In the first two articles of this series on Christian writing, I introduced the idea that Christian writing is primarily an act of stewardship and I elaborated on my own definition Christian writing.
Today, I want to move on to the Christian’s motivation for writing. While writing does not replace interpersonal ministry, I do believe that Christian writing is a type of “public” ministry. As such, we should continuously examine our motivations for doing it.
Therefore, Christians should write because we desire to steward what God has shown us in His word.
In previous articles, I discussed this notion of stewarding God’s words in our writing. But that’s not just a method of writing, it’s also the core motivation behind our writing. It’s the posture of our heart from which we write. Our writing should not be for our own gain, but as an act of stewardship over what God has given us through His word for His glory and the good of others.
Stewarding God’s Word in Our Writing
We already discussed what God has shown us in His word, but what does it mean to steward Scripture in our writing?
When we talk about stewardship in Christian circles, we often use the term in conjunction with our resources. My church pairs stewardship language with “time, talent, and treasures”—using all three to glorify God and serve the church.
A cursory search of the term “stewardship,” brought up several good definitions, but I liked the short-and-simple explanation I found in the Wikipedia page for Stewardship (theology). It describes stewardship as “the responsibility Christians have to maintain and use wisely the gifts God has bestowed.”
In Christian writing, the primary gift we are maintaining and using is the Bible, for it is the foundation of all we write. An attitude of stewardship, then, provides both the perspective and motivation for our writing.
I think there are three ways that stewardship provides this motivation.
First, an attitude of stewardship helps us write for God’s glory.
All that we are and all that we have comes from God, therefore all that we are and all that we have is a gift—one we should desire to steward for God’s glory.
Peter wrote such an encouragement to the exiled believers in 1 Peter 4:10-11:
Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God. If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
God’s word provides us with an enduring witness to His work in the world. So then, all that we write should bear witness to this testimony of what God has shown us in His word about who He is, what He has done through Christ, and who we are because of it. Our writing is not a means of making our name known—it’s primarily a means of glorifying God and bearing witness to the gospel given to us through His word.
Second, we write for the good of fellow believers.
If we approach writing as an act of stewardship for God’s glory, then that naturally leads us to write for the sake of the church. We can take an example from Paul, who tells the Philippians that though he would prefer to be with Christ, he knows that remaining in the flesh is necessary for their sake (see Philippians 1:23-26). He commits to continuing with them for the sake of their progress and joy in the faith. Likewise, our desire in writing should be for the church’s progress and joy in the faith.
Consequently, approaching writing as an act of stewardship, for God’s glory and the good of the church also allows us to write from a posture of humility. It’s impossible to do this if we approach writing as a means of building our own platform.
However, when our motivation for writing is grounded in stewarding God’s word, we recognize that our own words are not supremely authoritative and we rightly bear the weight of what it means to represent God and His word. We should desire to represent Him well to others, to use His words to edify the church. In a later article, I’ll elaborate on how Christians can write to this end.
Third, writing is good for us, too.
This is the last motivation for a reason. While Christian writing should first be to glorify God and edify the church, there are some natural benefits for the writer, too. If we truly seek to steward God’s words in our writing, then even the process of writing may end up doing ourselves some good.
Writing helps us maintain our focus on God’s word—on the “things above,” as Colossians 3 describes. Writing helps us think and process what God might be teaching us. Our own words can remind us of truth when we are struggling with the same things repeatedly. Often, we are writing to ourselves as much as anyone else.
And what better way to maintain presence with an audience than to write to ourselves as well as them?
Public writing, itself, is not necessarily an indicator of selfish motives. You may even find yourself with a platform, even if that’s not what you set out to do. If this happens, ask yourself if you view a platform as a byproduct or benefit of your writing. If you view it as a benefit, then you may need to examine your motives again. However, if you maintain the stewardship motivations I listed above, then a platform may be a simple byproduct of your writing—one you can also steward for God’s glory and the good of the church.
A Caveat
Finally, I want to elaborate on something I mentioned above—that while writing can be a type of ministry, it is not a replacement for interpersonal, or embodied ministry. Keeping this in mind is another antidote to the whole platform building temptation.
If we want to be present with our audience (the church) in our writing, then we must actually be present with them, in person, first. Writing is valuable, but it cannot take the place of in-person discipleship and service to the church.
We are not mere keyboard warriors—we are first children of God and members of local churches. We should be daily immersed in God’s word and actively serving fellow church members face-to-face, not just from behind a screen. Writing is a legitimate way to build up the church—just look at Paul’s letters! However, even Paul desired to be with those churches in person. His letters were just a placeholder until he could see them face-to-face.
That said, if our motivation for writing comes from a desire to steward what God has shown us in His word for His glory and the good of the church, then how do we best do that? That question will be answered in the next article. Stay tuned!
Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash
