The Effects of Preaching

This week on Things Unseen, we’ve been reflecting on the subject of preaching. And I mentioned that there are fads in preaching, just as there are about almost everything in church life. And if you live long enough, you begin to realize that’s exactly what they are—fads. Often, they’re the result of cloning. Someone does something different. It looks as though it works, and then, others follow. And the result is that we lose sight of what is fundamental and ought to be unchangeable in the way we think about preaching.

Well, what should be fundamental? Well, clearly, the exposition of the Scriptures in the power of the Holy Spirit, and especially the exposition that leads to the hearers being bowed down before the Lord in faith, and worship, and surrender, and obedience.

That’s surely part of what Jonathan Edwards had in mind when he spoke in defense of what he believed was the true preaching of the gospel during the First Great Awakening. It was being criticized because of some of its effects on people. And here’s what Jonathan Edwards wrote: “I don’t think ministers are to be blamed for raising the affections of their hearers too high, if that which they are affected with be only that which is worthy of affection, and their affections are not raised beyond a proportion to their importance, or worthiness of affection.” And then he says this: “I should think myself in the way of my duty to raise the affections of my hearers as high as possibly I can, provided that they are affected with nothing but truth, and with affections that are not disagreeable to the nature of what they are affected with.”

I think that’s a very illuminating way of talking about preaching, especially when you remember that Edwards is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest intellects of North American history. But he wanted his preaching to raise the affections of his hearers as high as possible, in a way that was consistent with the truth.

I think I’ve had the privilege of listening to a great deal of preaching just like that, and it contrasts with a kind of preaching which tells hearers how they ought to feel. And that even when what is said is in the indicative mood—that is, stating the facts of the gospel—in emotional tone, it’s in the imperative mood. It always seems to be coming down on the hearers instead of lifting them up. They feel they’re being crushed, not encouraged and uplifted; knocked down but not built up.

So, what’s the difference with the kind of preaching that Edwards wrote about? It’s this: whether the teaching is in indicative sentences describing what God has done, or in imperative sentences telling us what we are to do, the preaching raises the affections. As a whole, it doesn’t hammer the hearers into the dust but gets underneath them and lifts them up to God. And this kind of preaching is not constantly telling us what we are to do or feel. It’s enabling us to do it, and it makes us feel it. That’s part of what Paul must have meant when he wrote to the Thessalonians about the fact that the Word itself is at work in people when it’s preached in the power of the Holy Spirit.

C.S. Lewis used to advise young writers never to tell their readers how they should feel about anything but to describe that anything so that readers would feel it. And that’s what happens in true preaching. There’s a preaching that always seems to be pressing us down. But there is a preaching that through the power of the Spirit seems to get under us with the Word and lift us up to God, or in Edwards’ words, to raise our affections on high in admiration and adoration of our glorious God and Savior. And that happens even when the preached Word convicts us of sin. It convicts us of sin to lead us to Him. I wonder if that is your experience in church.

I think one of the telltale signs that something has gone wrong here is when ministers or worship leaders, as they’re called today, tell us at the beginning of a service that there will be half an hour of worship, and then so-and-so will come to teach or to preach from God’s Word. Well, what’s wrong with that? Well, simply this: that the chief effect of hearing the preaching of the Word is meant to be worship. The response to the kind of preaching Edwards was talking about is always a sense of awe and reverence, of wonder and praise before the grace and glory, the majesty, the holiness, the love of our God. And that’s what worship is.

Remember how Paul told the Corinthians it was this, not the things they were focusing on—not the novel, the spectacular, the apparently impressive—it was this kind of preaching that would expose hearts and bow down even non-believers before the Lord Jesus Christ.

That’s worth thinking about and praying about, don’t you agree? And we’ll think more tomorrow. And I hope you’ll join us then.