³For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; ⁴but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts.

Ever concerned with the clarity of his motive in preaching the gospel, Paul first denies what it is not and then proclaims what it is. Of course if these things were not true, then Paul is a bold-faced hypocritical liar. Hardly could we say this about someone whose life and ministry were so marked with sacrifice and suffering. At no point in his life did he ever deny his Lord, “… who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor” (1 Tim. 1:12–13a). He was a profoundly changed man at the core of his identity—so much so that he could write, “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all” (1 Tim. 1:15).

No, Paul is not delusional when he proclaims the purity of his motives. He writes as one who has been and continues to be fully exposed before the penetrating eyes of God, who “examines our hearts.”

He is not motivated by erroneous teachings (notice the confidence in the accuracy of his message). His exhortations are not contaminated by any error, whether intentional or inadvertent. There is no bait and switch with Paul, where he tells some truth to gain a following and then introduces error later to exalt himself as the one to follow. He is not motivated by deception; certainly he did not submit himself to the hardships involved in an attempt to deceive anyone.

There are those today who ostensibly represent God, but whose preaching is inaccurate, mixed with error and deception. Why? For the money, prestige, and power that can be had through gaining a large following. Using exciting, dynamic oratory with skillful words and manipulative techniques, they have perfected the ability to, as one politician puts it, “work the crowd.” Large ministry organizations have become multi-million-dollar businesses, and the temptations lurk at the highest leadership levels for sinful benefits. Of course this is nothing new, or else Paul would not have had to address this situation, to assert the purity of his motives. There were others even in his day that preached for the wrong reasons (e.g. Phil. 1:15, 2 Cor. 11:13)!

But not the apostle Paul. He was confident that he was approved by God and entrusted by Him with the true and pure gospel message. Therefore he was motivated not to please men but to please God who called him to this ministry.

Lord, examine my motives and help me see any sinful motives for serving You.