Marksof True Preaching
In our last article, we noted that the marks of a true church are4 in number, namely: (1) true preaching; (2) right administration of thesacraments; (3) faithful exercise of church discipline; (4) biblical worship.In this article, we discuss briefly what constitute true preaching. This is asubject of great importance because in preaching, the voice of God, is heard asit were by His people. This is why the Lord says "My sheep hear My voice,and I know them, and they follow me" (Jn 10:27). Christ is obviously notreferring only to His voice during His incarnation, He has to be referring toeffectual hearing and to preaching in general since this was the how the Wordof God was and is brought to the people (cf. Rom 10:14). Thus the Apostle Paulintimates that the preacher stands as an ambassador of God speaking to thepeople instead of God, in the Name of Christ (2 Cor 5:20). Likewise, as Calvinputs it: "The preaching of the Gospel, which is committed to [the Church],is the spiritual sceptre of Christ, by which He displays His power [orauthority]" (Isaiah, 3.414). As such, if the preaching in a localassembly is not consistent with the requirements of God’s Word, then theassembly cannot be considered a Christian church since the Christ of the Biblewould then not be speaking nor ruling the church. When this happens, theassembly would then be led and taught by a thief, a robber or an hireling (Jn10:8, 12), or worst a wolf in sheep’s clothing (Acts 20:29, Matt 7:15).
What are the marks of true preaching? Let me suggest 7 somewhatoverlapping marks. Let us take note of these marks not so that we know how tofind fault with preachers, but that we may better understand and appreciate thefact that a church is no ordinary human institution and that preaching is not aprofessional oration that can be carried out like a company presentation.Neither should true preaching be heard as an ordinary discourse. Rather, itought be heard as the voice of God. This is why the Word of God gives objectiveguidelines on what constitute true preaching:
1. It is apresentation of the whole counsel of God.
Paul’s testimony to the Ephesians is instructive: "For I have not shunnedto declare unto you all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). There is acommon saying that "preachers should avoid majoring on minors." Thisis may be true and instructive for most young preachers. However, the problemwhich one faces is: what is major? And what is minor? What may be consideredmajor by someone may a minor to another. True preaching, I believe, is notsimply not majoring in minors. Rather, it is preaching all the counsels ortruth of God. One of the best ways of doing so is to preach through the Biblebook by book, chapter by chapter and verse by verse, as was the habit of someof the greatest expositors in the past such as Calvin, Gill and Lloyd-Jones.However, not every preacher have the privilege of having sufficient time topreach sequentially and still be able to cover enough grounds to qualify forhaving preach the whole counsel of God. Thus, the Dutch Reformed Churches, forexample, preach according to the Heidelberg Catechism so that a complete bodyof divinity is addressed during the 52 weeks of the year. Whatever the system,it must be emphasised that true preaching involves not just applicatorymessages, but hard doctrine. Ministries that refuse to teach the wrath,holiness, justice and sovereignty of God or downplay the doctrine of electionare certainly not preaching the whole counsel of God. Preachers who expend mostof their energies teaching about the love of God or the doctrine of …Cont. p. 3 end-times are in danger of falsepreaching. Similarly, preachers who refuse to address any particular issuebecause it is considered ‘minor’ are also in danger of engaging in skewed andfalse preaching.
2. It has twovoices. This is in fact an application of the first point. "Thepastor ought to have two voices; one, for gathering the sheep, and another, forwarding off and driving away wolves and thieves" (Pastoral Epistles,296), say Calvin. William Perkins concurs: "Preaching has a twofold value:(1) It is instrumental in gathering the church and bringing together all of theelect; (2) It drives away the wolves from the folds of the Lord." (Artof Prophesying, BOT reprint, 3). True preaching involves both edificationand warning. Most pulpits today have a heavy emphasis on edification, buthardly any word of warning. In fact, many Christians today are averse tohearing the sound of warning from the pulpit, as it is considered unchristian.If that be so, then Paul would be of all preachers most unchristian, for hetaught: "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospelunto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed…"(Gal 1:8-9). Or consider: "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them whichcause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned;and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, buttheir own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of thesimple" (Rom 16:17-18). The point is obvious, there is a place for warningin true preaching.
3. It is nothawking Christ.
We emphasised on the second voice of preaching in the previous section ratherthan the first in order that we may give due attention this common fallacyregarding preaching. True preaching must no doubt be persuasive. We read of howPaul preached to those who visited him during his first Roman imprisonment:"He expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerningJesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning tillevening" (Acts 28:23; cf. 2 Cor 5:11). Thus Calvin comments that"Whenever the Gospel is preached, it is as if God himself came into themidst of us, and solemnly and expressly besought us, that we may not wander indarkness, as if we knew not where to go, and that those who refuse to obey maybe rendered inexcusable" (Harmony of Ev., 3.129). However, truepreaching must not present God as desiring the salvation of sinners as if thesalvation of sinner rests finally in the sinner. A preaching ministry thatneglects to call sinners to repentance and belief is in danger of degeneratinginto falsity. But it is also false preaching to urge a mix congregation toaccept Christ as Saviour because He wishes to save all or that He is a freegift that only needs to be received by a simple prayer or a raising of hand.This, unfortunately is the error in many a pulpit today. Worst, amongCalvinists who preach in this manner, Calvin is frequently appealed to. ButCalvin, while careful to teach that the Gospel is to be preachedindiscriminately, at the same time denies that "grace is extended to allindiscriminately" (ICR3.25.17). For him, the "preaching of theGospel streams forth from the wellspring of election" (ICR 3.24.1). "The reprobate arehateful to God" (ICR 3.25.17),and therefore even passages such as Ezk 33:11, gives no reason to preach to amixed congregation that God wills or desires all to be saved. "Theprophet’s instruction that the death of the sinner is not pleasing toGod," is designed, rather, "to assure believers that God is ready topardon them as soon as they are touched by repentance, but to make the wickedfeel that their transgression is doubled because they do not respond to God’sgreat kindness and goodness" (ICR 3.24.15).True preaching, therefore, must not degenerate into an emotional appeal,—muchlike an attractive sales pitch,—to all and sundry to accept Christ withoutdelay. Christ, must rather, be presented as "a savour of life untolife" for the repentant, and "a savour of death unto death" (2Cor 2:15-16) to the unrepentant.
4. It isdiscriminatory.
By this, we mean that true preaching ought to include the presentation of themarks of true believers. This is again much neglected in many a pulpit today,but is a major theme in the Scripture. Paul tells us to "Examineyourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not yourown selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" (2Cor 13:5). The Lord Himself warns "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord,Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of myFather which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, … Cont. p. 5 Lord, have we not prophesied in thyname? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderfulworks? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, yethat work iniquity" (Matt 7:21-23). The Lord in other words, recognisesthat within the gathered assembly, there is always the possibility that someare spurious believers. Any preachers who fails to assist the congregation tohonestly examine themselves by the objective rule of Scripture is not only indanger of failing in one aspect of their ministry, but in danger of having toanswer for the souls who perish in presumptuous self-deception.
5. It isexpository,
i.e. true preaching must be based on the Word of God, and seeks tomake the word of God understandable and applicable to the congregation. Thus,the Levites during the reformation of Nehemiah "read in the book in thelaw of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused [the people] tounderstand the reading" (Neh 8:8). Preaching must therefore make difficultdoctrine easily understood by the congregation. It must clarify rather thanstupefy. Messages that leave the congregation "high and dry" withminute and irrelevant nuances of words in a text is simply not preaching. Truepreaching must expound the word of God to and for God’s people so that livesare transformed. In this regard, it must be emphasised that true preaching mustinterpret and present the Word of God accurately. A sermon that make use ofparticular texts in Scripture as spring boards to teach what is foreign to thepassage is simply not acceptable even if in general what is said in the sermonis found elsewhere in the Bible. This is because the preacher would then begiving a false sense of the text and therefore can hardly to be said to beengaging in true preaching.
6. It isfearless.
Since the preacher represents God, true preaching must not be restrained byfear of men—whether those in the congregation, or those having the power todiscipline. Paul is emphatic when he says, "For do I now persuade men, orGod? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be theservant of Christ" (Gal 1:10). A preacher who tones down the miseries ofhell for fear that an influential unbeliever in the congregation may be offendedmust re-examine his motives for preach-ing. Similarly, one who, for fear ofoffending fellow ministers, fail to preach according to his own doctrinalconviction, is simply not preaching as a true servant of Christ.
7. It isintimately tied to the preacher.
It is true that "the infirmity of the minister does not destroy thefaithfulness, power, and efficacy of God’s word" (Calvin, Genesis, 2.94). Yet, A.N.Martin is surely right when he says "unless we would degrade preaching toa mere elocutionary art, we must never forget that the soil out of whichpowerful preaching grows is the preacher’s own life. This is what makes the artof preaching different from all other arts of communication" (What’swrong with Preaching today?, 5). Paul, writing to the Thessalonian Church,which he had the privilege of founding (Acts 17:1-4) reminded them: "Ourgospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the HolyGhost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among youfor your sake" (1 Thes 1:5). Clearly, the coming of the word "inpower, in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance" has much to do with theTheassalonians’ apprehension Paul and his co-worker’s manner of life. Thismanner of life is exhibited in 1 Thes 2:10: "Ye are witnesses, and Godalso, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you thatbelieve." What is suggested to us here, is that the most eloquent ordoctrinally accurate message may be ineffective and, in a sense, false, whendelivered by a minister whose testimony is questionable. It is for this reasonthat we frequently hear of members in a congregation "shutting-off"when a particular minister preaches in the church. A minister can, indeed, shutoff the ears of his hearers by a bad testimony in his Christian life. This,however, must be distinguished from the lack of eloquence in preaching. Thosewho come under the ministry of preachers who are less gifted but arenevertheless theologically accurate ought to take heed not to murmur and complainbut to pray that the Lord will enlarge their pastor with grace and ministerialgifts to better carry out his duties.
