A plain reading of the text leaves us with little doubt that personal holiness and perseverance in holiness are means (along with teaching true doctrine) that God uses in the salvation and sanctification of Christ’s bride. What a thought, for ministers, that watching ourselves and our teaching has eternal consequences for us and our people. That’s why, if you desire to be a minister, you’re either called or mad, though hopefully not both! 

 
What does the holiness of the minister have to do with the efficacy of the preached Word? Are we falling into a Donatist error (from Donatus who re-baptized clergy who had lapsed in the Great Persecution, A.D. 303-305) by insisting that the holiness of the minister has some sort of causal relationship to the power of the preached Word?

Years ago, I remember a popular Christian radio show taking issue with the idea that a minister’s personal holiness had anything to do with the efficacy of the preached Word. They said it was a Donatist error. But I’m not so sure it’s that simple.

In T. David Gordon’s book, Why Johnny Can’t Preach, he provides some valuable insight into why so much preaching today is poor. But, if I am not mistaken, he did not make a big deal of the fact that “Johnny is not godly.” This was a serious omission, I believe.

Few, if any, would deny that God’s Word is bound by the holiness (or lack thereof) of the minister, as if conversion or the sanctification of his flock depended entirely upon his personal piety. Christ may be preached by those who are outside of Christ (Matt. 7:21-23; Phil. 1:17-18) – and to positive effect upon the listeners.

I am of the view that powerful preaching, by a minister who labours week-in, week-out, with his flock has a strong correlation to his own godliness. I think Robert Murray M’Cheyne was right to say, “a holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.” A man who has been broken – who really does preach with “fear and trembling” (1 Cor. 2:3) – is a man people will listen to week-in, week-out. There’s a reason God “breaks” his servants: he wants them to preach as broken men, not as those who strut around like peacocks. There’s a reason old, seasoned ministers have a massive advantage over young ministers. And it’s a good reason – they speak with a type of wisdom that comes from many years of ministry.

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