Here's a question. I would love to hear everyone's input.
Is preaching only for elders, or is preaching for lay people as well?
The word "preach" simply means to "proclaim" or "speak with conviction."
I Peter 2:9 says, "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."
Here is sounds like anyone who is saved is called to "proclaim" or "speak with conviction" about the "excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."
In the qualifications of an elder found in I Timothy 3, we find the phrase "able to teach." This sounds like it is a responsibility connected to an official office of the church.
So are there two "categories" of preaching? Perhaps we could call them "general preaching," which would refer to the daily conversation of believers (the overflow of the heart...), and "specific preaching," which would refer to the intentionally prepared message regarding a selected text.
Also, if this is true, what are the implications? Does this mean that traditional "preaching texts" such as II Timothy 4:6-8 are now for everyone -not just the pastor? In the past, I have always heard this text preached as meaning that PASTORS must be instant "in season and out." But it looks like this is an admonition for all believers (especially since Paul has told Timothy to take this teaching and entrust it to faithful men who will be faithful to teach others -surely all of those men aren't elders!
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2 comments:
The fact that there are those who are given as preachers of the Word, does not preclude those of us who are not vocational preachers of the Word from proclaiming God's truth with conviction. In other words, the fact that we go hear a preacher every Sunday does not mean that we are relieved of the duty (and joy!) to spread the Word of God to all of those around us. So the question is not "Should we all proclaim the truth of God's word with conviction whenever we have the chance?" (Of course we should!) The question is, "When Paul speaks of 'preaching' does he mean it in the general sense of speaking with conviction (which can be done by any believer) or the specific sense in terms of the responsibility of elders?" I would have to say that in II Tim 4:1-5 Paul is talking directly to Timothy and is instructing him (and by extension other preachers) to be faithful in preaching the Word. Does this mean that there are not implications for everyone else? No. Just as a preacher should be ready in season and out of season to proclaim the truth of God’s Word, so should everyone else.
The issue is; does this text teach that everyone is obligated to preach? I’m having a hard time seeing where it would. While the idea is certainly true (everyone ought to be ready to give a reason for the hope that is within them [I Peter 3:16]), the big question is, is it taught by this text? I would have to say that it does not, but it is certainly a biblical teaching that everyone is in some sense a preacher.
Another reason that there may be disagreement over this is semantics. Many people may understand the term “preaching” to mean something that Scott does not mean. For instance, there is little or no difference between what most people would call “evangelism” and the meaning that Scott is giving to “preaching” here. When you say everyone is called to preach, depending on the intended meaning, it may or may not be true. It would be true if you mean that everyone has a responsibility to attest to what God has done for them in Christ. It would be false if you said that everyone has a responsibility to publicly proclaim the Word of God to the members of a church who are to submit to his or her teaching (women are forbidden to do this, and also those who do not have the gift of teaching). I would just encourage very clear communication when using these terms to avoid misunderstanding.
So to answer the question "yes and no." As is often the case with theological questions.
Jonathan
Perhaps there is a clue in the semantics of the issue. The verb preach (kerusso) seems to indicate something done by a herald. It was a role for a specific person. In the 1 Peter passage a different, but admittedly approximate, word is used that centers on the gospel, proclaiming, telling, spreading the gospel. Kerusso can be done on any number of subjects, which lends itself nicely to preachers/teachers whose job it is to expound all of the Bible. And yes, I know, all of the Bible is gospel centered, but hopefully you understand what I am getting at.
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