Proclaimer Blog
Learning about preaching from Paul
Preachers need to always remind themselves of Paul's own view of preaching. Here are five important principles taken from his first letter to Timothy:
5. Preaching requires a devotion to the truth
Alongside the previous point we see that, as the climax of the personal instructions to Timothy, he is told to watch his life and doctrine as through this means he will be the agent of salvation (1 Tim 4:16). It should be noted that this comes at the end of a section where Paul has used verbs of great intensity to underline what is required of Timothy. He is to be devoted to this public ministry of reading scripture, preaching and teaching. He is to be diligent, giving himself completely to the task and he is to persevere (1 Tim 4:13-16). This commitment to the truth is undergirded at the very end with the stirring call for Timothy to guard the deposit (6:20), such is its value. The preacher must be devoted above all to the word of God.
Editor's note: this week's posts are taken from our forthcoming book Teaching 1 Timothy written by Angus MacLeay – it will be available in the summer. We wanted to encourage preachers with a biblical view of preaching as it is found in this important letter.