathan
Edwards is way out ahead of me, and probably you, both in living and in theologizing on the Christian life.
. . . Lest I overstate this criticism, let me put it this way: the Christian church has much to learn from Edwards
about the gospel, but Edwards has a little to learn from us” (178).
41
In one sense, Edwards did preach the objective truth of the gospel. However, he did not
consistently relate the gospel to his congregation’s life once they believed the gospel.
Ortlund gives an example of Edwards’ weakness in being gospel-centered in application
in his sermon, “A Glorious Foundation for Peace.”34 Edwards concludes rightly that Christ
came to bring peace into the world. However, as Ortlund concludes, “For all that he
[Edwards] said about the beauty of Christ, he could have been clearer on what precisely it
is that makes Christ so beautiful – namely, his grace toward sinners, including regenerate
sinners.”35
Misapplying the Text of Scripture

To be sure, Edwards treasured the Scriptures and sought to preach them
faithfully. However, his sermonic pattern was lacking in moving through each text in an
expository fashion. Ortlund notes, “his [Edwards’] sermonic strategy was to take a text,
usually a single verse, and use it as launching point for a sermon.”36 This pattern
encourages the preacher to put something in the text that was not intended. For instance,
Edwards once connected Christ’s sending his disciples as lambs into the midst of wolves
(Luke 10:3) to David’s rescuing a lamb out of the lion’s mouth in the Old Testament.37
This weakness is also seen in Edwards’ preaching of prophecy passages and making forced
connections to the events of the day. While he believed in Christ’s soon return, he also
contended that America could play a key part in eschatology.38 One more way Edwards
misapplied the text of Scripture was a tendency to use allegory in his preaching of the Old
34
Jonathan Edwards, “A Glorious Foundation for Peace,” in The Glory and Honor of God:
Volume 2 of the Previously Unpublished Sermons of Jonathan Edwards, ed. Michael D. McMullen
(Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2004), 182-84.
35
36
37
38
42
Testament. One example of this is his interpretation of Song of Solomon. For Edwards,
the romantic love portrayed throughout the book refers to Christ and His bride, the church.
Even in the midst of this weakness, it was not philosophy that won the day for Edwards.
The bulk of Edwards’ work displays a man who loved the Word and submitted himself to
the Word.
Detrimental Self-Examination
As with other Puritans, Edwards encouraged intense self-introspection in his
own life and in the lives of the people of his church. In reference to pursuing revival,
Edwards wrote, “There are things that must be done directly to advance it. And here it
concerns everyone, in the first place, to look into his own heart and see to it that he be a
partaker of the benefits of the work himself, and that it be promoted in his own soul.”39
Edwards could have gone further to be clear about the balance between looking at the
believer’s inward sin and looking to Christ’s righteousness that is imputed to the believer.
Ortlund states, “Healthy, occasional self-examination is one thing. But Edwards
went beyond this into an unhealthy preoccupation with his own spiritual state, encouraging
the same preoccupation among his people.”40 This fixation on assessing the state of the
soul was most likely due to the preaching during the Great Awakening. Edwards stated in
his Religious Affections, “‘Tis not God’s design that men should obtain assurance in any
other way, than by mortifying corruption, and increasing in grace, and obtaining the lively
exercises of it.”41 It appears that Edwards was appealing to the Christian’s performance
in killing sin in their lives as a primary means of assurance. He later wrote about seeking
39
Jonathan Edwards, The Great Awakening, in The Works of Jonathan Edwards, ed. C. C.
Goen (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2009),4:502.
40
Edwards, The Great Awakening, 4:181.
41
Jonathan Edwards, Religious Affections, in The Works of Jonathan Edwards, ed. John E.
Smith (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2006), 2:195.
43
God and serving God to find assurance in one’s standing before God. However, it would
be clearer to say that the gospel is the means to biblical assurance.
Appreciating this World While

Longing for Heaven
Ortlund writes,
Edwards did a poor job of fully appreciating the doctrine of creation and the everyday
delights that are mediated through our five senses. Edwards emphasized the sense of
heart . . . to the neglect of the five senses. He pursued enjoyment of the Giver but at
times neglected enjoyment of the gifts. . . . Edwards’ teaching could easily promote
a false asceticism that needlessly denigrates the good things in life.42
Edwards rightly pointed his church to the eternal hope of glory in heaven but overlooked
how to properly delight in what God has given the believer on earth to enjoy.
Ministry Applications
Though not a perfect example, Jonathan Edwards’ life provides the pastor a
means of strengthening pastoral perseverance as he seeks to imitate the manner in which
he followed Christ and ministered for Christ.
Undaunted Devotion to the Word

Considering the life of Jonathan Edwards, today’s pastor can find
encouragement to embrace a fervor for the text of Scripture. Exposure to Edward’s passion
to preach the whole counsel of God accurately and completely will challenge the pastor
to take this charge seriously. In the midst of opposition and outside pressures to conform
to modern interpretations of Scripture, Edwards never denied the truth. Edwards’ diligence
in study and exposition should help to inspire the pastor to serve the people God has placed
under his shepherding in the same manner.
42
Ortlund, Edwards on the Christian Life, 185-86.
44
God-Centered Living
Edwards knew his life was not his own. He lived for the glory of God in a way
that permeated every aspect of his life. He had a God-centered devotion that dominated
every competing desire or ambition. He also saw beauty of God’s character in creation
and the gospel, and Edwards’ perspective is both liberating and convicting. This God-
centered focus should motivate the pastor to give himself wholly to a Godward focus in
both life and ministry.
Taking Sin Seriously

Edwards did not see sin as something to tolerate in his life or in the life of the
church. Church discipline and calls to repentance were regular occurrences throughout his
ministry. Lawson explains, “Edwards was not content merely to root out sin and live a
mediocre Christian life. He wanted to excel in his walk with Christ.”43 For Edwards, an
inspected and exposed life gave way to a pursuit of holy living.
Conclusion
While the pastor today can access a great deal of resources at his fingertips, it
is still possible to be devoid of the necessary encouragement to persevere. The horizons
of the past can provide comfort to the struggling pastor who is losing heart as he presses
on to the horizon in front of him. Studying men of the Word like Jonathan Edwards can
inject strength into the pastoral bloodstream. Ortlund aptly states, “The supreme value of
reading Edwards is that we are ushered into a universe brimming with beauty. Edwards
walks us through the wardrobe of Narnia. We are given glasses—not sunglasses, which
dim everything, but their opposite: lenses that brighten everything.”44 Edwards helps the
pastor to sever the root of sin-killing joy in life and ministry by pointing him to the greater
weight of glory of God and the beauty of His majestic plan. It cannot be overstated that
43
44
45
Edwards pursued God’s glory in all things. This chief aim of his life drove his family life
and ministry direction. Through his God-centered devotion, Edwards sought to train
himself for godliness and prepare for eternity. For Edwards, eternity was not just a
destination but a mindset. Marsden notes, “Edwards spent his whole life preparing to
die.”45 This heavenward focus is seen in his stewardship of the moment and his desire to
make every moment count for eternity. It was not that Edwards was preoccupied with
death; he was preoccupied with pursuing God’s glory in all things.

The ever-broadening scope of Edwards’ ministry cannot be denied. Nichols
asserts, “He mentored half of New England as young candidates for the ministry vied to
apprentice under him. . . They all learned the pastoral charge from his example, and they
went on to become college presidents and pastors, thus extending his influence throughout
the colonies and the young Republic for generations.”46 In addition to those he mentored,
his descendants include 120 college professors, 110 lawyers, 14 presidents of universities,
8 holders of major public office, 3 mayors, 3 governors, 3 US senators, 1 chaplain of the
US Senate, 1 comptroller of the US Treasury, and 1 vice president of the United States.
Lawson estimates, “It is hard to imagine that anyone else has contributed more vitally to
the soul of this nation [America] than this New England divine. There is no doubt that
Edwards was a giant of the Christian faith, one whose influence is still keenly felt
today.”47 May every pastor who is losing heart study the life of Jonathan Edwards. He
provides a life worth imitating as a means to strengthen pastoral perseverance.
45
Marsden, Jonathan Edwards, 490.
46
Nichols, Jonathan Edwards, 19.
47
46
CHAPTER 4
PASTORAL PERSEVERANCE IMITATED
IN CHARLES SPURGEON
Introduction
This chapter examines the life and pastoral perseverance of Charles H.
Spurgeon as an example of pastoral perseverance. This purpose will be accomplished
through a close examination of Spurgeon’s life, pastoral ministry challenges, and
theological convictions within the realm of pastoral perseverance.
The highest compliment one could ever give a preacher would be to say that he
preaches like Charles Spurgeon, who has been rightfully regarded as the “prince of
preachers.” In his biography of Spurgeon, Lawson contends, “If John Calvin was the
greatest theologian of the church, Jonathan Edwards the greatest philosopher, and George
Whitefield the greatest evangelist, Spurgeon surely ranks as the greatest preacher.”1
Charles Haddon Spurgeon was born in Kelvedon, Essex, England, in 1834. He
was born into an extremely poor minister’s family and had to live with his grandfather,
who was also a full-time minister, until he was seven years of age. As Spurgeon learned
to read, he devoured the works of John Bunyan (including The Pilgrim’s Progress) and
other Puritans of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Reeves states, “After the Bible,
The Pilgrim’s Progress was almost certainly the book that sunk deepest into Spurgeon’s
being. He read it over a hundred times in his life and quoted it frequently in his
sermons.”2 Throughout his lifetime he would collect more than 7,000 Puritan works to
add to his impressive 12,000-volume library.
1
Steven Lawson, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon (Orlando: Reformation Trust, 2012), 1.
2
Michael Reeves, Spurgeon on the Christian Life (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 155.
46
Despite his Christian upbringing, Spurgeon remained unconverted throughout
his childhood. However, Spurgeon’s mother prayed for her son faithfully and preached
the gospel regularly to him. God was faithful to answer his mother’s prayers. On January
6, 1850, Spurgeon was walking to his place of worship when a snowstorm arose, deterring
him from reaching his original destination. He instead wandered into the Primitive
Methodist Chapel. Spurgeon found the preacher behind the pulpit to be neither eloquent
with his speech, nor gifted with a commanding presence. He simply preached Isaiah 45:22
and challenged Spurgeon to look upon Christ and live. Spurgeon shares his testimony of
salvation:
“Look!” what a charming word it seemed to me! Oh! I looked until I could almost
have looked my eyes away. There and then the cloud was gone, the darkness had
rolled away, and that moment I saw the sun; and I could have risen that instant, and
sung with the most enthusiastic of them, of the precious blood of Christ, and the
simple faith which looks alone to Him. Oh, that somebody had told me this before,
“Trust Christ, and you shall be saved.”3
Spurgeon received Christ as his Lord and Savior on that cold, snowy January
day. It is interesting to point out that in 1897, a tablet was made in honor of Spurgeon and
was placed in the window of the church of his birthplace. It was put under a figure of
Jesus on the Cross with the inscription, “Look unto me, and be ye saved.” Soon after his
conversion at age 17, Spurgeon surrendered his life to preaching God’s Word. In 1853,
he preached for the first time in the New Park Street Chapel in London. Three months
later, the church called him as their pastor. He remained at this church, which would
later be changed to the Metropolitan Tabernacle, until his death.4 Iain Murray contends,
3
Charles Spurgeon, C. H. Spurgeon’s Autobiography, Compiled from His Diary, Letters, and
Records, by His Wife and His Private Secretary, 1834–1854 (Chicago: Curtis and Jennings, 1898), 1:106-8.
4
Charles Spurgeon, C. H. Spurgeon’s Autobiography, Compiled from His Diary, Letters, and
Records, by His Wife and His Private Secretary, 1856-1878 (Chicago: Curtis and Jennings, 1899), 3:4-5.
The Metropolitan Tabernacle opened on March 18, 1861 as recorded by Spurgeon’s wife and private
secretary:
It was most appropriate that the noble building, which had been erected for a house of prayer, should
be opened with a meeting for prayer. Accordingly, at seven o’clock in the morning of Monday,
March 18, 1861, more than a thousand persons assembled in the Tabernacle. The Pastor presided,
and among those who took part in the proceedings were representatives of the deacons and elders of
47
“When a general census of church attendance was taken on an ordinary Sunday in
London in 1886 the total congregations at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, morning and
evening, exceeded 10,000 people!”5 Most of his sermons were printed and made
available to the public in England and around the world. Lawson asserts, “At the end of
his life, more than 50 million copies of his sermons had been distributed.”6
During Spurgeon’s tenure, the church built the 6,000 seat Metropolitan
Tabernacle. It was Spurgeon’s prayer above all that people would come to know Christ
as they crowded the Metropolitan Tabernacle pews. However, Spurgeon’s ministry and
outreach ranged far from Metropolitan Tabernacle as he founded an orphanage, an evening
school that was offered for free to the public, and a college to train men for pastoral
ministry. Despite all the outward ministerial success and prominence, Spurgeon
encountered times of physical illness, sustained bouts of depression, and had ministry
challenges. Through it all, Spurgeon sought live his life to the fullest. Reeves asserts,
Spurgeon was a man who went at all of life full-on. He was not simply a large
presence in the pulpit. In life, he laughed and cried much; he read avidly and felt
deeply; he was zealously industrious worker and a sociable lover of play and beauty.
He was, in other words, a man who embodied the truth that to be in Christ mean to
be made ever more roundly human, more fully alive.7
Perseverance Displayed through Manifold Sorrow

Spurgeon was no stranger to sorrow in his life. He experienced both spiritual
depression of the soul, physical sickness of the body, and circumstantial disappointments
that marked his ministry.
the Church and students of the College. Fervency and intense earnestness marked every petition.
(Spurgeon, C. H. Spurgeon’s Autobiography, 3:4-5)
5
Ian Murray, The Forgotten Spurgeon (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1966), 15.
6
Lawson, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon, 17.
7
Reeves, Spurgeon on the Christian Life, 25-26.
48
Perseverance Demonstrated through
Spiritual Depression
There were times that Spurgeon would torment himself after preaching,
wondering if he had fallen short of being a worthy servant of the Word of God. Zack
Eswine recounts a scene where his wife, Susannah, found him “weeping deep in his soul
over the ‘smitings of a very tender conscience toward God.’ She would cry with him, out
of tender love for him. She felt that he was harder on himself than was warranted, so
often having no legitimate cause for the way he upbraided his soul.”8 In this particular
scene of discouragement and depression, Spurgeon was struggling with losing sight of
the sufficiency of Christ and his Word on his behalf. However, he would fight the good
fight of believing and depending upon God’s grace. Spurgeon preached about the
propensity of the downcast heart and where hope can be found:
Perhaps you are not well, or you have had an illness that has tolled much upon your
nervous system, and you are depressed; and therefore it is that you think that grace
is leaving you, but it will not. Your spiritual life does not depend upon nature, else it
might expire; it depends upon grace, and grace will never cease to shine till it lights
you into glory.9
Spurgeon described his journey through trials with Isaiah 48:10: “Behold, I
have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.” Spurgeon
wrote in his later years,
This has long been the motto fixed before our eye upon the wall of our bed-chamber,
and in many ways it has also been written on our heart. It is no mean thing to be
chosen of God. God’s choice makes chosen men choice men. . . . We are chosen,
not in the palace, but in the furnace. In the furnace, beauty is marred, fashion is
destroyed, strength is melted, glory is consumed; yet here eternal love reveals its
secrets, and declares its choice. So has it been in our case. . . . Therefore, if to-day
the furnace he heated seven times hotter, we will not dread it, for the glorious Son of
God will walk with us amid the glowing coals.10
8
Zack Eswine, “C. H. Spurgeon: Faithful in Sorrow,” in 12 Faithful Men: Portraits of
Courageous Endurance in Pastoral Ministry, ed. Colin Hansen and Jeff Robinson (Grand Rapids: Baker,
2018), 128.
9
Charles Spurgeon, “Smoking Flax,” in Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons (London:
Passmore and Alabaster, 1855-1917), 31:224.
10
Spurgeon, C. H. Spurgeon’s Autobiography, 4:353.
49
Spurgeon described his times of depression as the “minister’s fainting fits.” He
sought to view each bout of depression as a blessing in disguise that would give way to
supplying God’s strength out of his weakness. In one of Spurgeon’s many lectures to his
pastor’s college students, he explained this phenomenon:
Depression has now become to me as a prophet in rough clothing, a John the Baptist,
heralding the nearer coming of my Lord’s richer benison. So have far better men
found it. The scouring of the vessel has fitted it for the Master’s use. Immersion in
suffering has preceded the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Fasting gives an appetite for
the banquet. The Lord is revealed in the backside of the desert, while his servant
keepeth the sheep and waits in solitary awe. The wilderness is the way to Canaan. The
low valley leads to the towering mountain. Defeat prepares for victory. The raven is
sent forth before the dove. The darkest hour of the night precedes the day-dawn. The
mariners go down to the depths, but the next wave makes them mount to the heaven;
their soul is melted because of trouble before he bringeth them to their desired
haven.11
Spurgeon wanted his aspiring pastors in training to have an unvarnished view
of the ministry that lay before them. He challenged them to count the cost as well as
confirm their calling. In Spurgeon’s view, pastors were not just called to preach sermons
and stay disconnected from the people. Instead, Spurgeon sought to enter the lives of the
people God gave him to shepherd. He was called to preach to the sheep but also smell
like the sheep. In his lectures to students, Spurgeon describes the pressures upon the
Christian minister to lose heart as they are called to do “heart work”:
Our work, when earnestly undertaken, lays us open to attacks in the direction of
depression. Who can bear the weight of souls without sometimes sinking to the dust?
Passionate longings after men’s conversion, if not fully satisfied (and when are they?),
consume the soul with anxiety and disappointment. To see the hopeful turn aside, the
godly grow cold, professors abusing their privileges, and sinners waxing more bold
in sin—are not these sights enough to crush us to the earth? The kingdom comes not
as we would, the reverend name is not hallowed as we desire, and for this we must
weep. How can we be otherwise than sorrowful, while men believe not our report,
and the divine arm is not revealed? All mental work tends to weary and to depress,
for much study is a weariness of the flesh; but ours is more than mental work—it is
heart work, the labour of our inmost soul. How often, on Lord’s-day evenings, do
we feel as if life were completely washed out of us! After pouring out our souls over
our congregations, we feel like empty earthen pitchers which a child might break.
Probably, if we were more like Paul, and watched for souls at a nobler rate, we should
know more of what it is to be eaten up by the zeal of the Lord’s house. It is our duty
11
Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students (London: Passmore and Alabaster, 1875), 1:174.
50
and our privilege to exhaust our lives for Jesus. We are not to be living specimens of
men in fine preservation, but living sacrifices, whose lot is to be consumed; we are
to spend and to be spent, not to lay ourselves up in lavender, and nurse our flesh.
Such soul-travail as that of a faithful minister will bring on occasional seasons of
exhaustion, when heart and flesh will fail.12
Even under the worst of circumstances, Spurgeon’s focus was on Christ and
the suffering that He endured on his behalf for Spurgeon’s sin. Spurgeon’s perspective on
suffering gives hope to the pastor on the verge of losing heart. Even though Spurgeon
seems to be a “larger than life” character of church history, he self-identifies with every
pastor who has found himself in the throes of despair. Spurgeon reminds each minister of
the gospel that Jesus is the suffering Savior in the same measure that he is the risen
Savior. Eswine brings a helpful word to fellow sufferers on the benefits of preaching the
Christ of the Gethsemane from Spurgeon’s viewpoint:
At such times, Spurgeon reminds us that preaching the bountiful aid of the cross or
the empty tomb or Jesus’ ascension will provide no relief or respite. Only the Garden
of Gethsemane can free us in our anguish. For there we do not have a general who
stands in the back in safety demanding the we weary ones charge first into battle. On
the contrary, the garden of betrayal shows us our fellow friend who steps forward to
take the lead. He runs toward the fight before all of us. He faces the enemy first so
that we who follow are neither alone or without hope.13
Spurgeon’s confidence in suffering draws from life-giving truth in Hebrews
4:15-16 since Jesus is the personal high priest for the believer: “For we do not have a
high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every
respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw
near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of
need.” Jesus experienced temptation, but faithfully obeyed the Father in every case.
Therefore, the believer can draw near to the Father in prayer and access God’s mercy and
grace instead of judgment and condemnation. When preaching Hebrews 4, Spurgeon
spoke with a personal touch to his flock:
This morning, being myself more than usually compassed with infirmities, I desire
to speak, as a weak and suffering preacher, of that High Priest who is full of
12
Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, 1:170.
13
Eswine, “C. H. Spurgeon,” 129.
51
compassion: and my longing is that any who are low in spirit, faint, despondent, and
even out of the way, may take heart to approach the Lord Jesus. . . . Jesus is touched,
not with the feeling of your strength, not with a feeling of your strength, but of your
infirmity. Down here, poor, feeble nothings affect the heart of their great High Priest
on high, who is crowned with glory and honour. As the mother feels with the
weakness of her babe, so does Jesus feel with the poorest, saddest, and weakest of
his chosen.14
As the believer draws near to the Lord, the Lord draws ever nearer to the
believer. In such times of trial, the believer is molded into the image of Christ through
leaning more fully on Christ for strength. Spurgeon’s belief was well founded in 1
Corinthians 10:13, where Christ not only promises his presence, but also to be faithful in
carrying the believer through the trial: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not
common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability,
but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to
endure it.”
Reeves articulates the fruit of sorrow for the pastor: “Sorrows not only enable
us to appreciate blessings from the Lord; they throw us onto him. Fear and tribulation
make us cling to him as times of comfort never would . . . being a pastor, he [Spurgeon]
was sensitively aware of how to give such theology to people who are in the throes of
pain.”15
Perseverance Demonstrated
through Physical Pain
Spurgeon knew the adversity of physical pain, both personally and within his
family. Though his wife gave birth to twin boys in 1856, she was unable to have any more
children. Piper explains, “When she [Susannah] was thirty-three years old, she became a
virtual invalid and seldom heard her husband preach for the next 27 years until his death.”16
14
Spurgeon, Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, 36:315, 320.
15
Reeves, Spurgeon on the Christian Life, 167.
16
John Piper, Charles Spurgeon: Preaching through Adversity (Minneapolis: Desiring God,
2015), 8.
52
Physical pain became a persistent condition of Spurgeon and proved to be relentless from
the time he reached the age of thirty-three. Reeves describes Spurgeon’s painful path: “He
suffered from a burning kidney inflammation called Bright’s Disease, as well as gout,
rheumatism, and neuritis. The pain was such that it soon kept him from preaching one
third of the time. Added to that, overwork, stress, and guilt about the stress began to take
their toll.”17
Later in life, Spurgeon and Susannah would bury their grandson. However,
Spurgeon found comfort in God’s purposes. Reeves contends, “Spurgeon saw that our
heavenly Father ordains suffering for believers. Though our trials may come from the
world, the flesh, and the Devil, they are overruled and ordained by God, who treats them
as an important part of our new life in Christ.”18 Instead of viewing painful experiences
as random or negative, Spurgeon believed that each experience was an opportunity to
become more conformed to Christ and treasure Him above all things. Reeves captures
Spurgeon’s perspective: “God will not therefore simply reward believers with ease in this
life, for that would make ease, rather than Christ, the greatest prize. Suffering is therefore
a ‘covenant mark,’ a proof that God is our Father and therefore cares enough about us to
do everything necessary to mold and clip us into the likeness of his happily holy Son.”19
For the pastor, this perspective on suffering might not sound appealing. Truly, it is possible
for believers to see suffering as a punitive mark against them from God as opposed to a
“covenant mark” of God’s favor. In times of personal pain, the pastor must cling to the
promise that God has not abandoned His own. Rather, He has chosen His own to go
through suffering for His glory and others’ good. The pastor’s suffering deepens the well
of a pastor’s capacity to serve the flock of God. Reeves shares Spurgeon’s perspective:
17
18
19
53
When pastors preach from a broken heart, they can often relate far better to the
despairing and thus offer a deeper consolation. When a pastor patiently endures
difficulty and affliction, and keeps rejoicing in God, it powerfully commends the
gospel as glad tidings of joy. The pastor—or, indeed, any Christian who ministers to
another—can prove the comfort that is found in God at such times. God therefore
often leads his under-shepherds through trials, “not so much for their own benefit as
for the sake of those to whom they may afterwards minister.”20
To cope with his physical pain, Spurgeon would often leave the cold dreary
winter weather of London for the pleasant warmth of Mentone, which was located on the
beautiful French Riviera. Spurgeon could see the need for rest and refreshment in his own
life and sought to pass his wisdom to those he was training in his pastor’s college. In his
own words, he speaks to past and present generations of pastors:
In the midst of a long stretch of unbroken labour, the same affliction may be looked
for. The bow cannot be always bent without fear of breaking. Repose is as needful
to the mind as sleep to the body. Our Sabbaths are our days of toil, and if we do not
rest upon some other day we shall break down. Even the earth must lie fallow and
have her Sabbaths, and so must we. Hence the wisdom and compassion of our Lord,
when he said to his disciples, “Let us go into the desert and rest awhile.” What! when
the people are fainting? When the multitudes are like sheep upon the mountains
without a shepherd? Does Jesus talk of rest? When Scribes and Pharisees, like
grievous wolves, are rending the flock, does he take his followers on an excursion
into a quiet resting place? Does some red-hot zealot denounce such atrocious
forgetfulness of present and pressing demands? Let him rave in his folly. The
Master knows better than to exhaust his servants and quench the light of Israel. Rest
time is not waste time. It is economy to gather fresh strength.21
Spurgeon had taken note of his body’s ailments and learned that he had to pace
himself. Without regular times of rest and refreshment, Spurgeon would not be able to
give himself wholeheartedly to the task of pastoral ministry. Today’s pastor would do
well to heed Spurgeon’s advice and invest each moment wisely for the kingdom with a
balanced rhythm of rest and work.
Perseverance Demonstrated through

Circumstantial Disappointment
In addition to spiritual and physical sorrow, Spurgeon experienced
20
21
54
disappointments that wounded him deeply. Early in his ministry, he had one incident that
would mark him for the rest of his ministry. Eswine recounts the story: “One October 19,
1856, as he [Spurgeon] stood in the pulpit preaching to thousands, a prankster yelled,
‘Fire!’ The resulting panic left seven dead and twenty-eight seriously injured.”22 To make
matters more complex, Spurgeon had only been married for less than a year and would
become of the father of twins the next day on October 20, 1856. Stress of this magnitude
would cause any pastor to reconsider his ministerial calling. It would seem that
Spurgeon’s future ministry stood on the edge of a knife. At this point, he did not have the
luxury of seeing the far-reaching impact of his preaching, writing, and mentoring.
Eswine asserts, “Susannah says that her husband tottered on the verge of insanity. Those
close to him provided what we would call suicide watch to make sure he didn’t harm
himself in his despair.”23 This horrific encounter was something from which Spurgeon
would never fully recover. Afterward, it was difficult for Spurgeon to bring himself to
preach. Spurgeon confessed his struggle to preach publicly to his congregation as he
stepped into the pulpit the next time:
I almost regret this morning that I have ventured to occupy this pulpit, because I feel
utterly unable to preach to you for your profit. I had thought that the quiet and repose
of the last fortnight had removed the effects of that terrible catastrophe; but on coming
back to the same spot again, and more especially, standing here to address you, I feel
somewhat of those same painful emotions which well-nigh prostrated me before. I
have been utterly unable to study, but I thought that even a few words might be
acceptable to you this morning, and I trust to your loving hearts to excuse them. Oh,
Spirit of God, magnify thy strength in thy servant's weakness, and enable him to
honour his Lord, even when his soul is cast down within him. . . . The most I ask is,
22
23
Eswine, “C. H. Spurgeon,” 131. Eswine reveals how this affected Spurgeon in years to come:
“Twenty-five years later, Spurgeon was about to address a large audience during a session of the Baptist
Union. He was older now, middle-aged, a seasoned pastor and widely known. With all seats accounted for,
hundreds pressed in. . . . He experienced what we call a flashback or a post-trauma response. . . . He
preached that night but barely” (131).
55
that Thou wouldst live in me, that the life I live in the flesh may not be my life, but
thy life in me, that I may say with emphasis, as Paul did, “For me to live is Christ.”24
Like many pastors today, Spurgeon experienced desertion, bereavement,
disappointment, defeat, and guilt. His response to depression was not always neat and
tidy. He did not recover quickly and shrug off every bout as if he was impervious to
affliction. However, Spurgeon remained faithful, crying out to God to supply him with
spiritual strength and an eternal perspective. As Eswine contends, the way to overcome
this kind of depression is “one imperfect, frazzled, vulnerable step at a time . . . our
greatest hope at this moment isn’t the absence of our weakness but the presence of God’s
strength.”25 In moments like these, Spurgeon connected God’s nearness to the believer
through suffering with God’s goodness. Drawing from one of his favorite books, Spurgeon
related this experience in one of his sermons:
In the old Pilgrim’s Progress I used to read in my grandfather’s house, I remember
the picture of Hopeful in the river holding Christian up; and the engraver has done it
very well. Hopeful has his arm round Christian, and lifts his hands, and says, “Fear
not brother, I feel the bottom.” That is just what Jesus does in our trials; he puts his
arm round us, points us up, and says, “Fear not! The water may be deep, but the
bottom is good.”26
Persevered Displayed in Gospel-Centered Preaching

Throughout his life, Spurgeon never wavered in contending specifically for the
doctrines of grace to be proclaimed consistently in his church. He was gospel-centered
before it was popular to take the label among confessing evangelicals. He cherished the
doctrines of grace (total depravity, unconditional election, definite atonement, irresistible
grace, and the perseverance of the saints) and regularly preached them with vigor and
passion. Lawson asserts, “Without question, the doctrines of sovereign grace were the
24
Charles Spurgeon, “The Exaltation of Christ,” New Park Street Pulpit, vol. 2, sermon no.
101, The Spurgeon Center, accessed February 21, 2019, https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/
sermons/the-exaltation-of-christ#flipbook/.
25
26
Spurgeon, Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, 44:202.
56
foundation stones of Spurgeon’s gospel ministry, and the high-octane fuel that powered
his fiery preaching of the gospel. The marvelous truths of God’s supreme authority in
man’s salvation kindled the fires of his heart and stoked the flames of his pulpit.”27
On the occasion of his inaugural sermon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, he
preached the doctrines of grace to the people for the purpose of establishing this new
place of worship on the solid foundation of the gospel. Spurgeon’s legacy continues to
be his unfaltering, courageous fight for the truth and his strict adherence to that truth which
was all motivated by his undying love for his Lord. Spurgeon truly did leave behind a
legacy that will not allow itself to be forgotten. He embodied so many of the traits that
the New Testament qualifies for a shepherd of the Lord’s flock. His preaching always
brought depth but also a freshness to the pulpit. His life was characterized by living those
principles that he so diligently preached. He stood for the truth even when it seemed like
no one else would. Spurgeon stood for the truth because he believed it should be
tenaciously guarded. In his lecture on “The Necessity of Ministerial Progress,” he
challenged his students to improve their God-given abilities to read, study, think, and
expand their breadth of knowledge:
Let us be thoroughly well acquainted with the great doctrines of the Word of God,
and let us be mighty in expounding Scripture. . . . I cannot too earnestly assure you
that if your ministries are to be lastingly useful you must be expositors. For this you
must understand the Word yourselves, and be able so to comment upon it that the
people may be built up by the Word. Be master of your Bibles, brethren: whatever
other works you have not searched, be at home with the writings of the prophets and
apostles. “Let the word of God dwell in you richly.”28
Spurgeon’s passion for doctrine was only rivaled by his fervor for evangelism.
He was so committed to sharing the gospel with others that he would routinely and
intentionally plea for people to come to Christ in every sermon. Spurgeon was undaunted
in his faithfulness in preaching the gospel to anyone who would listen. Arnold Dallimore
27
28
Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students (New York: Robert Carter and Brothers, 1889),
2:48-49.
57
recounts Spurgeon’s passion for unbelievers:
Almost every sermon contained, especially toward its close, an entreaty of this
nature—warning, begging, pleading, urging the sinner to come to Christ. He did not
ask people to walk to the front of the auditorium, raise a hand, sign a card, or perform
any outward action. But throughout each sermon and especially as he drew it to its
close, he pleaded with unsaved hearers to believe on Christ, and he expected them to
do so then and there.29
Spurgeon also maintained that every pastor who was not preaching all the
truths of Scripture was not preaching the gospel. He made bold proclamations of the
gospel each week in his church with great compassion. In his own words, Spurgeon
concluded that God’s sovereign role in salvation became the motivation of his heart:
If there are so many fish to be taken in the net, I will go and catch some of them.
Because many are ordained to be caught, I spread my nets with eager expectation. I
never could see why that should repress our zealous efforts. It seems to me to be the
very thing that should awaken us to energy—that God has a people, and that these
people shall be brought in.30
Spurgeon displayed perseverance in preaching the gospel faithfully. Due to the
pressures of caring for the church, it is not convenient for the pastor to care so deeply for
those outside of Christ. In fact, it is not uncommon for pastors to go throughout their
ministry lives with a coldness toward the unsaved. Spurgeon was absolutely clear that he
wanted to have preaching that says, “‘Look unto him and be ye saved all the ends of the
earth’—Calvary preaching, Calvary theology, Calvary books, Calvary sermons . . . and in

proportion as we have Calvary exalted and Christ magnified, the gospel is preached in our
midst.”31 During a sermon in December 1860, Spurgeon recounted a story of many Welsh
miners who perished in the mines after a horrific explosion sent them to their deaths and
the aftermath of mourning that took place within the community. Spurgeon implored his
people to place themselves into the story as he preached to them about the brevity of life
29
Arnold Dallimore, Spurgeon (Chicago: Moody, 1984), 80.
30
31
Charles Spurgeon, “The Exaltation of Christ,” New Park Street Pulpit, vol. 1, sermon no. 34,
The Spurgeon Center, accessed February 21, 2019, https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/
preach-the-gospel#flipbook/.
58
and urgency to compassionately proclaim the gospel:
Can you picture to yourselves the scene? Do you see the women as they come
clustering round the pit, shrieking for their sons, and their husbands, and their fathers?
. . . The misery in that valley is past description; those who have witnessed it, fail to
be able to picture it. . . . We have not a single relative who may not become to us
within the next moment a fountain of grief. . . . Oh my brothers and sisters in Christ,
if sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies; and if they perish,
let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay, and not
madly destroy themselves. If hell be filled, at least let it be filled with the teeth of
our exertions, and let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for.32
Spurgeon wanted a culture of evangelism to permeate his church and he
modeled this passion for souls in his every day dealings with his fellow man.
Perseverance Displayed in Fighting

for Denominational Purity
Throughout his life, Spurgeon fought valiantly for the Truth. From 1887 to
1888, he initiated what is called the Down Grade Controversy.33 As Spurgeon saw it, a
subtle theological drift had to be confronted. Some have discovered this drift as far back
as 1873, when the Baptist Union switched its base of doctrine to one of function. The
controversy broke out when Spurgeon published a series of articles in his paper to the
public, The Sword and the Trowel. His first article was entitled, “The Down Grade,”
describing where he thought the Baptist denomination was headed. McBeth writes of this
downfall of dogma in the denomination: “It painted a dismal picture and doctrinal decay
in the denomination, with prayerless churches, indifferent laity, and unbelieving pastors
who spent their time in worldly pursuits . . . rather than in Bible study and fervent
preaching.”34
Spurgeon had detected two main weaknesses in the denomination. First, there
32
Charles Spurgeon, “The Wailing of Risca,” in Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, vol. 7,
sermon no. 349, The Spurgeon Center, accessed February 21, 2019, https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-
library/sermons/the-wailing-of-risca#flipbook/.
33
Murray, The Forgotten Spurgeon, 139-206. Murray provides an in-depth perspective on the
theological nuances of the Down Grade Controversy along with its impact on Spurgeon’s life and ministry.
34
H. Leon McBeth, The Baptist Heritage (Nashville: Broadman, 1987), 302.
59
was a steady decline in use of prayer meetings and more of an emphasis on worldly
entertainment within the church. In Spurgeon’s opinion, this change of focus from prayer
to entertainment would only lead to doctrinal decay. He could see that modern culture
and entertainment-driven preaching would not lead people to the truth, but away from it.
Over time, this issue of doctrinal decay was pressed to the forefront. Secondly, he warned
the Baptist Union that some sermons were leaving out the atonement all together.
Spurgeon contended that without the work of Christ on the cross there would be no
Christian gospel to preach. He aggressively resisted the trends of belief that were making
their way into Baptist territory. Notwithstanding, Spurgeon did not expect that his article
would strike such a sensitive vein of contention among many Baptists of the day. The
friction became so severe between some within the Baptist Union that Spurgeon decided
to withdraw from the Baptist Union all together. In the end, this controversy would
greatly affect Baptists as a whole.35 The hasty winds of change took many Baptists by
surprise, with their theology as well as their practice shifting from truth to error.
Spurgeon could not reconcile how those who professed the gospel would fraternize with
those who have turned aside to another gospel.
Spurgeon continued preaching the centrality of the gospel with a deep
commitment for orthodoxy and theological precision. He felt that the Baptists were being
unfaithful to the fundamentals of the faith and those who aligned themselves with these
men were in grave danger of being in theological error themselves. Spurgeon fought for
the inspiration of Scripture, the authenticity of Scripture, and against the current trends of
liberalism in his day. He made any sacrifice necessary to defend the doctrinal truths of
the grace of God. In 1887, Spurgeon continued to sound the warning call to his critics.
Murray details Spurgeon’s admonition:
35
McBeth writes, “Changing views of life and moral values, often lumped together under the
generic name of secularism, grew rapidly during the late Victorian era and made many Baptists uncertain
about religious practices and teachings.” McBeth, The Baptist Heritage, 290
60
A chasm is opening between the men who believe their Bibles and the men who are
prepared for an advance upon Scripture. . . . The house is being robbed, its very
walls are being digged down, but the good people who are in bed are too fond of the
warmth, and too much afraid of getting broken heads, to go downstairs and meet the
burglars. . . . Inspiration and speculation cannot long abide in peace. Compromise
there can be none. We cannot hold the doctrine of the fall and yet talk of the
evolution of spiritual life from nature; we cannot recognize the punishment of the
impenitent and yet indulge the “larger hope.” One way or the other we must go.
Decision is the virtue of the hour.36
Even though Spurgeon’s protest did not reap a great deal of followers at the
time, it ensured a broader spectrum of hearers in generations to come. Many thought his
stances were too strong and conservative. Spurgeon never accommodated his critics, nor
did he ever give in to compromising his beliefs.
Learning from Spurgeon’s Weaknesses

Spurgeon’s Tireless Work Ethic
Spurgeon had a diligent work ethic in preparing to preach. In addition to
raising twin sons, Spurgeon often preached up to ten times a week, wrote nearly 500
letters, digested six meaty books, and was constantly managing the roles of pastor,
president, editor, author, and itinerate evangelist. William Albert addresses how this
work ethic was in Spurgeon’s upbringing, but also became an antecedent for depression:
Spurgeon was raised with the belief that hard work was integral to Christianity. All
Christians should be industrious, for religion never was destined to make one idle.
Jesus was a great worker, and his disciples must not be afraid of hard work. Spurgeon
had little use for ministers who did not labor intensely. . . . Work was a remedy and,
on many occasions, the enemy of Spurgeon in his effort to curb depression.37
Piper quotes a conversation between Spurgeon and missionary David
Livingstone, who once asked him, “How do you manage to do two men’s work in a
single day?” Spurgeon replied, “You have forgotten there are two of us.”38 This is most
36
Murray, The Forgotten Spurgeon, 143.
37
William Albert, “When the Wind Blows Cold: The Spirituality of Suffering and Depression
in the Life and Ministry of Charles Spurgeon” (Ph.D. diss., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary,
2015), 45-46.
38
Piper, Charles Spurgeon, 8.
61
certainly referring to the presence of Christ’s energizing power as read in Colossians 1:29
when Paul says, “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works
within me.” It is worth noting that Spurgeon’s work ethic should not be the aim of today’s
pastor. While he worked untiringly, he did not always work well for the good of his health.
Eswine provides helpful wisdom that Spurgeon realized later in his ministry: “We need to
adjust our work rhythms and expectations. Spurgeon resisted this change at first, but
gradually began to take regular breaks for months at a time in Mentone, France. For the
sake of his health and ministry, such breaks were wise. . . . We need to build into our lives
regular rhythms with God’s creation.”39 Spurgeon’s tireless work ethic is not the standard
by which all pastors will be judged. The apostle Paul unfolds the standard of faithfulness
in 1 Corinthians 4:1-2: “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and
stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they found
trustworthy.” In other words, success is faithfulness.
Spurgeon’s Method of Preaching

Spurgeon did not make it a normal practice to preach verse-by-verse through a
book of the Bible. Instead, he moved from text to text on any given Sunday. In doing so,
Spurgeon may have neglected to help people see the overarching themes of Scripture.
While he was certainly orthodox and gospel-centered, Spurgeon was not expository in his
delivery. In his Lectures to My Students, Spurgeon emphasized voice inflection, pitch,
gestures, and pulpit presence.40 To be sure, these exhortations may have been helpful
during his day, but how much more to establish a commitment to expository preaching in
the students. As with any preacher, today’s pastor should use discretion in tailoring his
preaching methods to Spurgeon. Instead, one can seek to imitate his faithfulness to
proclaim the truth.
39
40
See Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, 2:150-213.
62
Ministry Applications
Ministry through Adversity
Upon considering the life of Charles Spurgeon, today’s pastor should embrace
ministry through adversity as a normality, not as the exception. To know Spurgeon
through his writings is to know his passion to preach the Word faithfully. Spurgeon
preached the Word amid great conflict within and without, including his bouts of
depression. Piper explains, “Spurgeon saw his depression as the design of God for the
good of his ministry and the glory of Christ. . . . What comes through again and again is
Spurgeon’s unwavering belief in the sovereignty of God in all his afflictions. More than
anything else, it seems, this kept him from caving in to the adversities of his life.”41
Spurgeon viewed his suffering as a means to greater growth in and knowledge
of Christ. Like the apostle Paul in Philippians 3:10, “That I may know him and the
power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”
As he persevered in his labor for Christ through depression, he came to understand how
Christ was at work within him. Piper asserts,
He saw three specific purposes of God in his struggle with depression. The first is
that it functioned like the apostle Paul’s thorn to keep him humble lest he exalt
himself. . . . The second purpose of God in his despondency was the unexpected
power it gave to his ministry. . . . The third design of his depression was what he
called a “prophetic signal for the future.”42
Each one these purposes served to equip him into a pastor who would endure to the end
of his ministry.
Prizing the Value of Rest in Ministry

While Spurgeon toiled in his labor for Christ, he also saw the value of rest and
reflection. In his lectures, Spurgeon contends,
It is wisdom to take occasional furlough. In the long run, we shall do more by
sometimes doing less. On, on, on for ever, without recreation, may suit spirits
41
Piper, Charles Spurgeon, 17.
42
Piper, Charles Spurgeon, 19-20.
63
emancipated from this “heavy clay,” but while we are in this tabernacle, we must
every now and then cry halt, and serve the Lord by holy inaction and consecrated
leisure. Let no tender conscience doubt the lawfulness of going out of harness for
awhile, but learn from the experience of others the necessity and duty of taking
timely rest.43
Spurgeon did not always value rest in his ministry, especially in his earlier years of
pastoral work. However, he came to understand that rest could be enjoyed without guilt
or regret of not being faithful to the Lord and the flock of God. Christopher Ash gives
today’s pastor a helpful warning:
For every desperate trauma there are perhaps fifty or more pastoral needs which can
perfectly well wait for a later visit or meeting. Indeed it is often good to wait, so that
our brothers and sisters learn to depend upon God rather than on a particular
Christian. A wise measure of self-preservation and the drawing of boundaries
around our time is not the denial of love, but the outworking of wisdom. God needs
no day off. But I am not God, and I do.44
In the midst of ministry demands, the pastor would do well to remember that there is only
one Messiah, and his name is Jesus Christ. The pastor who desires to persevere in
ministry must consider the “long run” if he is to endure; and this perspective includes
taking regular times away to recharge and refresh the soul through communion with
Christ and meditation on his Word.
Ministering with a Gospel-

Centered Focus
Lawson contends that “Christ—crucified, raised, and exalted—was the focus
of Spurgeon’s gospel ministry.”45 While seeking to duplicate Spurgeon’s evangelistic
zeal would be a challenging task, today’s pastor should strive to model his compassion
for the unsaved. Spurgeon treasured doctrines of grace and these truths motivated his
passion to preach the gospel. It was not mere emotion that drove Spurgeon to be an
ambassador for Christ; it was gospel-centered devotion. Spurgeon had an ever-present
43
44
Sacrifice (Surrey, England: Good Book, 2016), 61.
45
64
concern for those outside of the kingdom and longed to see them reconciled to God. He
was known as a man who made tender appeals to those who were perishing in their
unbelief. Tom Nettles elaborates on Spurgeon’s commitment to preaching the gospel:
“This is the main glory of ministry, to preach Christ—his substitution, that he became a
curse for us, dying the just for the unjust in the stead of his people. Christ must be
preached in a lively, earnest, spiritual manner in order for him to be set forth plainly as
crucified, even as Paul did before the Galatians.”46
Training Faithful Men for Ministry

Spurgeon had a passion to train men for the ministry, which is clearly seen in
his establishing the pastor’s college and the many pastors that he personally mentored.
The theological training that each man received is recorded in his work, Lectures to My
Students. These lectures are still widely used today in seminaries as a helpful resource for
aspiring pastors. Spurgeon was committed to the mandate of 2 Timothy 2:2, “And what
you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who
will be able to teach others also.” He spent himself to both identify and train faithful men
in his pastors’ college to be shepherds of the church who were lived in community with
the church. To this end, he was intentional to connect the pastors’ college directly to the
church. To Spurgeon, the students’ close proximity to fellow church members would
prove essential to their training:
At the Pastors’ College, our brethren can not only meet, as they do every day, for
prayer by themselves, but they can unite daily in the prayer-meetings of the church,
and can assist in earnest efforts of all sorts. Through living in the midst of a church
which, despite its faults, is a truly living, intensely zealous, working organization,
they gain enlarged ideas, and form practical habits. Even to see church-management
and church-work upon an extensive scale, and to share in the prayers and
sympathies of a large community of Christian people, must be a stimulus to right-
minded men.47
46
Tom Nettles, Living by Revealed Truth: The Life and Pastoral Ministry of Charles Haddon
Spurgeon (Fearn, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2013), 137.
47
Spurgeon, C. H. Spurgeon’s Autobiography, 3:125.
65
In his lectures to the students of the pastors’ college, Spurgeon was undaunted
in training men to be faithful servants who are prepared to labor in study and face
adversity:
Diligently labour to fit yourselves for your high calling. You will have trials
enough, and woe to you if you do not go forth armed from head to foot with armour
of proof. You will have to run with horsemen, let not the footmen weary you while
in your preliminary studies. The devil is abroad, and with him are many. Prove your
own selves, and may the Lord prepare you for the crucible and the furnace which
assuredly await you.48
Spurgeon was not interested in training men to be successful in the world or heroes on a
pedestal. His passion was to train men to be preachers of the gospel. May today’s
pastors be intentional to practice this training mandate in their churches for the glory of
God.
Conclusion
Spurgeon passed into eternity on Sunday, January 31, 1892. The next week, his
body would lie in state in the Metropolitan Tabernacle. Murray recounts that on the coffin
was “a simple inscription, the relevance of which those who had stood with him in the
Down-Grade could understand. . . . ‘I Have Fought a Good Fight, I Have Finished My
Course, I Have Kept the Faith.’”49 Spurgeon’s life teaches the pastor in crisis that he can
trust 1 Peter 1:13 to never fail him: “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being
sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation
of Jesus Christ.” Christ is both a pastor’s portion and strength for every bout of depression,
every twinge of physical pain, and every devastating circumstantial sorrow. Eswine
reminds the struggling pastor to look to Christ like Spurgeon did on that snowy January
day in 1850, for his salvation:
We look to Jesus with our consciences, our circumstances, and our chemistries. The
sorrowing have a Savior. Our sturdy hope isn’t that we get ourselves together but
48
49
Nettles, Living by Revealed Truth, 165.
66
that he holds us and all things together, whether we find assurance or not. Our
healing isn’t what saves us. His grace saves us. Our speedy recovery isn’t what
gives us hope. His unselfish willingness to find us and carry us home anchors the
hope on which we lean.50
May every pastor who is losing heart study the life of Spurgeon. For when one
looks to the life of Spurgeon, he will be forced to look to Christ and approach his throne
to find grace to help in time of need. Truly, Spurgeon provides a life worth imitating as a
means to strengthen pastoral perseverance.
50
67
CHAPTER 5
IMPLICATIONS FOR THE BROADER CHURCH
Introduction
This chapter focuses on the implications of imitation as a means of pastoral
perseverance over the duration of a lifetime of ministry to Christ in contemporary pastors.
This purpose will be accomplished through an examination of the biblical call to
imitation, the biblical model to suffer with joy in ministry, and the biblical mandate to
keep a close watch over one’s life and doctrine.
The Biblical Call to Imitation

The Bible makes a strong case for imitation within the believer’s life. George
Zemek speaks of the deep roots of imitation (modeling) in the Scriptures:
Modeling had its origin in the creation of man in God’s image, but through the fall
and new creation of man in God’s image, but through the fall and new creation of
man in Christ, it has assumed a renewed importance. New Testament usage of the
τύπος (tupos, “type”) and μιμητής (mimetes,“imitator”) word-groups provides a good
idea of the responsibility of church leaders to live as good moral examples before
those whom they lead. Only when they do so can pastoral ministry fulfill the biblical
standards of that office.1
Ephesians 5:1
The apostle Paul stirs the believer to imitate God in Ephesians 5:1: “Therefore
be imitators of God, as beloved children.” The believer’s focus is directed to God to point
where each thought, action, and motive are fixed to God’s character. God is the ultimate
model for his church. Zemek asserts, “On a larger scale, this command to imitate God
1
George J. Zemek, “Modeling,” in Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically, ed. John
MacArthur (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005), 214.
68
and Christ is part of a larger section about holy living (Eph. 4:25-6:20). . . . On yet a
grander scale of inclusion is the comprehensive scriptural challenge to be holy because
God is holy.”2
First Corinthians 11:1

Paul calls the believer to consider imitation of himself in 1 Corinthians 11:1:
“Be followers of me as I am of Christ.” In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul is not declaring himself

to be the prototype nor is he placing himself on an apostolic pedestal. He is ultimately
pointing everyone’s focus to Christ as the exemplar to follow. Therefore, being an imitator
of Paul or any faithful pastor is not to gaze upon the instrument, but to look through
instrument to the ultimate pattern—Jesus Christ.
Philippians 3:17
Paul emphasizes this concept of imitation in Philippians 3:17: “Brothers, join
in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have
in us.” Clearly, Paul is not promoting himself in Philippians 3, for it is the same context
where Paul proclaims his own limitations and moral imperfections. Paul was still in the
process of being sanctified as he calls others to follow his example of godliness. It is
worth noting that Paul is widening the circle beyond the apostles to include contemporary
pastors whose faithful example should be emulated.
Philippians 4:8-9
Paul continues to accentuate the concept of imitation in Philippians 4:8-9:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever
is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if
there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned
and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace
will be with you.
2
Zemek, “Modeling,” 221.
69
Paul outlines the grid system of truth that should permeate the believer’s
thoughts and deeds. However, the list of virtues in Philippians 4:8 is not intended to
remain in the abstract. Paul has sought to put them into practice and model each virtue
before the people. Zemek states, “From the beginnings of this section, the theme of unity
through humility, including the preferring of others over self, dominates. But the supremely
important example of Christ (2:5-8) undergirds all subsequent moral responsibilities. The
Lord is the primary pattern for attitude and actions.”3 The pastor must keep in mind that
he cannot reproduce what he does not possess in himself. In other words, the virtues that
he seeks to model cannot be fabricated. This pattern of imitation worked for Paul because
the virtues of Philippians 4:8 could be seen and traced in his life. First Thessalonians
1:4-7 also asserts the pattern of imitation. Paul teaches that the Word of God was
received in Thessalonica, and the people were then transformed through the gospel into
fellow-imitators of Christ.
First Timothy 4:12

Paul exhorted Timothy to be a pattern for the believers to follow: “Let no one
despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love,
in faith, in purity.” Zemek underscores that the bar is raised for both the character and
conduct of Christ’s servant: “The man of God is always accountable in areas of personal
and professional responsibility. He cannot just be faithful in teaching the truth; he must
live the truth…His obligation is one of exemplifying before members of the flock.”4 The
five areas in which Paul urged Timothy to exemplify included communication, lifestyle,
3
Zemek, “Modeling,” 222. Zemek continues, “Paul challenged the Philippians to progress in
their sanctification (2:12), reminding them that the resources for such a holy calling reside with God (v.13).
4
Zemek, “Modeling,” 223-24. Zemek also discusses Titus 2 as declaring a similar message:
“Among the instructions to young men, probably Titus’ age group, Paul reminded Titus of his obligation to
be a moral model. Preaching alone was not enough (2:6); he also had to live before them (v.7).” Zemek,
“Modeling,” 225.
70
self-sacrificial love, faithfulness, and moral purity. These five marks in 1 Timothy 4:12
give today’s pastor his marching orders for how imitation is carried out on a weekly basis
before the flock of God. The clear specificity of Paul’s exhortations accentuate how the
Bible never commands believers to imitate indefinable traits. In the same vein of 1 Timothy
4:12, Paul reminds Timothy at the end of his life in 2 Timothy 3:14 to “continue in what
you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from who learned it.” By the time
Paul was called to heaven, Timothy had a full-orbed view of ministry. According to 2
Timothy 3:10-11a, Timothy had observed Paul’s teaching, conduct, aim, faith, patience,
love, steadfastness, persecutions, and suffering. Paul sought to leave footprints of sound
doctrine and godly living for Timothy and others to follow.
Imitation Accomplished within the Church

The Bible teaches that imitation must be a hallmark of the believer’s life. It
should be a normal practice for the pastor’s fellow church members to analyze his life
and follow his pattern in following Christ. However, when a pastor approaches the
imitation language in Scripture it can seem daunting, feel repulsive, or come across as
arrogant. Matt Rogers supplies a helpful answer to this dilemma of seeing imitation
accomplished within the body of Christ: “The church, by and large, is filled with passive
consumers who are unwilling to take spiritual responsibility for the lives of others. We
need to be reminded that the command to ‘follow me as I follow Christ’ is not a statement
of arrogance, but the natural outworking of the Spirit of God in the life of all of his church.5
It is crucial to understand that the apostle Paul’s call to imitation is not shrouded
in a life that is flawless. In fact, he is calling others to imitation while he calls himself the
“chief of sinners.” Rogers asserts, “Perfection was not the basis for his [Paul] call to
5
Matt Rogers, “Is It Arrogant to Ask Christians to Imitate Your Example?” accessed February
25, 2019, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/is-it-arrogant-to-tell-other-christians-to-
imitate-your-example/.
71
imitation. A frail instrument being transformed by the grace of God is perfectly
positioned to be a model for others to follow. This person’s strengths and weaknesses,
gifts and faults, successes and sins should set a model for a life transformed by the
gospel.”6 The invitation to imitation presupposes that Paul is united with Christ. There
would be little value for today’s pastor to imitate Paul’s example or any other church
leader were it not for their relationship with Christ.
Imitation Applied through the

Life of Jonathan Edwards
The life of Jonathan Edwards provides the contemporary pastor a commendable
model of pastoral ministry. He persevered through overwhelming ministry challenges at
his church, and yet he sought to faithfully proclaim the Word to the people who would
ask him to resign. Edwards was not a perfect model of perseverance, since Christ is the
believer’s ultimate and complete example. It has been argued that Edwards had a
propensity to unhealthy introspection in much of his works and sermons. As Dane
Ortlund observes, “Edwards could have made clearer that reviving comes to those who
fix their eyes on Christ, not those who fix their eyes on Christ.”7 In addition, Edwards
often failed to consistently apply the gospel directly to believers. Therefore, Edwards
stopped short of sharing how the gospel is at work after salvation into the hearts of his
church. Ortlund observes, “He [Edwards] missed opportunities to startle his hearers and
readers into wonder and worship through the wonder of free grace to God’s own children
amid their daily faults and failures.”8 Edwards also misapplied Scripture through
allegorizing and self-imposing themes upon the text of Scripture. Furthermore, he had
preoccupation of appreciating this world while seeking to focus on eternity. In the midst
6
Rogers, “Is It Arrogant to Ask Christians to Imitate Your Example?”
7
Crossway, 2014), 181.
8
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of these weaknesses, Edwards’ life provides numerous points of strength that should be
exemplified in the contemporary pastor. He gave himself to a tireless devotion to the
Word and proclaiming it with every breath God gave him with theological precision. He
also pointed his people to prepare for eternity through pursuing holiness in all areas of
life. Iain Murray shares Edwards’ heart for his people’s sanctification: “In Edwards’ own
manuscript notes on ‘Directions for Judging of Persons’ Experiences,’ he writes, ‘See to
it that they long after holiness and that all their experiences increase their longing. . . .
See to it, whether their experience makes them long after perfect freedom from sin, and
after those things wherein holiness consists’.”9 In addition, Edwards provided a God-
centered lens for his people to view the world and their lives.
Today’s pastor can learn from Edwards’ weaknesses through recognizing and
owning his own weaknesses before the Lord. Truly, it is comforting to pastors today that
even Jonathan Edwards needed to grow in his understanding and application the Word.
The contemporary pastor should embrace Edwards’ passion for God’s glory, incorporate
his pursuit of personal holiness, and undaunted commitment to the Scriptures.
Imitation Applied through the

Life of Charles Spurgeon
The life of Charles Spurgeon gives the contemporary pastor a praiseworthy
example to follow. His strengths embody what pastoral perseverance is in several
encouraging ways. He persevered through unthinkable physical pain, circumstantial
sorrow, and spiritual depression. Michael Reeves speaks to how today’s pastor can
emulate Spurgeon’s pattern pointing others to Christ’s suffering in their times of difficulty:
When ministering to the downcast, pastors commonly point people to the
resurrection and the victory of Christ. And the thought of death defeated, rears
wiped away, and exchanging the helmets and swords of our struggle for palm
9
Iain Murray, Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust,
1987), 260.
73
branches and crowns was all essential comfort for Spurgeon. However, when
pastoring the suffering and depressed, he seemed most often to have focused people
on Christ crucified as the Man of Sorrows. . . .Where Jesus in his heavenly glory
might seem too exalted for the emotionally battered to approach, Jesus in his pain-
racked humility can be just the balm they need.10
Spurgeon also persevered through controversy within his denomination, which would
lead to his resignation from the Baptist Union. Far from perfect, Spurgeon struggled with
weaknesses that hindered him. While his tenacious work ethic drove him to deliver
excellent sermon, write voluminously, train men for ministry, it also pressed him at times
to despair from unrealized expectations. In addition, Spurgeon’s method of preaching
does not translate well to the contemporary pastor. While he was faithful to preach the
Word, he did not consistently give his church a steady balanced diet of expository
preaching.
Today’s pastor should strive to emulate Spurgeon’s Christ-centered focus
through the certain clouds of adversity. Spurgeon is a great companion for learning how
to suffer well and not lose heart in Christ’s power and sufficiency. Zack Eswine captures
Spurgeon’s heart in fighting against despair by looking to Christ: “We plead not
ourselves, but the promises of Jesus; not our strengths but His; our weaknesses yes, but
His mercies. Our way of fighting is to hide behind Jesus who fights for us. Our hope is
not the absence of our regret, or misery or doubt or lament, but the presence of Jesus.”11
In addition, the contemporary pastor should incorporate Spurgeon’s twin passions of
passionately spreading the gospel and training faithful men to preach the gospel with
accuracy and clarity. Reeves concluded that amid his theological rigor, Spurgeon was a
“pastorally minded theologian. He wanted to be both faithful to God and understood by
people.”12
10
Michael Reeves, Spurgeon on the Christian Life (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 173.
11
Zack Eswine, Spurgeon’s Sorrows: Realistic Hope for Those Who Suffer from Depression
(Fearn, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2014), 51.
12
74
Imitation Applied to the Contemporary Pastor
For the contemporary pastor, imitation is applied through a close proximity to
others. This juxtaposition implies a “life on life” model of discipleship with others where
there is mutual striving for godliness that results in heart transformation. Imitation goes
beyond being a mere role model but seeking to an accessible pattern for other believers to
follow. Therefore, imbedded within the call to imitation are honest, soul-building
relationships with other pastors. Christopher Ash calls today’s pastor to an intentional
pursuit of accountability in order to avoid burnout in ministry: “Let us take care to nurture
and sustain such friendships, and all the more so when we serve in contexts where there is
much mobility and endless change of people. We are dust. We are not created to be
autonomous, go-it-alone, god-like pastors.”13 No pastor can flourish in isolation of needful
accountability. Isolation is the realm that a pastor will be tempted to lose heart and not
persevere in ministry. The apostle Paul describes the normal body life that is guided by
the gospel of Christ in Philippians 1:27: “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the
gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that
you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the
gospel.” Striving together in ministry side by side with trustworthy brother-pastors who
love and know one another will help to cultivate the good fruit of perseverance. Without
these gospel friendships, the pastor is on track for disaster. This call to imitation not only
includes looking to fellow pastors, but also looking back to pastors who remained faithful
to the end for the Lord. Zemek asserts,
Whether historically noted or ethically urged, the New Testament data present God’s
model to His people, show the moral example of the apostolic circle to all the
churches, emphasize the particular area of responsibility in reference to church leaders
and advocate that all Christians be maturing moral models for the spiritual well-being
of the whole body.14
13
Sacrifice (Surrey: England, Good Book, 2016), 67-68.
14
75
The Biblical Model to Suffer with Joy in Ministry
The Bible calls pastors to suffer and yet to do so with joy. The apostle Paul
proclaims this pattern of perseverance in Colossians 1:24: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings
for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the
sake of his body, that is, the church.” According to Paul, ministry is coupled with both
suffering and joy, with a view to modeling Christ’s affliction to the world. As John Piper
articulates, “Christ’s afflictions lack nothing in atoning worth. What they lack is a personal
presentation in suffering human form to those for whom He died. This is what pastors and
missionaries ‘complete.’”15 Paul was willing to persevere in suffering for the gospel’s sake
in order to see people enter the kingdom through Christ. Ray Ortlund clearly states Paul’s
perspective on pastoral perseverance:
Into his [Paul’s] pastoral ministry flowed two divine powers: suffering and rejoicing.
It is not enough that we pastors today suffer as Paul did. We must suffer without
self-pity, resentment, or murmuring but with rejoicing. Then we advance the gospel.
How could it be otherwise? We represent the One “who for the joy that was set
before him endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2).16
For the contemporary pastor, the ministry blend of suffering and joy may seem
contradictory. Of course, every pastor would desire the rejoicing part of ministry, but
would seek to avoid the suffering that is woven into pastoral service. Ortlund challenges
this popular assumption:
The Lord did not recruit pastors on false pretenses. He told us what to expect. We
will suffer, for his sake. But for that very reason, because it is for him, our sufferings
are a grace, a privilege, an honor he is giving us. We are following him down a path
already stained with his priceless blood. . . . The privilege of pastoral ministry is
Jesus—serving Jesus, standing for Jesus, representing Jesus, laying down our lives
for Jesus, and through it all knowing Jesus more deeply.17
The pastor’s call to ministry implies a call to suffer for his sake and for others’
sake. If the pastor is continually surprised by suffering, then he is in danger of losing heart.
15
John Piper, Brothers We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry
(Nashville: B & H, 2013), 166.
16
Ray Ortlund, foreword to 12 Faithful Men: Portraits of Courageous Endurance in Pastoral
Ministry, ed. Colin Hansen and Jeff Robinson (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2018), 11.
17
Ortlund, foreword to Hansen and Robinson, 12 Faithful Men, 12.
76
As one faithful pastor once said, “Ministry burnout is largely due to unfulfilled
expectations.” Therefore, the pastor must view his suffering from a biblical lens. Piper
states, “Our suffering is not in vain; God never wastes the gift of pain (Phil. 1:29). It is
given to His ministers as He knows best, and its design is the consolation and salvation of
our people. No pastoral suffering is senseless. No pastoral suffering is absurd or
meaningless.”18 As the pastor suffers, he is never alone. Zack Eswine points the
careworn pastor to look to a Savior who is well-acquainted with suffering:

Our sorrows belong to Jesus. He is their master no matter what fiendish thought or
unexplainable cause gave them birth. Jesus shows us His wound, the slanders, the
manipulations, the injustices, the body blows, the mistreatments piled on Him. From
there, He loves, still. He invites us into fellowship with His empathy. We receive it
from Him in the deeps.19
Jonathan Edwards gives these words of hope to those who feel crushed in their
suffering: “Christ will surely give himself as much to his saints as he has given himself
for them. He whose arms were expanded to suffer, to be nailed to the cross, will
doubtless be opened as wide to embrace those from whom he suffered.”20 Embracing
ministry with Christ at the center must be the pastor’s aim. Viewing ministry as an
undeserved gift of grace from God instead of a crushing burden that a pastor must
regrettably carry injects joy into his soul. Derek Brown seeks to awaken the pastor to this
viewpoint:
As we see ministry as a gift from God to enable us to persevere in the faith, many of
us may find greater confidence with which to carry out our work. We may find our
teaching attended with greater power, our discipline sought with greater rigor, and
our spiritual lives characterized by greater joy. Instead of worrying about unavoidable
failure, we will grab hold of our pastoral responsibilities as our God-given means of
18
Piper, Brothers We Are Not Professionals, 166. Piper continues, “When Paul endures
‘weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities,’ and accepts them as God’s gracious therapy,
the power of Christ is perfected in his life (2 Cor. 12:7-10).” Piper, Brothers We Are Not Professionals, 167.
19
Eswine, Spurgeon’s Sorrows, 142.
20
Jonathan Edwards, The Miscellanies 501-832, in The Works of Jonathan Edwards, ed. Ava
Chamberlain (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2000), 18:370.
77
persevering to the end. And, as Paul notes, our progress will not only benefit us, it
will serve as a means of perseverance for those we lead.21
The Biblical Mandate to Keep a Close Watch

Over One’s Life and Doctrine
In 1 Timothy 4:16, the apostle Paul charged Timothy and all pastors to obey
the following mandate in order for them and their churches to persevere: “Keep a close
watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both
yourself and your hearers.” In their commentary on the pastoral epistles, Thomas Lea and
Hayne Griffin state,
Timothy was to scrutinize both his behavior and his theology. Moral and doctrinal
rectitude are the inseparable twins of the Christian life. Paul’s final statement in v.
16 has important application for the doctrine of eternal security. First, Paul indicated
that believers must endure to obtain the benefits of salvation. If Timothy persevered,
his salvation would be evident to him as well as others. Both holy living and sound
teaching are the inevitable fruits of saving faith.22
Piper sounds forth a timely warning from 1 Timothy 4:16 to all pastors today:
“Our salvation and the salvation of those who hear us week after week depend in large
measure on our faithful attention to personal holiness and sound teaching. More is at
stake in our work than greater or lesser progress in sanctification. The salvation of our
believing hearers is on the line.”23 Without question, the pastor’s mandate is not to tailor
his sermons to help his congregation merely get through the next week; rather, the
pastor’s charge is to prepare his congregation for eternity, equipping them through the
Word.
Robert Yarbrough comments rightly in projecting Paul’s aim in exhorting
Timothy:
21
Derek Brown, “Ministry as a Means of Perseverance—Shepherd and Servant,” accessed
January 12, 2017, https://fromthestudy.com/2015/06/08/ministry-as-a-means-of-perseverance/.
22
Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, The New American Commentary,
vol. 34 (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1992), 141.
23
Piper, Brothers We Are Not Professionals, 126. Piper contends, “It is the job of a pastor to
labor so that none of his brothers and sisters is destroyed” (127).
78
Paul wants Timothy to be ministerially self-aware . . . he should examine and guard
his heart and soul, the inner person who must be right with God for one’s observable
life to be of use to God in pastoral labor. It is notoriously the case that the outward
life of a minister (like the life of any professing Christian) can look one way and the
inner reality be substantially different.24
The contemporary pastor must be careful to preach the truth accurately and live
out the truth genuinely. If a pastor’s example contradicts his doctrine, then his doctrinal
beliefs are thus held in question. He should vigilantly avoid an example of hypocrisy that
unravels what he says from the pulpit in doctrine. The pastor must yield to the truths he is
proclaiming from the pulpit and trust the Word to accomplish God’s purpose. In a timely
sermon to seminary students, Donald Whitney draws attention to the unavoidable
destruction of a pastor who disregards the truth of 1 Timothy 4:
There is an almost inevitable ruin of every minister, and it will happen to you unless
you avoid ruin by making progress. How do we make progress in ministry instead
of making shipwreck...In the immediate context it is the discipline Paul commends
to every minister in 4:6–16. And these are summarized in v.16: “Pay close attention
to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you
will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”25
Piper accurately cuts to the goal of the pastor’s ministry: “We preach so that saints might
persevere in faith to glory. We preach not only for their growth but because if they don’t
grow, they perish.”26 The contemporary pastor must keep a careful guard over the doctrine
of the Word that has been deposited into him; equally, he must also earnestly watch over
his own soul. Eternity is at stake, so this charge to be watchful must not be taken lightly.
Conclusion
For every pastor and believer who desires to persevere faithfully to the end of
24
R. W. Yarbrough, The Letters to Timothy and Titus, Pillar New Testament Commentary
(Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2018), 254.
25
Donald Whitney, “Editorial: The Almost Inevitable Ruin of Every Minister . . . and How to
Avoid It,” ed. Richard Mayhue, The Master’s Seminary Journal 16, no. 1 (2005): 3. Whitney emphasizes
where fruitfulness comes from: “Fruitfulness, whether in terms of evangelistic fruitfulness or the growth of
souls into Christlikeness, comes as the result of paying close attention to your life and doctrine.” Whitney,
“Editorial,” 4.
26
Piper, Brothers We Are Not Professionals, 130.
79
their life, there will be daunting challenges, seasons of suffering, pressures from within
and without. The pastor must fix his eyes on Jesus who called him into service and will
keep him by the strength of his sovereign might. Instead of being tempted to lose heart,
the pastor can take heart in the promise of 2 Corinthians 4:16-17: “So we do not lose
heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond
all comparison.” In conjunction with a line of faithful men, the lives of Jonathan Edwards
and Charles Spurgeon serve as a stirring testament to God’s sustaining grace and resolute
faithfulness. As the pastor perseveres in ministry with an eternal focus, he will discover
imitation of these faithful men of the past and faithful men of the present to strengthen
him in perseverance. In the end, it will be Christ who energizes each pastor to be faithful.
May the words of this anonymous puritan prayer be the battle cry of every
pastor who seeks to finish his course of ministry with indomitable perseverance and
indestructible joy: “Give me a draught of the eternal fountain that lieth in thy immutable,
everlasting love and decree. Then shall my hand never weaken, my feet never stumble,
my sword never rest, my shield never rust, my helmet never shatter, my breastplate never
fall, as my strength rests in the power of thy might.”27
27
Arthur Bennett, The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions
(Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2003), 329.
80
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84
ABSTRACT
Stephen Mark Conley, D.Min.

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2019
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. William F. Cook III
This thesis argues for combining a biblical perspective on pastoral

perseverance with the historical examples of Jonathan Edwards and Charles Spurgeon
will encourage pastors to persevere in ministry. Chapter 1 frames the thesis in addressing
the problem of pastors failing to persevere by focusing on the value of imitation as a
means for strengthening pastoral perseverance. Jonathan Edwards and Charles Spurgeon
are highlighted as examples of pastoral perseverance to contemporary pastors.
Chapter 2 emphasizes three main scripture passages in addressing apostle
Paul’s perspective on pastoral perseverance: 2 Corinthians 4, 1 Timothy, and 2 Timothy
4. Paul exhorts believers to press on by fixing their hope fully on God’s grace as they
shepherd the flock of God.
Chapter 3 focuses on Jonathan Edwards as an example of pastoral
perseverance. He maintained a God-centered focus throughout his ministry, which
provided the necessary anchor point during times of trial.
Chapter 4 presents Charles Spurgeon as an example of pastoral perseverance.
He was a pastor that consistently battled depression, sickness, and denominational
decline. Spurgeon pressed on in the power of the Spirit with a strong sense of vocational
calling.
Chapter 5 summarizes the arguments made in the thesis and reveals the
implications of imitation as a means for pastoral perseverance over the duration of a
lifetime of ministry to contemporary pastors and the broader church. This chapter argues
for the biblical call to imitation through five pertinent New Testament passages that trace
the theme of imitation.
VITA
Stephen Mark Conley
EDUCATION
B.A., Northland International University, 2001
M.A., Northland International University, 2004
M.Div., Virginia Beach Theological Seminary, 2007
MINISTERIAL EMPLOYMENT
Associate Pastor of Student Ministries and Worship, Timberlake Baptist
Church, Lynchburg, Virginia, 2007-

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Copyright © 2019 Stephen Mark Conley

IMITATION AS A MEANS FOR STRENGTHENING

Stephen Mark Conley

Read and Approved by:

To our children, Esther, Jonas, and Isaac.

Perseverance Displayed in Faith and Practice (1 Tim 1:18-20) . . . . . . . . . . 23

Perseverance Displayed through Manifold Sorrow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Imitation Applied to the Contemporary Pastor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

The Biblical Mandate to Keep a Close Watch Over One’s

The opportunity to study at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary would

example of pastoral perseverance in ministry for me.

situation is unhealthy among pastors.

Familiarity with the Literature

a focus on resting in God’s sufficiency.

work on 2 Corinthians explores the text in a verse-by-verse structure to see theological

Several biographical works will be considered in this thesis, including the

as he fought the good fight of faith. 30 25F

Void in the Literature

Chapter 3: Pastoral Perseverance

Chapter 4: Pastoral Perseverance

Perseverance of the Saints Undergirds

which pastoral perseverance is built.

From God-Protected Preservation to

Perseverance is something in which every believer takes part, but it is a work

in faith as they draw from God’s boundless power. 4 29F

Perseverance Displayed in All Circumstances

The Apostle’s Perspective on Faithful

The Gospel’s Surpassing Power in

The first comparison in verse 8 is between θλιβόμενοι and στενοχωρούμενοι.

Corinthians 6:4-10, where he details his beatings, imprisonment, destitution, sorrow,

The Unsurpassed Reward of Faithful

Perseverance Displayed in Faith and

The Minister’s Charge to

The Minister’s Resources to

confession of faith or creed. He is underscoring how an ongoing trust in God is essential

for perseverance in life and ministry.

The Minister’s Warning to Finish

Perseverance Displayed through Faithful

Perseverance Displayed in Life and Ministry

Perseverance Displayed in a God-

(Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2001), 10.

Perseverance Displayed through

Learning from the Weaknesses of Edwards

Misapplying the Text of Scripture

Appreciating this World While

Undaunted Devotion to the Word

both life and ministry.

Taking Sin Seriously

death; he was preoccupied with pursuing God’s glory in all things.

Perseverance Displayed through Manifold Sorrow

Perseverance Demonstrated through

Persevered Displayed in Gospel-Centered Preaching

earth’—Calvary preaching, Calvary theology, Calvary books, Calvary sermons . . . and in

Perseverance Displayed in Fighting

Learning from Spurgeon’s Weaknesses

Spurgeon’s Method of Preaching

Prizing the Value of Rest in Ministry

Ministering with a Gospel-

crucified, even as Paul did before the Galatians.”46