Alexander the Coppersmith

"Alexander the Coppersmith did me much harm

but the Lord will repay him according to his deeds"
(2 Timothy 4:14-15). 

In college I was privileged to be discipled by a number of faithful men.  Pastor Mark Spansel was one of the godly men who invested in my life and future ministry.  Mark often let me use his office at the Master's College so I could study the Word and utilize his personal library "after hours."  As an extended family member of the late Dr. D. Edmond Hiebert Mark owned a number of books from the personal library of the great New Testament scholar.  One of the Hiebert books that has been most helpful to me is shown above. "In Paul's Shadow: Friends and Foes of the Great Apostle." 

It is obvious in reading the New Testament epistles that the apostle was not afraid to name names.  Alexander the Coppersmith was one of the many named "ministry foes" of the apostle Paul.  Apparently this metalworker wrecked havoc on Paul's pastoral ministry.  In time Alexander did God's servant a "great deal of harm."  2 Timothy 4:15 informs us that Alexander strongly opposed the apostolic message.  The rest of the backstory would have likely been very familiar to the original audience and so Paul does not say much more than this.

As a faithful Christian the great apostle tried to practice what he preached.  For example in Romans 12:18-19 Paul wrote, If possible, so far as depends on you, be at peace with all men.  Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'I will repay, says the Lord."  Instead of trying to settle a personal score in a fleshly way Paul left room for the wrath of God.  Paul believed that God Himself would "repay this man for his sinful deeds." 

As a faithful shepherd Paul also sought to protect his flock and Timothy from the contaminating influence of this Coppersmith foe.  So Paul mentions this man by name in a letter that would have been read aloud to the entire congregation.  In 2 Timothy 4:13-15, the apostle dually warns these believers of this human "leaven."  So what does Paul and Alexander have to do with me or FBC?


I have already told you about the many ministry friends that God abundantly blessed us/me with.  Having said that, I also experienced my own "Alexander the Coppersmith."  Over the past many years one outsider has done my pastoral ministry "much harm."  I have emails, letters, and meeting memos to validate the content of this article but in the interest of gospel grace I will not "name names" here or get into all the "nitty gritty." 

After many unfortunate run-ins and face to face (biblical) appeals failed everything came to a head when the pocket of members who unsuccessfully tried to run me off left and were immediately welcomed at "Alexander's church."  At times it felt like these individuals had found their own private "Gaza strip" where they could safely launch 'rocket attacks' into Israel.  Over the years my "Alexander" has visited active church members in the hospital, jail, and nursing homes; attended and officiated member funerals; privately counseled disgruntled members (often giving them contradictory counsel); and the list goes on and on.  As I reflect on all that has transpired 2 Tim. 4:14 is the one verse that keeps coming to my mind- Alexander the Coppersmith has done me much harm!

Like the apostle Paul, ministers of the New Covenant will have friends and foes in the ministry.  During low valleys I have often looked to the Apostle Paul for pastoral wisdom, ministry perspective, and personal encouragement.  At the end of Paul's earthly life and ministry the same Apostle was able to say, "I have fought the fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

Postscript- This post was reviewed and edited by a few outside pastor friends. The final draft of this article is shorter and less detailed thanks to their helpful critiques. Suffice it to say, Alexander the Coppersmith figures often harm the cause of Christ by undermining biblical church discipline. Dr. Russell Moore addresses this very thing in the following article.

These Dr. Moore quotes support the essence of what I have summarized above. “If you’re the kind of minister who refuses to acknowledge the discipline or accountability structures of other churches, you might simply be more enlightened than those churches and leaders. Or you might not know what you’re dealing with. And you just might be fighting against a word spoken by Jesus himself, handing over an unrepentant soul to Satan, with the hopes of ultimate repentance (1 Cor. 5:4-5).”

“Your affirmation of an unrepentant and fugitive-from-discipline church member isn’t an act of love or mercy. It’s an act of hatred. You are empowering the unrepentant to bear the name brother or sister (1 Cor. 5:11), to assuage a conscience that should be convicted by the Spirit.”