Ministers are Suspicious, Insecure and Jealous People

Or so says, Rev. Dr. Ligon Duncan in a sermon that I encourage every one of you to listen to:

Who is the Greatest?

(Taken from Luke 9:46-56 ESV …) An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”

John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.”

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village.

Of course, the moment after Dr. Duncan makes the provocative statement:

“Ministers, by nature, are suspicious, insecure, and jealous people.”

He quickly goes on to show that it’s not just ministers who struggle in this way. Ordained, non-ordained. Single, married. Old, young …

“When we see others doing better than we are doing, we can easily become jealous, insecure, and suspicious. Why? Because our pride gets the best of us.”

We all struggle with pride, a party spirit, and a tendency to forget the real mission of Jesus! This is especially true for those of us who are in denominations where the careful study and application of biblical doctrine is, to use Dr. Duncan’s words, “taken seriously.”

“We need to take care that that does not lead us to have a party spirit in regard to other faithful, Gospel-believing, Christ-exalting, Bible-preaching Christians who may differ from us on certain points of doctrine, even points of doctrine that are very important and precious to us because we believe the Bible teaches it.

That is, where we see Christ exalted and the Bible preached, perhaps with theological distinctives different from our own, we ought to praise God when we see the Kingdom truly being advanced. There should be no party spirit in us which causes us to frown upon or be suspicious of others when they are faithfully ministering the Word of God.”

A party spirit—among ministers and laypeople alike—has its root in pride.

So let’s say we’re convicted. We recognize that we are proud. How do we change? What does it look like for us to turn away from what C.S. Lewis describes as “the national religion of Hell” (pride)? Dr. Duncan explains:
  others because we think that will make us happy …

Only the gospel gives us what we need to fight pride: to recognize who we really are and see that we don’t really have a reason to be proud.

We struggle, we fail, but Jesus looks at us (“stumbling, mumbling, nincompoops of disciples”) and says, “This is why I am here. I am going to the cross to die for them because that is the only way. They are not going to save themselves. They are not the solution to any problem—-theirs or anyone else’s. I am here to save them.”

That is how we turn away from pride! We remember that Jesus “set his face like flint to go to Jerusalem” to save you. Me. All of his children. We could never save ourselves, but God saves us. This is the greatness of God our Savior!

“Jesus’ mission in the incarnation was not to call down fire upon sinners to consume them. Jesus’ mission in the incarnation was to be consumed by God’s fire in the place of sinners … to receive the judgment and the condemnation of God’s wrath upon his own person so that Hell-deserving sinners could be ushered into God’s household and family forever.”

Ah. This is how we guard our hearts from ever thinking that we are the greatest at, well, anything. If there is anything good in us, it is God’s grace in us. If we have been blessed to be taught rigorous, Christ-exalting, biblically-faithful doctrine? That is not because of anything we have done to deserve such a gift—but that is solely due to God’s grace. Have we repented of a sin? God’s grace at work! Do we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? God’s grace!

And thus, to use the language from the end of Dr. Duncan’s sermon:

“A proud Christian is an inconsistent and an immature Christian.”

The Greatest One who ever lived said that if we want to be great, we must be the least; we must see what we really are. We are far worse than we think we are, but God’s grace, love, and forgiveness are far greater than we could ever imagine.

Amen & Amen! Our only hope. And the way that we turn from pride!

(BTW — I hope that you will click through and listen not only to this sermon, but to other First Presbyterian Church podcasts. They are definitely some of my favorites.)

Your grateful friend,
Tara B.