In the 2015 G3 Conference, Paul Washer preached on “The Essential Elements of the Great Commission.” The full sermon can be viewed below.
3 Types of Legalism – R.C. Sproul takes a look at legalism from a biblical perspective and seeks to avoid the incorrect usage of the term.
On Preaching with David L. Olford – H.B. Charles Jr. sat down for a conversation with David L. Olford – the son of Stephen Olford.
Who Shall Bring Any Charge – This is part 3 of a helpful sermon by Alistair Begg on the subject of evangelism.
Does the Doctrine of Hell Make God Unjust? – Mike Riccardi answers a popular question regarding the justice of God.
Listen to the Democratic Convention applaud when speaker says she had an abortion. – After NARAL president Ilyse Hogue told the Democratic Convention that she had an abortion, they applauded.
Megachurch Apologizes After Statement Of Faith Found On Its Website – A little humor that contains a bit of truth.
Theology Word of the Week: A Theology of Preaching
In the Bible, preaching plays a major part. This is true of the OT (cf. Prophecy), but in particular of the NT. One may even say that the NT itself is the result of preaching. Both the gospels and the epistles are fully kerygmatic. Jesus himself continually proclaimed the coming of the kingdom of God. Even more, in his preaching and healing activities the kingdom was already present. In his cross and resurrection God’s eschatological act of redemption took place. This is also the reason why after his resurrection and the outpouring of the Spirit Jesus himself is the main content of the apostolic proclamation. It is therefore not surprising to see that the New Testament uses more than thirty verbs to denote the activity of preaching. The apostles, commissioned by the risen Lord, preached this message as the very word of God (cf. 2 Thes. 2:13). The Pauline Epistles frequently use such expressions as ‘the word of God’ or ‘the word of the Lord’ or, in an even shorter formula, ‘the word’ (cf. 1 Thes. 1:6, 8; 3:1; Col. 4:3; 2 Tim. 2:9; 4:1; etc.). In all these passages the terms refer to the preached word (cf. TDNT IV, 116). This is also the reason why the word preached by Paul and the others is effective. This efficacy is not due to the talents of the preacher, but the secret lies in the genitive: it is the word of God or of the Lord. In the apostolic message (the emphasis being always on the content) the voice of the living God is being heard.
This emphasis was shared by the Reformers. Both Luther and Calvin were convinced that, when the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is being proclaimed, God himself is heard by the listeners. In chapter 1 of the Second Helvetic Confession (1566) Heinrich Bullinger, the successor of Zwingli, summarized the position of the Reformers in one terse statement: Praedicatio verbi Dei est verbum Dei—the preaching of the word of God is the word of God. In the next sentence he interprets this statement as follows: ‘Wherefore when this word of God (=Scripture) is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe that the very word of God is proclaimed, and received by the faithful.’
The indispensable condition for true preaching is the faithful proclamation of the message of Scripture. Yet preaching is not a simple repetition of this message. It must also be actualized into the present. If preaching is to be true and relevant, the message of Scripture must be addressed to people in their concrete historical situation. The biblical message may not be adapted to the situation of today, but it must be ‘accommodated’ (Calvin) to the situation. As in Christ God stooped down to take upon himself our flesh (see Accommodation, Incarnation), so in the preaching of the word the Holy Spirit stoops down to reach people in their situation. The preacher therefore must be an exegete of both Scripture and of his congregation, so that the living word of God for today will be heard at the intersection of text and situation. [1]
- Sinclair B. Ferguson and J.I. Packer, New Dictionary of Theology (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 528.
