Can we rely on the authority of God’s Word in preaching even if the listener does not accept that authority? In a recent article for Preaching Today, James MacDonald says, “God’s Word is supernatural. We make a big mistake if we think God’s Word can’t have authority until the hearer accepts its authority. When the Bible promises about itself that it is sharper than any two-edged sword, what it’s saying is that it pierces, that it cuts to the heart. It separates joints and marrow; it is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
“The Bible is like a mirror. When you proclaim it without apology, with authority, you are holding up a mirror and thrusting people through with a sword; and they’re going to have an encounter with God Himself. That transcends cultural acceptance, cultural awareness and all these other ‘nuancy’ kind of things that some preachers want to worry about.
“As someone said a long time ago, and I couldn’t agree more, the Bible is like a lion. Let it out of the cage; it will take care of itself. That’s what I’ve been doing for 21 years, and I see God bearing fruit through that. I see God being faithful to Himself and to His Word in spite of the frailty and imperfections of the human messenger.” (Click here to read the full article.)