What does it mean to be a man of God?

Answer

The Bible primarily uses the term man of God to refer to a prophet or spiritual leader devoted to serving God. In ancient Israel, a “man of God” was highly respected and seen as a trusted source of spiritual guidance. The first man given the appellation was Moses(see Deuteronomy 33:1; Joshua 14:6), one of the most significant spiritual leaders in the Old Testament. God called Moses to lead Israel out of captivity in Egypt and serve as the mediator of the Old Covenant, in many ways foreshadowing Jesus Christ.

Other prophets identified as “man of God” in Scripture include Samuel (1 Samuel 9:6–10), Shemaiah (1 Kings 12:22–24), Elijah (1 Kings 17:24), Elisha (2 Kings 4:9), Igdaliah (Jeremiah 35:4), and several unnamed prophets. One of the most notable is the man of God mentioned in 1 Kings 13. He traveled from Judah in the southern kingdom to Bethel in the north to pronounce God’s judgment on King Jeroboam I and his idolatrous altar. As the man departed for home, he fell prey to the deceit of a fellow prophet, who invited him home for a meal. The unnamed prophet was later killed by a lion as punishment for disobeying the Lord’s comm and not to eat or drink in the northern kingdom.

One Old Testament verse sums up succinctly what it means to be a man of God: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8, NIV84).

In the Bible, the title man of God was initially reserved for those with an especially close relationship with God and who exercised a strong prophetic gift. By the New Testament, it came to denote any loyal follower of God.

To live as a man of God today requires a wholehearted commitment to Jesus Christ, to spiritual transformation, and to service. It means following God completely, obeying His commands joyfully, living not for worldly things but for eternal purposes. Such a man serves God by giving freely of his resources and gladly suffers because of his faith (see Matthew 5:10–12; Matthew 6:19–21; Luke 6:38; 1 Timothy 6:17–19; 1 Peter 4:12–19).

Practically, living as a man of God involves maintaining personal integrity. It means being honest at work, not cheating an employer by coming in late or spending an hour of work time on the internet (see 2 Corinthians 8:21; Colossians 3:23–24; Ephesians 6:5–8). The godly man avoids gossip (Proverbs 11:13; Ephesians 4:29; James 1:26), guards his mind and heart from worldly corruption (Proverbs 4:23; Romans 12:2; Colossians 3:2), and strives to be a spiritual example to his family and in the church (Ephesians 6:4; 2 Timothy 2:15; Titus 2:7–8). He deliberately goes against the grain of societal norms, caring for those who are disadvantaged, rejected, or struggling, and readily listens to others (James 1:27; 1 John 3:17–18; Matthew 7:1–5; Luke 6:37).

The man of God understands that personal holiness can only be achieved through Christ’s power. The man of God knows he must depend on God, who equips and enables him to be “holy and blameless in his sight” (Ephesians 1:4) through the power and indwelling of His Spirit (Romans 8:13–14; Galatians 5:16–25). On his own, the man of God is incapable of holiness, but through Christ, who strengthens him, he can “do all things” (Philippians 4:13).

The man of God grasps that, by faith, he is a new creation in Jesus Christ. His new nature is rooted in the righteousness of Christ, given in exchange for his old sinful nature at the cross (2 Corinthians 5:17; Philippians 3:9). As a result, he walks humbly with God, knowing that God is the source of his victory and perseverance to the end.

A New Testament model of a humble man of God is the apostle Paul’s protégé, Timothy. Paul encouraged him, “Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity” (1 Timothy 4:12, NLT). Above all, Paul urged him to stay faithful to Christ and everything he had learned in God’s Word: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:14–17, ESV).

Jesus said that the Word of God is the bread of life (Matthew 4:4). For the man of God, the Word is his ultimate source of guidance, wisdom, and eternal hope (Psalm 19:7–11; 119:105; Hebrews 4:12; Romans 15:4).