First, what do I mean by those terms? Our theology of preaching is what we believe the Bible says about preaching. Our philosophy has to do with how those beliefs are fleshed out in the real world—how we put our beliefs into practice.
Theology
Because this is a brief article, let me give five basic and foundational truths I believe the Bible teaches about preaching.
1. Preaching is biblical. In the Old and New Testaments, preaching of some kind is God’s primary means of declaring His words and His will. The Old Testament words for prophet and prophecy (nabi and nebuah, respectively) come from the root for “bubble up” or “boil over.” The idea is that the words of God pour forth from the mouth of the prophet. The rarer word, nathaph, translated “to preach,” has as its root the idea of “dropping” words in the direction of something or someone (see
2. The Word of God is the content of preaching. In
3. Preaching should be Christ-centered. Comparing himself with other preachers, Paul said to the Corinthian church that his preaching was not filled with “plausible words of wisdom,” but that he had resolved to “know nothing…except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (
4. Preaching should endeavor to glorify God. Not only do we see throughout Scripture that everything should be done to the glory of God (
5. Preaching is a spiritual endeavor. Paul said the gospel is “the power of God for salvation” (
Philosophy
Based on this theology of preaching, we can develop a philosophy of preaching. In other words, we can come to some conclusions about how preaching ought to be practiced based on what the Bible says about it.
1. Because preaching is biblical, it is essential to the church. This means preaching must be practiced in the church. Moreover, because preaching is so central to the proclamation of the gospel and the glory of God, it should be the primary driver and focal point of Christian worship. We can practice this when we give preaching its proper place in our gatherings.
2. Because the Word of God is the content of preaching, expository preaching is best. I define expository preaching as the contextual proclamation of a text within its context. Every sermon must be grounded in a biblical passage, and the original meaning of that passage must be proclaimed, explained and applied. Any preaching not derived from a biblical passage will not carry the power and the authority of God’s Word.
3. Because preaching should be Christ-centered; all preaching should be gospel preaching. This does not mean every sermon needs to be from a passage that explains the gospel, but every passage must be preached in light of the crucified and risen Christ. We do not preach good works or good advice. Even when calling our people to obedience and righteousness, we must do so as we announce the good news of the finished work of Christ on our behalf.
4. Because preaching should endeavor to glorify God, God must be magnified. God, not man, must be the Hero of every sermon. We need to tell people about God, and we need to do so rightly so He is shown to be glorious in all His attributes.
5. Because preaching is a spiritual endeavor, the preacher must walk in the Spirit. We must walk with God ourselves, and we must bathe the whole work of preaching—from conception, to preparation, to delivery—in prayer. Then when we stand to preach, we must trust the Holy Spirit to accomplish the work of the preached word.
As I said, this is a brief summary of a theology and philosophy of preaching. I know much more could be said, and we certainly could spend much time on how all of this gets worked out in our various preaching ministries. Nevertheless, I hope I’ve given at least a starting point in thinking about and doing the holy task to which God has called us.