In I Timothy 4:16, Paul urged Timothy to “keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching [doctrine]. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” The spiritual health of the church hinges on the holiness of its ministers. Pastors are called to live in such a way that they can humbly say with the apostle Paul, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Phil 4:9). Ministers must model a vibrant Christian life so that the church can “consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith” (Heb 13:7). Pastors must therefore “pay careful attention to themselves” so that they can care for the flock (Acts 20:28).
Puritan pastor Richard Baxter (1615-1691) not only labored to apply Paul’s admonition to Timothy, but urged his fellow ministers to do the same as well. In his classic work, The Reformed Pastor, Baxter offers biblical advice for pastors on how to cultivate and maintain holiness of heart as they labor in gospel ministry. Although his counsel was directed specifically to pastors, the principles below are applicable to any believer who is serious about living for Christ:
Recognize the Power of Example
Baxter understood the vital importance of the pastor’s example for either good or ill. He warned, “Take heed to yourselves, lest your example contradict your doctrine… lest you unsay with your life what you say with your tongue; and be the greatest hinderer of the success of your own labors.”[1] Pastors who are truly earnest about laboring successfully for the glory of God, the advance of the gospel, and the good of the church will vigilantly guard themselves lest they hinder the Lord’s work in the lives of their congregants.
Pastors cannot afford to neglect the care and health of their souls. One unguarded word, moment, or response “may cut the throat of many a sermon, and blast the fruit of all that you have been doing.”[2] Recognizing the power of example, the minister “must think and think again, how to compose our lives, as may most tend to men’s salvation.”[3]
Study How to Live
It’s not enough for the minister to carefully study the Scriptures or prepare exegetically faithfully sermons; he must study how to live as well. Baxter lamented, “Oh how curiously have I heard some men preach; and how carelessly have I seen them live!”[4] Baxter urged pastors to be just as diligent in self-reflection as they are in sermon preparation:
When you are studying what to say to your people… should you not as diligently think within yourself, ‘How shall I live, and what shall I do, and how shall I dispose of all that I have, as my most tend to the saving of souls?’ Brethren, if the saving of souls be your end, you will certainly intend it out of the pulpit as well as in it! If it be your end, you will live for it, and contribute all your endeavours to attain it. You will ask concerning the money in your purse, as well as concerning the word of your mouth, ‘In what way shall I lay it out for the greatest good, especially to men’s souls?’ Oh that this were your daily study, how to use your wealth, your friends, and all you have for God, as well as your tongues![5]
Minister from the Overflow
The most fruitful ministries take place from the overflow of the pastor’s vital communion with God. The church always benefits when the pastor is walking closely with Christ. As Baxter notes, “When your minds are in a holy, heavenly frame, your people are likely to partake of the fruits of it. Your prayers, and praises, and doctrine will be sweet and heavenly to them. They will feel when you have been much with God.”[6] Pastors feed the flock best when their souls are well-nourished with the truths of God’s Word. Sadly, the opposite is true as well. Baxter stated, “We are the nurses of Christ’s little ones. If we forbear taking food ourselves, we shall famish them; it will soon be visible in their leanness, and dull discharge of their several duties. If we let our love decline, we are not like to raise up theirs.”[7]
Die to Self so that Others Can Live
Sacrifice is a word that is frequently used but sparingly practiced in the church today. The “what’s in it for me” mentality that pervades our society has sadly infiltrated our church culture as well. Pastors are not immune to society’s obsession with self-importance and self-glory. Church leaders often find themselves jockeying for prominence, power, and position within their evangelical tribe or community. The temptation to pursue worldly power or influence, however, is not new (Luke 22:24-27). Baxter addressed this mindset head on, exhorting his fellow ministers to die to self so that they might bear fruit for God. “O what abundance of good might ministers do, if they would but live in contempt of the world, and the riches and glory thereof, and expend all they have in their Master’s service, and pinch their flesh, that they may have wherewith to do good!”[8]
Cultivate a Vibrant Life of Holiness
How does a pastor cultivate godly “self-care?” Baxter would offer the following counsel: “Above all, be much in secret prayer and meditation. Thence you must fetch the heavenly fire that must kindle your sacrifices: remember, you cannot decline and neglect your duty, to your own hurt alone; many will be losers by it as well as you. For your people’s sakes, therefore, look to your hearts.”[9] There are no spiritual secrets or quick life hacks that help pastors develop vibrant lives of holiness. Meditation, prayer, study, mortification, and time alone with God are all time-tested, God-ordained means of grace the Lord has given us so that we can pursue intimacy with Christ.
[1] Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor (Puritan Paperbacks), ed. William Brown (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2005), 63.
[2] Baxter, 63.
[3] Baxter, 64.
[4] Baxter, 64.
[5] Baxter, 65.
[6] Baxter, 61.
[7] Baxter, 61.
[8] Baxter, 67.
[9] Baxter, 62.
