Written by: April J. Buchanan
Have you ever been so convinced you are right about something that, when you do not receive the response you want, whether agreement, affirmation, or something of the kind, you continue to press your point? Sometimes, some go further. Even after receiving an agreeable response, they remain so wound up about the point that they continue to press it. This can sometimes reveal something underneath, a character flaw in which the outward force and persistence, along with the evident agitation over why everyone does not accept their position, become outward evidence of an inward problem.
This becomes a greater concern when those who preach and teach the Word behave in this way as a pattern.
I do not want to confuse this with those who rightly exposit the text and powerfully proclaim the Word, so that as it goes forth, hearts are rent and the real power of the Spirit is wrought upon hearts and minds. Praise God for that. Neither am I speaking of those who, with conviction against error and according to truth, open the text and proclaim it faithfully, leading the hearer along so that they may see what the text says and become even more accountable to it. That should lay heavily upon our hearts and minds. It certainly does mine, even as I write this. God help us.
What I write here concerns something different. It is when those who are to open and exposit the Word instead bring their own pet peeves or doctrinal hang-ups to the forefront, revealing real character flaws. They are no longer simply leading the hearer through the text. Rather than allowing the text to establish the point, they begin with their own conclusions concerning a particular doctrine, perhaps one that has become a source of real irritation for them and one they cannot seem to resolve. So they seek satisfaction by pressing it upon the hearer again and again. What they discover is not satisfaction but greater irritation, and so they continue to beat a dead horse.
A pastor may become so convinced of a particular doctrinal position that it begins to occupy a disproportionate place in his teaching. Sometimes the position itself is mistaken, and sometimes conclusions are drawn beyond what the text establishes. When a pastor persistently presses his conclusions with force, returning to them repeatedly and insisting upon them as settled, his hearers may begin to feel intimidated or that disagreement is not permitted. Rather than being encouraged to examine the Scriptures carefully, they may feel compelled to accept his conclusions simply because of the authority and certainty with which they are presented. This can make it difficult for the hearer to distinguish what the text actually establishes from what the pastor insists it means.
Richard Baxter warned of those who expect others to conform to their judgment “as if they were the rulers of the Church’s faith,” adding that too many would have others stand by their determination “as if we were infallible.” Charles Spurgeon likewise warned of men who “confine themselves to four or five topics continually,” giving certain truths such prominence that other truths are neglected.
Dear saint, a pastor’s convictions are not above examination, nor does his office make his own conclusions equal to the authority of Scripture. A position may be mistaken, and even a sound doctrine can be given such disproportionate prominence that the passage itself is overshadowed. Test what you hear by the Word of God, and do not mistake a man’s certainty for the authority of Scripture.
If, upon careful examination, you find that a teaching departs from historic orthodoxy or does not align with the whole of Scripture, do not be afraid to recognize that departure. We should neither dismiss a teaching merely because it is unfamiliar to us nor accept it simply because it is presented with great certainty. Our convictions, and those of the men who teach us, must remain subject to the Word of God.
Even when a pastor believes he is defending the truth, his manner of presenting his position matters. Forcefulness and persistence do not establish the truth of a conclusion, and a hearer should not be made to feel that questioning a pastor’s interpretation is the same as rejecting the authority of Scripture. The task is not to compel agreement with a man’s conclusions, but to teach the Word faithfully so that the hearer may understand and examine what it says.
Dear saint, are we so different? Let us examine ourselves also, and often. May we be as willing to have our own convictions examined by Scripture as we are to examine the convictions of others.
Grace to you all.
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