The Seriousness of the Pastorate

The seriousness of the pastorate should not be underestimated, and should not only be undertaken with the conviction and evidence of God's calling, but also with the utmost seriousness as the shepherd of God's sheep. Who would want a doctor to perform surgery who has only gained experiential training? Is not the pastor a surgeon when he exegetes the living Word of God in the original languages? "The word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword." Without a knowledge of the original languages, one is left to interpret Scripture from a pragmatic base drawing on the accuracy of one's best conclusions. Supplementing the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit, the knowledge of the original languages provide a theological skeleton that is formed on the rigors of sound exegesis and is pounded out in dedicated study. . . . The church today has grown less interested in depth and fidelity to the Word of God. The new breed of pastors is being driven by passion, but a passion that is lacking in deep theological truth. The antagonism toward men being formally trained for ministry neglects the fact that so often popular Christianity is driven by subjectivity rather than a narrowly defined theology that identifies the Christian faith and stipulates the sort of academic and sensible relations that Christianity has with the world. Through God's grace, Christians should not only outlive non-Christians, but should also outthink them.