An objection to the Apostle Paul and the so-called “Paul’s gospel” has emerged and is circulating via social media, making its way into the minds of young men and women. If your children are in high school or college, they have probably been exposed to it. This new and novel idea asserts that Paul was not an Apostle, never met Jesus, and created a false gospel that is different than what Jesus and his twelve disciples preached. However, a simple reading of the New Testament shows this idea to be completely ridiculous. Let’s examine it.

-Paul himself insists it’s the same gospel

• Galatians 1:11-12: Paul says the gospel he preached was “not man’s gospel” but came by revelation from Jesus Christ.

• 1 Corinthians 15:1-4:  Paul summarizes the gospel (Christ died for our sins, was buried, rose again). This is the exact same gospel preached by the apostles (Acts 2; Acts 3).

-The Jerusalem Apostles affirmed Paul

• Acts 15 (Jerusalem Council) Peter declares that Jews and Gentiles are saved the same way: by grace through faith, not the law. This mirrors Paul’s teaching exactly and is a complete endorsement of Paul’s work in preaching to the Gentiles. James affirms that the ingathering of the Gentiles is a fulfillment of prophecy. Again affirming Paul’s preaching.

• Galatians 2:7-9: James, Peter, and John gave Paul “the right hand of fellowship,” recognizing his gospel as the same gospel.

• 2 Peter 3:15-16:  Peter refers to Paul’s letters as “Scripture.” Ironically, Peter also affirms that some people twist Paul’s teaching to their own destruction.  

-Jesus preached the same message of grace and faith

• John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son (Grace), that whosoever believes in him (Faith) should not perish but have eternal life.  

• John 6:29: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

• Luke 24:46-47: Jesus said the news of his death and resurrection would be proclaimed as “repentance and forgiveness of sins.” And this gospel would be preached to all nations. Paul fulfills what Christ prophesied.

-Jesus and the disciples believed Jesus’ sacrificial death was a key component of the Gospel, just like Paul preached

Matthew

• Matthew 20:28: “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
  • A ransom involves substitution: Christ’s life for many lives.

 

• Matthew 26:28: “... for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
  • Blood poured out “for” others = penal substitution. This doctrine is explicit in Paul’s writings.

 
Mark and Luke Mirror Matthew

John

• John 1:29: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
  • Lamb imagery implies substitutionary sacrifice.

• John 10:11: “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
  • “For” = in the place of.

• John 11:50–52: Caiaphas prophesies Jesus would “die for the nation … not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God.”

Peter

• 1 Peter 2:24: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.”

• 1 Peter 3:18: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.”

The church is in great need today of recapturing Paul’s theology and practice of preaching. I will never forget the brazen words of a pastor of one of the large seeker-sensitive/church-growth churches in Kansas City. He was lecturing a classroom full of pastors and students when he said: “Yeah we dim the lights, yeah we play the music repetitively… We are trying to manipulate people into believing and walking the aisle."

One should pause for a moment and consider the reality that this man’s idea of what was a good and ethical practice in the church is directly against Paul’s theology of preaching, which is elaborated on in 1 Cor. 1- 4. (Go read it.) Now that you’ve read Paul's words for yourself, if you are interested in a thorough examination of 1 Cor. 1-4, Duan Liften has written a helpful book entitled Paul’s Theology of Preaching that can assist in that need.

On Paul’s theology of preaching, Liften's thesis is clear when he writes:

"He argued his case on fundamental theological premises about God’s chosen modus operandi in the world in general. The Corinthians were only another example of what God had already universally demonstrated in the crucified Christ, his determination to frustrate humanity's pride by accomplishing his purposes, not through those human efforts the world considered impressive, but through Spirit-empowered means the world considered of no account—so that when those divine purposes were accomplished no mortal could boast."[1]

God’s chosen medium through which the Gospel advances is that of a herald and not a manipulative rhetorician.

I contend that Paul’s theology of preaching necessitates that pastors should and must consider and evaluate his own sermonic style and content against Paul’s example. To be a herald and not a rhetorician is the aim. Therefore, I argue for two areas of self-examination: 1. Having the same epistemology as Paul, and 2. Understanding style and delivery appropriately.

Epistemology is the field of philosophy that seeks to understand how we come to believe what we believe. It is the study of how knowledge is acquired. Paul’s theology of preaching is the natural outworking of Paul’s epistemology. Paul’s epistemology comes to us by Divine inspiration and is recorded in several texts in the Bible. This means Paul’s epistemology, or understanding of knowledge and how humanity acquires it, is God’s own understanding of epistemology. This means it should be the same epistemology of every preacher of the Bible.

Paul discloses in Romans 1 that man has suppressed the truth of God and embraced a lie, leading to false worship (Rom 1:18). Adam’s fall into sin has totally corrupted mankind, rendering all guilt in him and likewise culpable of their own sin, demonstrated by the universal spread of death (Rom. 5:12). Mankind, in its fallen condition, has a major epistemological problem—we are hostile to God and unable to submit to his word.

Romans 8: 7-8 says: "For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." Does this horrible news leave Paul hopeless? No, Paul believes that the gospel itself is the power of God to salvation which breaks through our deadness in sin (Rom. 1:16).

1 Cor. 1- 4 is in perfect agreement with Romans as demonstrated by several texts. 1 Cor. 2:14 says: “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." Clearly, no amount of persuading or attempted manipulation is going to change a person's mind and transfer them from unbelief to belief when what is preventing their understanding is a moral condition.

This is why Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians is so crucial to our understanding of a biblical theology of preaching:

"For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. "(1 Cor. 1:21-25) [1]

The clear, unvarnished preaching of Christ crucified may be foolishness to a world that loves to hear rhetoric and can be persuaded by lofty arguments. However, to the elect of God who are called, it is the very power that transfers them from death in Adam to life in Christ.
 
Preaching the gospel is God's chosen medium to bring dead sinners to faith in Jesus Christ. Paul's epistemology shaped his theology of preaching. It should all preachers as well, which means any form of manipulation must be jettisoned and replaced by simple, clear heralding of the gospel. Human cunning and rhetoric are powerless, but God's medium is powerful.

Naturally, this impacts how we should understand the place of style and delivery. Considering and even seeking to improve our style and delivery should not be abandoned because of the reality of Paul’s theology of preaching; instead, style and delivery have an essential role to play. But, instead of the natural mans' paradigm of communication being Audience + Servants’ Efforts = Results, the preacher's paradigm should be Faithfulness + Conviction = The Glory of God.

We preach ultimately for the Glory of God. Preachers should seek to improve delivery for the express purpose of accurately communicating the text with conviction for God’s glory. This will take homiletical study and practice. But the purpose is not to produce some result. The preacher's goal is to be faithful and clear and leave the results up to the Holy Spirit as He brings sinners to Christ through the Word of God.

Concerning style, preachers should be who God created and designed them to be. They should be true to themselves. But they should also seek every opportunity to be the best communicators they can be with the gifts God has given them.

One of the most critical elements for any preacher to communicate through their style of preaching is a real and burning-hot conviction that what they preach is in fact God's Word. The preacher must have so much conviction that, though there may be a doubter present in the church, the one thing they won't doubt is that the preacher believes what he is preaching is from God and that it is urgent that they listen. To be faithful to the Word and to have conviction are two elements of style and delivery that every preacher should consider.

Paul’s theology of preaching has several implications for preaching that can correct the manipulative strategies of our day. These same implications should be considered as helpful in shaping a preacher’s understanding of sermon content as well as style and delivery of that content.

Paul’s epistemology influences his theology of preaching. All preachers should adopt Paul’s theology of preaching as it is Divinely inspired. His theology both warns against manipulation in preaching and simultaneously frees the preacher and gives him boldness as only God has the power to save a sinner and grant belief. Paul's theology of preaching mandated that style and delivery be considered as well.

Preachers are not responsible for producing results. Therefore, they must only be faithful to preach God's word clearly and with conviction. God will not hold preachers accountable for results, just for faithfulness.

Final thought: Faithfulness in preaching looks more like a town crier than a car salesman.


[1] Duane Litfin, Paul’s Theology of Preaching: The Apostle’s Challenge to the Art of Persuasion in Ancient Corinth, Revised, Expanded edition (Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Academic, 2015), 339.

When a pastor steps into the pulpit and begins to teach, what he truly believes about the doctrine of biblical inerrancy is revealed by his preaching. Is he giving good advice, which means standing on his own authority, or is he opening up what God has said and delivering God’s message, standing on God's authority? This post discusses how the doctrine of inerrancy has profound effects on the preacher and the ministry of the church. Three main areas the doctrine of inerrancy impacts in preaching are discussed: (1) carefulness in study and delivery, (2) authority in preaching, and (3) confidence in the sufficiency of the gospel and Scripture to build Christ’s church.

If one believes that every word of the Bible is what God inspired and holds to absolute inerrancy without any mixture of error whatsoever, there will be profound implications on the care one takes when handling the text. Many people love to read fiction, but I don't know anyone who labors over every sentence of fiction writing. People do not diagram out sentences and paragraphs of fiction writing doing their very best to get the authorial intent just right. There is a direct correlation to the inspiration of the text and the care one takes with the text.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (ESV). The preacher who believes this is true will take great care in preparing to stand before God’s people and preach. Time will be spent. Exertion in mind and thought will be given. The preacher becomes like a hunting dog in his studies, searching for the authorial intent of the passage, and doesn't quit until he has found it. Having done the careful study and arriving at the authorial intent, the pastor can now bridge the time and culture gap and bring that truth home to the world in which he lives and stand in the pulpit and deliver God's Word.

The pastor should preach with just as much care as he has studied. His goal should always be to deliver God’s Word as God gave it. Careful study translates into care and accuracy in the pulpit. A baseball pitcher who has conditioned his body all week and put in the repetitions of practice has nothing to fear when game day comes around. As it is with the pitcher, so it is when the preacher enters the pulpit to deliver that which he has labored over.

Next, the doctrine of inerrancy has profound implications for authoritative preaching. The man who steps into the pulpit and does not deliver God’s Word but presumes to know intuitively what God’s people need for their life; and then proceeds to give them good advice or worldly wisdom—is a man most arrogant and dangerous. He stands upon the shaky sand of his own authority, which is no authority whatsoever. When the preacher exposits the Word of God, delivering the authorial intent of the passage, and then applies God’s Word relevantly to God’s people, he stands upon the authority of God’s Word. The preacher has no authority whatsoever in himself. An inerrant text is an authoritative text, and this means the that if a preacher wishes to maximally honor God’s authority verse-by-verse exposition is demanded.

The topical preacher who jumps to and fro while sticking his finger in the wind and then preaches whatever he thinks the people need to hear makes himself the authority of the church over God. While occasional exposition of certain doctrines or topics is needed, these should be exceptions and not the norm. The normal pattern of preaching should be verse-by-verse exposition of whole books of the Bible. Only this manner of exposition delivers to God’s people the authorial intent in its fullest sense. Verse-by-verse exposition also establishes God as the authority of the church and not the preacher. The preacher must trust that God knows what His people need to hear, when they need to hear it, and will speak to them from the text of Scripture.

Lastly, the doctrine of inerrancy unleashes supreme confidence in the sufficiency of the
gospel and Scripture to build Christ’s church. In addition to stating the sufficiency of Scripture in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul said in Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Paul’s life, as revealed in the book of Acts, shows that he firmly believed the gospel as revealed in Scripture was the power of God unto salvation.

The modern preacher today undermines both the sufficiency of the gospel and the sufficiency of Scripture to build Christ’s church with pragmatism. The modern preacher's perverted version of Romans 1:16 is: "I am not ashamed of pragmatism, for it is the power of man for salvation to everyone who believes."  When a pastor—even if that pastor professes with his mouth the doctrine of inerrancy—proceeds to build the church upon pragmatism; he reveals that his profession of the sufficiency of the gospel and Scripture for the building of Christ’s church is only lip service. The preacher ends up building his church; not Christ’s church.

The doctrine of inerrancy demands the preacher have supreme confidence in the sufficiency and power of the gospel alone. The preacher who holds firmly to inerrancy needs no gimmicks to lead people to Christ. Additionally, as the church grows, it will grow in confidence of both the gospel and Scripture as the pastor’s confidence and practices become contagious. Inerrancy demands the preacher preach and let Christ build Christ’s church upon Christ’s gospel with Christ’s Scripture.

Inerrancy has many implications for preaching and for the church. This post only scratches the surface. However, the three issues raised here are profoundly important. Inerrancy demands carefulness in study and delivery. It demands that God speak through His Scripture and not mens' good ideas about man. Lastly, the doctrine of inerrancy unleashes supreme confidence in the sufficiency of the gospel and Scripture in the building of Christ’s church.