The Convincing Work of the Preacher by Mark McElreath

The Convincing Work of the Preacher

by Mark McElreath1

Introduction

As Paul reached the end of his earthly life and ministry, he strove to leave behind a series

of exhortations to Christians. All Christians may glean from his writings, but no one group will

benefit more than preachers—in particular Paul’s preachers, Timothy and Titus. Paul’s final

charge to Titus encompassed everything that Paul had taught him. Paul left Titus in Crete to “set

in order the things that are wanting,” or had not met the mark of what a church should be (Titus

1:5). Titus was charged to care for these things and bring them up to the level of expectation Paul

had for them.

In the book of Titus, Paul lists a number of principles related to the work of pastoring,

and one of these lists appears in chapter one. The list includes principles both domestic and

personal, but at the end of the list comes a charge to Titus to “convince.” The convincing work of

a preacher is one of the most important works the preacher has been given to do in his ministry.

What Does It Mean to Convince?

The word translated convince is the Greek word elencho (ἐλέγχω). Elencho is used

eighteen times in the New Testament but is translated “convince” only four times. The word

1 Mark McElreath is a current D.Min. student at Luther Rice College and Seminary. He serves as an adjunct professor of Bible and Church Ministry at The Crown College of the Bible in Powell, Tennessee. Mark has served in ministry for eleven years--three of those as a church planter in Ethiopia. He is planting City Baptist Church in inner-city Atlanta in November 2021. His research interests include contemporary issues and their effect on world evangelism.

means “to convict, confute, refute.” According to Vine, it is used in varying situations including telling one their fault (Matthew 18:15) and speaking of convicting of sin (John 8:46).2 The uses

of the word are helpful in determining what Paul is trying to convey to Titus concerning the

convincing work of the preacher.

At first, the reader may surmise that the convincing work of a pastor has to do with

winsomeness and charm. It may be that the attitude of the pastor toward his listeners can win

them over in some convincing way. One may even consider the convincing work a pastor does

while carrying out an altar call or a gospel appeal. One could connect the pastor’s convincing work with the “new measures” of the 19th century codified by Charles Finney and other

contemporary preachers. Historians Walker, Norris, Lotz, and Hand remark that these “new

measures” focused on the projected outcome a preacher could produce by carrying out specific

actions in a religious meeting. These tactics could include, but were not limited to,

“unseasonable hours,” the use of long or “protracted” meetings, a seeker’s or “anxious” bench

located at the front of the auditorium, and even using harsh language in one’s preaching. Though

these measures were not necessarily new, they had come into fashion with many revival

preachers of the time. The tactics were used to produce the goal of seeing sinners converted in

public meetings.3 Though it may seem that this is what Paul is telling Titus to do, it is not what

2 W. E. Vine, Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996), 128-129.

3 Williston Walker, Richard A. Norris, David W. Lotz, and Robert T. Hand; A History of the Christian Church, Fourth Edition (New York City: Pearson, 1985), 653-655.

Paul is talking about in Titus 1:9. The principle of convincing has more to it than mere

showmanship.

Upon careful study and close comparison with other passages where the word elencho is

used, it becomes clear that the convincing work of a preacher has to do with pastoring more than

it has to do with preaching alone. The convincing work of a pastor is out of a concern and love

for his flock. In the context of Titus 1:9, it becomes clear that this convincing work is aimed at

“gainsayers.” These “gainsayers” are literally “those who contradict.”4 The first reference to the

gainsayer gives a clear understanding to its usage and is given in Luke 2:34 when Simeon gives

his prophetical record that Christ is given “for a sign which shall be spoken against.” From the

time of His birth, it was clear that there were those who would seek to contradict the work that

the Lord Jesus Christ had been given to do and the things of God in general. Those who oppose

God and His work have existed in every age, and the New Testament was no different. John

Phillips drives the point home that it was Titus’ responsibility to call out those who stood in

opposition to God’s work and convict (or convince) them of their sin. A pastor who has been

properly trained should be ready to stand against these gainsayers.5

The idea of “convincing” may still be unclear to the reader. Titus 2:9, just one chapter

later, sheds some light on the matter. Titus 2:9 reads, “Exhort servants to be obedient unto their

own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again.” Paul’s message to Titus

is that servants were to be obedient to the commands of their masters as good followers of Christ,

4 W. E. Vine, Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996), 260.

5 John Phillips, Exploring the Pastoral Epistles (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2003), 244.

but there is something more given to us concerning the matter of convincing. The word

translated for the phrase “not answering again” is the Greek word antilego (ἀντιλέγω). This is the

same word used in Titus 1:9 for the word “gainsayers.” The connection between these two

usages is that the pastor is to answer those who oppose the Word of God with such veracity that

they cannot speak against it. Just as the servant is “not answering again” toward his master, so

the “gainsayer” has nothing to say against the message which the pastor has proclaimed.

Who Does the Convincing?

Now that the word has been defined, one must ask, “Who does the convincing?” It may

be apparent at first that it is the pastor’s responsibility to convince, but context makes it clear

otherwise. The beginning of Titus 1:9 gives clarity in that it points Titus to his source material

for the convincing work he is supposed to carry out. The beginning of verse nine says, “Holding

fast the faithful word as he hath been taught.” So, Titus is to “hold” to the “faithful word.” This

is, of course, God’s Word. It is a “faithful word” because it is true in its record, and it has been

faithfully passed down to each generation—specifically here from Paul to Titus. It was the

“faithful word” because Titus had been taught it by Paul. The beginning of the next clause shows

us why Titus was to hold to this “faithful word.” Paul says in the second half of verse nine, “that

he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.” He is holding

to the “faithful word” because he needs it so “that” he can “exhort” and “convince.” He is not

holding to winsomeness or charm. Titus is to hold to the “faithful word” because it alone is what

will bring true conviction.

Calvin explains it in this way: “The pastor needs two voices, one for gathering the sheep and the other for driving away wolves and thieves.”6 Calvin writes these words in reference to

the words “exhort” and “convince” given in Titus 1:9. The “two voices” of the pastor have very

different functions. “Exhort” speaks of him building up his people while “convince” speaks of

him tearing down the false work of the gainsayers. “Exhort” is connected to his strengthening

those things which remain while “convince” is connected to the scattering of those things which

we should reject. The word translated “exhort” in verse nine is the Greek word parakaleo

(παρακαλέω). It is used well over one hundred times in the New Testament and gives the sense

of “calling or inviting to one’s side” in order to comfort, entreat, or pray with. This is entirely

different from the ministry of convincing. In light of these two pastoral duties, the only strategy

the pastor has is to properly wield the light of God’s Word to expose the darkness that is

represented by those who oppose the Lord and oppose His work in this world.

Progressing through the passage further, it becomes clear why the pastor must be ready to

“convince.” At this time in Crete, there were many who claimed to be teachers and followers of

Christianity, but in reality, they were false believers. They claimed to be Christian, but they were

not. Many, if not all of them, were Jews. This is clear from the reference in Titus 1:10 that these

false teachers were “of the circumcision.” Circumcision here refers to the religious rite of

circumcising a child as part of the Jewish system of the law. These Jews may have believed they

were accepted in the sight of God because of their beliefs or because of their lineage as Jews, but

they were not true Christians. They were not true Christians because they had not had a true

6 John Calvin, The Crossway Classic Commentaries (Wheaton: Crossway, 1998), n. pag., Ebscohost.

conversion experience in which they accepted Christ as their Savior. Verse sixteen tells us that

“They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him.” Their words express one

thing—that they know God—while their works prove to those watching that they never truly had

a salvation experience.

Since these “gainsayers” are not Christians, how should they be dealt with? It has been

established that they are to be dealt with from God’s Word as the “faithful word,” but they also

have to be approached carefully in regard to their understanding. Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones

comments that the pastor wants to reach the heart, but the heart is rarely engaged directly.7

Rather, the heart is engaged through the understanding. Jones states that the biblical order is

mind, then heart, then will. The mind is the faculty which receives and analyzes truth. One may

say, “Will not the unbeliever refuse truth outright in their fallen state?” This may be true. The

unbeliever may turn a hardened neck or a closed ear toward the truth presented, but that is not

the issue. The issue, Jones reasons, is that the pastor is faithfully wielding the truth and, when

truth is wielded, the hardest neck is broken, and the tightest ear that once was closed is opened.8

God works in this way to reach the heart of man.

The Competency in Use Today

The convincing work of the pastor is very needed today. In evaluating the use of the work

today and how it fits within the church, one must consider its use initially. As Thomas Lea and

7 D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression (London: Marshall Pickering, 1965), 62,

Kindle.

8 Loyd-Jones, 62.

Hayne P. Griffin write, the competency of conviction has an “educative dimension.”9 The

competency is to be used for restoration as opposed to demolition. Lee and Griffin argue that the

pastor should seek to bring the false teacher into the flock by showing him his error and then

winning him to the Lord. This approach relies upon the fact that the false teaching is going on in

the church and that is why the pastor must face it with restoration in mind. Those who are

teaching “profess that they know God” (Titus 1:16) but have made it clear by their actions that

they do not know Him.

Lea and Griffin’s approach goes hand in hand with that of Belleville, Laansma and Michaels in that this convincing work is a part of church discipline.10 Belleville, Laansma, and

Michaels see discipline as coming from the church and being implemented within the church.

They cite Matthew 18:15, in which those in the church are charged to approach those who are at

fault. Those who have done wrong are like the “gainsayers” of Titus 1:9 in that they have

opposed the believer who is in the right. Personal wrongdoing becomes a matter of church

discipline because, if the one at fault does not make amends with the one he has wronged, then

more believers within the church are to be brought into the issue. The matter should be brought

to “the church” as a last resort to make things right.

Both of the preceding examples rightly keep the church involved but seem to overlook

the fact that, though the teaching in respect to Titus 1 is being done in the church, it is not being

done by believers. The teaching is being done by false believers, and the false believers must be

9 Thomas Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture (Nashville: B&H Publishing, 1992), 271, Ebscohost.

10 Linda Belleville, Jon Laansma and J. Ramsey Michaels, 1-2 Timothy, Titus, Hebrews (Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, 2009), n. pag., Ebscohost.

dealt with. They are not part of the body of Christ and, therefore, not under the care of the

church. They are to be dealt with as false teachers. It can be assumed from Scripture that these

are false believers (Titus 1:16). Though Paul does not describe the precise nature of the

gainsayer’s teaching here in the book of Titus, it seems to be different than the false teaching that

he combats in other epistles. As Paul states in Titus 1:11, the Cretan gainsayers seem particularly

motivated by “filthy lucre’s sake.” These false believers are teaching “what they ought not” and

are doing so for gain. R.E. Howard suggests that these teachers must be stopped for this very

reason.11

The Bible makes abundantly clear that false teachers must be exposed. This is true of

today as much as it was of the early church. But how should false teachers be dealt with? The

preaching of God’s Word is not the course of action called for by many in Christianity today. For

example, an article in Christianity Today from February 1997 entitled “Why Our Friends Won’t Stop, Look, and Listen” pushes for what it calls “corollary apologetics.”12 A number of secular

and social concerns are mentioned from teaching English on the mission field to having

successful people in society give a testimony in public meetings. The idea behind this is to show

people that Christianity is plausible in the first place before trying to get someone saved. One

preacher, John Wesley, is mentioned in the article. His contribution to “corollary apologetics” is

that “He devoted enormous energy to structuring a variety of groups to lead people into the

11 R.E. Howard, Galatians through Philemon (Kansas City: Nazarene Publishing House, 1965), n. pag., Ebscohost.

12 John G. Stackhouse, Jr., 1997. “Why Our Friends Won’t Stop, Look, and Listen” Christianity Today (February 3, 1997): 49-51, ATLA.

Christian faith and to help them mature” and that he would not preach anywhere he could not

leave behind these groups.13 In the context of the article, it is made to seem that these groups are

nothing more than social gatherings for the betterment of humanity. The author of the article fails

to see that these “groups” were churches. John Wesley was a fiery preacher of personal holiness,

and he made his greatest contribution to the idea of personal holiness within the Methodist

church. He was not a crusader against the ills of society. Instead, he was a crusader for right

living because he knew that is what would ultimately change society. Samuel Chadwick helps to

shed some light on Wesley’s approach to preaching and society when he says of him, “Wesley did not give himself to academic discussion, but to the preaching of the Word of God.”14

Furthermore, the Christianity Today article does give a glimpse of true conviction in that

it calls for dependence upon the Holy Spirit to “shine out through all the various lamps of good works” while it fails to understand the true nature of the church itself.15 In summary, it gives this

charge in light of convincing our friends, “these created environments [churches, parachurch

organizations, etc.], are places in which people can consider the Christian claims if those claims

really might be true.”16 The error which could very easily creep into a church with this outlook is

the idea that the church exists for the lost. The church does not exist for the lost. The church

exists for the saved. The church is never told to bring sinners in so that they can “consider the

13 Stackhouse, 50.

14 Samuel Chadwick, The Call to Christian Perfection (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1943), 4.

15 Stackhouse, 51.

16 Stackhouse, 51.

Christian claims.” Praise God when a sinner does come into a church service, but the church

service should never be crafted around an attempt to win over the lost. The church is commanded

to “go and tell.” The great work of the church is done outside the four walls of a building. The

church and believers also do not exist just to carry out good works. The Christianity Today

article has it backward. Whether the church or its message seems plausible or not or whether it

comes across as intellectually stimulating, the church and the preacher will always have the

responsibility to present the Word of God in clear terms for all people. That is where the power

is. A pastor can convince by using the Word of God whether he is skilled in debate or argument

or not. The power comes from God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. The convincing work of the

preacher is carried out in just that way. The preacher goes to God’s Word, preaches it faithfully,

and depends upon the Holy Spirit for the results.

Paul makes it clear how these “gainsayers” are to be dealt with—“through preaching”

(Titus 1:3). He makes it clear that it is “through preaching” that God has “manifested his word”

and that is exactly how false teaching should be dealt with. John Broadus gives a number of

reasons why argument should be an element in preaching when dealing with “gainsayers.”17 He

affirms that the offender may decide out of hand that they will not accept the premise of the

Bible preacher but that changing their mind is not the goal. Rather, the goal of the Bible preacher

is to “fill the mind with the evidence” and allow it to overcome the listener.18

17 John Broadus, On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons (New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1944), 168.

18 Broadus, 179.

Broadus says that “Every preacher, then, ought to develop and discipline his powers in respect to argument.”19 He goes on to give several warnings to preachers who are to engage in

argument from the pulpit. First, to those who by nature and temperament are disinclined to argue,

Broadus encourages them to train in the discipline conscientiously. Broadus states that argument

is a skill that may be perfected over time through diligent practice. By the same token, to those

who naturally excel in debate, Broadus urges them not to rely on eloquence or force of

personality. Overconfidence may lead to laziness and slipshod arguments, leaving a door open to

opposition.

Second, Broadus exhorts to argue for truth rather than victory. Because of the old adage,

“preachers are never replied to,” the preacher should be sure that he is expressing truth. He does

not have to “win” with every statement because it is the Word of God which is accomplishing

the work of convincing. Broadus states, “We must keep uppermost in our minds the desire to establish truth, and let refutation be strictly and manifestly subordinate.”20

Third, Broadus advises to keep arguments simple. The preacher does not have to act in

such a way that every statement must be an argument nor that every statement must be complex.

The preacher can rest in the truth of Scripture alone to do the convincing work.

Fourth, Broadus warns not to seek to refute an objection that cannot be refuted fully or

satisfactorily. To leave an objection with an incomplete refutation is to leave an opportunity for

the gainsayer to sneak in and bring doubt or overthrow the entire argument. Approach arguments

with sound and sufficient answers.

19 Broadus, 186.

20 Broadus, 187.

Fifth, Broadus states that the preacher should prefer those arguments which are “plain and unquestionable.”21 This type of argumentation prioritizes common sense and enables the

people listening to understand what is presented without being overwhelmed by an enormous

corpus of material.

Conclusion

In summary, the spiritual competency of convincing is just as needed today as it was in

the first-century church. The preacher must be ready to answer the gainsayers and to do so with

the Word of God in hand and with dependence upon the Holy Spirit.

21 Broadus, 194.