The preacher's work is not to change his hearers, that is something only God can do; the preacher's work is to proclaim the revelation of God's glory in his Word.
Or,
God's work is to change people; the preachers work is to proclaim God.
Or,
God changes people through the proclamation of his unchangeableness.
Monday, April 27, 2009
ATTEMPTED AXIOM: On the Preacher's Work
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4 comments:
I like the last one: God changes people through the proclamation of God's unchangableness.
There is something different about preaching a Calvinistic atonement. An Arminian atonement says: "God did something for you, but you must do something to make it work" While a Calvinist atonement says "God did something for you that works...then you do something."
Yet, how hard is the conviction that your job is not to improve someone by imperatives but by indicatives?
I'm not sure I understand your question.
I don't mean to suggest that preachers should not offer imperatives. They should, because God does. But they are God's imperatives, founded upon and part of his glorious display of himself.
Sorry, it was a rhetorical question, meaning, isn't it difficult to base one's teaching on the work of God in Christ and the Spirit and relying on the Gospel to be the power to salvation (Rom 1:16) and the means of fulfilling the Law, rather than just preaching the Law. Basing the Law on the Gospel, not the Gospel on the Law, of teaching the indicative before the imperative, not the imperative in order to be the indicative.
Make sense?
Oh, okay. Now I see what you're sayin'.
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