Cromwell, our chief of men, who through a cloud
Not of war only, but detractions rude,
Guided by faith and matchless fortitude,
To peace and truth thy glorious way hast ploughed…

John Milton, Sonnet XVI

In 1652, a council of ministers gathered with Lord Cromwell to discuss how to approach the “propagation of the Gospel” in the years following the execution of Charles I and the campaign of battles against the Scottish Covenanters. It was a cultural moment requiring courage, compassion, and resolve. To this select committee, John Milton penned the opening lines above.

What Milton attributes to Cromwell could have easily been written of the Apostle Paul. Paul had spent his life in the propagation of the Gospel, and, like Cromwell, had done so in the face of a cloud of opposition. Not only the struggle and violence of his opposition beat against Paul, but also “detractions rude.” Our great Enemy so often achieves with a campaign of slander what a campaign of soldiers could never do.

From the mountains of Galatia to the port city of Corinth, Paul was constantly barraged by those who undermined his message (Galatians 2:4), belittled his weaknesses (2 Corinthians 10:10), and slandered his character (Romans 3:8; 1 Corinthians 4:13). He understood only too well how easily a spirit of timidity could sideline a minister of the Gospel. Guided by faith, and with the fortitude that comes from a life dependent on the power of God, Paul had indeed ploughed his way to peace and truth. Now it was time for Timothy to do the same.

Similarly, we have a path to walk, and one that will often be deep in the snow drifts of human opposition. In his book, Leadership and Emotional Sabotage, author Joe Rigney warns of the deceptive danger of compromising the truths of the Gospel in a hopeless attempt to avoid being labeled negatively by others.[1] In his lengthy list of encouragements to avoid this fate, a couple of exhortations stood out to me in particular.

First, Rigney reminds us to “calibrate” the way we understand good and bad “by the word of God.”[2] It is critical that we do not let the world win the battle for our dictionary. God has established the boundaries of right and wrong, good and evil, noble and shameful. Any label placed by man is immediately suspicious. Our conscience should be taught at the feet of Scripture so that if insults are hurled at us falsely, we are undismayed.

Second, Rigney reminds us that all our attempts to cast off timidity and resist false campaigns of slander and persecution should be rooted in a controlling desire to be pleasing to God.[3] Our motives cannot be to vindicate ourselves, or to embarrass and defeat those who slander us (social media warriors – take note!). As Christians, we aim to please our Father in heaven by conducting ourselves and speaking in such a way as to be blameless before Him.

This is the glorious way of the servants of God. It is a hard way, and often full of suffering (as we shall see this Sunday). Yet, a glorious way it remains, for it imitates and honors our glorious Savior who came before us. Eschewing timidity and in the courage of the children of promise, His peace and truth are both our ministers and our message. Plough on.

[1] Joe Rigney, Leadership and Emotional Sabotage: Resisting the Anxiety That Will Wreck Your Family, Destroy Your Church, and Ruin the World (Canon Press, n.d.), 39.

[2] Rigney, Leadership and Emotional Sabotage, 45.

[3] Rigney, Leadership and Emotional Sabotage, 47.