PrintThe Word of God and Preaching
Notice to the Reader:
The following material is a translation of Footnote 133 in Prediking en Uitverkiezing: Kort overzicht van de strijd gevoerd in de Christelijk Afgescheidene Gereformeerde Kerk tussen 1850 en 1870 over de plaats van de leer der uitverkiezing in de prediking [Preaching and Election: A Brief Overview of the Struggle Waged in the Christian Separated Reformed Church Between 1850 and 1870 Regarding the Place of the Doctrine of Election in Preaching] (Kampen: J. H. Kok, 1959), pages 215-234.
History is such a glorious business. It is not only the root of the present, but also rich in lessons for the future. It puts things somewhat in an entirely different light than we imagined, and preserves us from overemphasis and one-sidedness. It teaches us to distinguish between the essential and the accidental, and is therefore excellently suited for overcoming differences, for bringing together brothers who disagree, and for advancing mutual respect and love. - Dr. H. Bavinck
Preface
Prediking en Uitverkiezing is a thorough documentation and analysis of a dogmatic-historical nature dealing with views of preaching espoused in the separated churches in the Netherlands (Afgescheidene Kerken in Nederland) during 1850-1870. In the words of Professor Veenhof’s own introduction:
In this book I wish to attempt to relate some things about preaching that were written during the period indicated. Quite a lot was written. I would like to pay special attention to one aspect thereof, to the discussions — one could just as well say: the dispute — that raged in the [18]50s and 60s about the place that the doctrine of election, more specifically, eternal election, the doctrine of the eternal decree of election, must assume in preaching (p. 6).
In his first chapter, "Divisions and Conflicts," Veenhof narrates the sad story of differences of theological opinion that led in some cases to organizational tensions in the young "Separated Churches." This is followed by a chapter outlining "Speculations about Election," where the positions of primary spokesmen are documented and explained. The third chapter deals with a subject familiar to those who know the history of theological debate in the Christian Reformed and Protestant Reformed Churches: "The Dispute about the `Well-Meant Offer'." Chapter 4 analyzes "Synodical Decisions" regarding the matter, and the final chapter outlines "The Teaching of Helenius De Cock."
All of which fills only 131 pages of this remarkable 323 page book! In an 8-page "Epilogue" Veenhof offers his concluding analysis of this dogmatic-historical dispute, and this forms the context preceding Footnote 133, which you find translated below. These are his words:
"With the description of De Cock's involvement in the dispute, the brief overview that I wished to provide of the struggle about the place of the doctrine of election in preaching which was waged between 1850 and 1870 in the Christian Separated Reformed Church [Christelijk Afgescheidene Gereformeerde Kerk] is complete. It was my intention to relate this as objectively as possible, especially in order to offer in this way a contribution to the description of the history of preaching in the Reformed churches. Of course, it was not my purpose to discuss those self-evident questions of a dogmatic and otherwise theological nature. As far as that goes, I have restricted myself to giving a few analytical footnotes or to indicating the direction in which the solution of those matters must he sought, in my opinion" (p. 132).
At this point comes the 19-page footnote which has been entitled "The Word of God and Preaching." It constitutes Veenhof's "pointing the way" to solving the theological, homiletical, and pastoral difficulties which surfaced in our history, a history he previously narrated and analyzed so competently.
Now a few remarks about the translation.
Grateful use has been made of the personal translations of this material by J. Mark Beach and John R. Sittema.
This translation of but a single footnote is by no means intended to suggest that the remaining material left untranslated is insignificant and superfluous. But we trust the reader will understand that the constraints of seminary education permit us to do less than we might have wished. That applies to professors as well as students!
To make this translation more readable and attractive on the printed page, I have frequently divided into multiple paragraphs what in the original Dutch, German, or Latin appears in a much longer paragraph. Translations from Luther's German are my own, though the author's references to German editions of Luther's works appear in the text. All titles and headings are the invention, and therefore the responsibility, of the translator.
Finally, a word about the significance of this essay for me personally.
For one whose perspective has been changed by writings in a foreign language, the translation of literature, especially theological literature instrumental in that change, represents a labor of love. And when such deepening has progressed in the fellowship of warmhearted colleagues who are also friends, such labor becomes an obligation of joy.
It was under the compulsion of insights presented in this essay, and in the companionship of others whose preaching ministry was enriched by them, that Mid-America Reformed Seminary was founded in the year of our Lord 1981 for training ministers of the Word.
This published effort is dedicated, then, to those colleagues and friends, and to new friends acquired since then, some of whom have been my students, all of whom have been my teachers.
May God be pleased to effect our promised salvation through the preaching of his Word.
Nelson D. Kloosterman
I. Reformed and Reformational Views
One of the principal causes for the chronic misunderstandings, continuing confusion, and on-going struggle regarding the various nuances found among Reformed people concerning covenant, promise, and sacraments must be sought in the fact that the primary function of the Word of God in the work of redemption is no longer understood, or at least does not adequately come into its own.
Without exception, all who want to be Reformed accept the Word which addresses people through Scripture as Word of God, which as such possesses absolute authority over them. Rut the characteristic function of that Word, as that was discovered and preached by the Reformers, has not really come to its own in Reformed preaching and theological literature. That Word has often been viewed as nothing more than a completely reliable communication about creation, fall and redemption — in short, about God and his works. In addition, it has also been viewed as a rule to live by.
But that the primary function of the Word is that in it, God in Christ through the Spirit bestows forgiveness of sins, eternal life, yes, even his very self; that according to its specific nature the Word "embodies" salvation; that salvation acquires concrete shape for people in that Word — that in the Word, salvation is bestowed upon them and also received and "possessed" by them in the way of faith — all of this is little understood.
Yet it is precisely this vision of the Word that belongs to the very essence of the Reformation. For in the Reformation the primary issue was the manner whereby God bestows his grace: sola fide, which was correlated to solo verbo Spiritus Sancti. The study of such biblical words as "word," "gospel," "preaching," etc. has opened the eyes of many to this primary and characteristic function of the Word. And through such a study it became clear at the same time that the Reformers had correctly understood the Scriptures in this regard. As a result, Reformed preaching about the function of God's Word began to live for many people.
Luther's View of the Word
A few typical quotations will serve to characterize the Reformation vision of the Word.
In Luther one finds countless statements like the following:
Now when God sends forth his holy gospel he deals with us in a twofold manner. First he deals outwardly, then inwardly. Outwardly he deals with us through the spoken word of the gospel and through physical signs like baptism and the sacrament [of the Eucharist]. Inwardly he deals with us through the Holy Spirit, faith, and other gifts. But of all their measure and order, the outward factors should and must precede. The inward experience follows and is effected by the outward, so that God has determined to give the inward to no one except through the outward. For he desires to give no one the Spirit or faith without the outward Word and sign instituted by him, as he says in Luke 16[:29]: "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them." Accordingly, Paul can call baptism a "washing of regeneration" (Titus 3[:5]). And the spoken gospel "is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Rom. I1:I6]) (W.A. 18 — S. 136).
And:
See, the bright rays of the sun are so near you that they pierce into your eyes or skin so that you feel it; yet you are unable to grasp them and put them into a box, even if you should try forever. Prevent them from shining in through the window — this you can do; but catch and grasp them you cannot So too with Christ: although he is everywhere, he does not permit himself to be so caught and grasped; he can easily cover himself as with a shell, so that you get the shell but not the kernel. Why? Because it is one thing if God is present, and another if he is present for you. He is there for you when he performs his Word and binds himself by it, saying. "Here is where you are to find me." Thus, when you have the Word, you can grasp and have him with certainty and say, "Here l have thee, according to thy Word" (W.A. 23 — S. 151).
And:
Rely on the words of Christ and let go of such ideas. Be assured that God neither has nor desires to have another way to forgive sins, than through the spoken Word, as he has commanded us. If you do not seek forgiveness in the Word, where he has deposited it, you will gape toward heaven in vain for grace, or (as they say), for inward forgiveness.
Perhaps you say, as the factious spirits and sophists do: "After all, many hear the Word and the keys, and still have no forgiveness. Hence, there must exist something else beside the Word and the keys. It is the spirit, the spirit, yes, the spirit that does it!"
Listen carefully to what I tell you. We're not talking about who obtains forgiveness or who doesn't; that's another matter. We're talking about how and whereby one obtains forgiveness. Of course we know that not all who hear the Word obtain forgiveness. But on the other hand we also know that whoever is to obtain forgiveness can and must obtain it nowhere else than through and with the Word. Therefore people must not despise the Word nor judge unchastely on account of wicked characters who do not receive such forgiveness from the Word. It is not the fault of the Word, but of their unbelief.
(But do you think that he who does not believe in the key which binds is not bound? Indeed, he shall experience in due time that his unbelief did not make the binding vain, nor did it fail in its purpose. Even he who does not believe that he is free and that his sins are forgiven shall also experience in due time how assuredly his sins were forgiven, even though he wished not to believe it. St. Paul says in Romans 3[:3]: "Our unbelief does not make the faithfulness of God without effect."
Nor are we talking here about people's belief or unbelief regarding the efficacy of the keys. We realize that few believe. We are speaking of what the keys do and give. He who does not accept what the keys give receives, of course, nothing. But this is not the fault of the keys. Many do not believe the gospel. But this does not mean that the gospel is not true or effective. Suppose that a king gives you a castle. If you don't accept it, then it's not the king's fault, nor is he guilty of a lie. But you have deceived yourself and the fault is yours. The king certainly gave it.)
"Shall their unbelief nullify God's Word or render it ineffectual?" asks Paul in Romans 1. They will not obtain it, but others will. For it is determined that God desires to release sin, and grant grace and his Spirit through his outwardly spoken Word, which he has commanded us men. Let nobody seek another way or manner, or he shall be eternally lost. For Christ does not lie to us when he says, "Whatsoever the apostles bind and loose will be bound and loosed." The apostles are men and they speak orally, and what ever they either bind or loose with such verbal speaking is called bound or loosed in heaven. Abide in this" (W.R. 30 II — S. 455-456, 498-499). See further among others Heinrich Bornkamm, Das Wort Gottes bei Luther (Luther Society Series No. 7; Munster, 1933); Vilmos Vajta, Die Theologie des Gottesdiensten bei Luther (Gottingen, 1952; S. 115f.); Leiturgia: Handbuch des evangelischen Gottesdienstes II:257f. (Kassel, 1955); and my articles Om het levende Woord I-Xl, in De Reformatie 29:3-14 (17 0ct. 1953-9 Jan. 1954).
Calvin's View of the Word
In Calvin we find statements like:
"Christ offers Himself to us through the Gospel" (cf. Jn. 1:12; Calvin's New Testament Commentaries, Vol. 4, p. 18; hereafter cited as CNTC).
"The doctrine of the Gospel is appointed for loosing our chains" (cf. Matt. 16:19; CNTC 2:187).
"[Christ] communicates Himself to us by His Word."
"For the key to the Kingdom of heaven is God's free adoption which we receive from the Word" (cf. Luke 11:27; CNTC 2:54).
"For we know that the gate of life is opened to us by the Word of God" (cf. Matt 16:19; CNTC 2:187).
"The highest majesty of the Gospel is that it is called the ambassadorship of the mutual reconciliation between God and men" (CNTC 2:188).
"So the grace of Christ is a true resurrection from the dead. Moreover, this grace is conferred on us by the Gospel..." (cf. Jn. 5:25; CNTC 4:131).
"There is not a drop of righteousness, of life, of any benefit that reaches us except as the Lord brings it to us in His Word. .." (Lk. 1:45; CNTC 1:33).
"We can never determine His fatherly goodness toward us unless we think upon His Word, the bond by which he ties Himself to us, the middle term, so to speak, that links our salvation with God's goodness in a personal relationship" (cf. Luke 1:54; CNTC 1:40).
"For he who has the Word enjoys God Himself" (cf. Jn. 8:47; CNTC 4:230).
"Whenever the Word of God is put before us He bares His breast to us with maternal kindness, and not content with that, comes down to the humble affection of a hen fostering her chicks" (cf. Matt. 23:37; CNTC 3:68).
"It is indeed a wonderful commendation of the Gospel that we have the heart of Christ as it were opened in it, so that his love is not doubtful to us or obscure" (cf. Jn. 15:15; CNTC 5:100).
"We can obtain salvation from no other source than the Gospel, since God has nowhere else revealed to us his righteousness. . ." (cf. Rom. 1:17; CNTC 8:27-28).
"Note further how rare and valuable a treasure God bestows on us in the Gospel, viz. the communication of His righteousness" (cf. Rom. 1:17; CNTC 8:28).
"Salvation. . . will be found in the Gospel alone" (cf. Rom. 1:18; CNTC 8:29).
"Abraham therefore seized the kindness of God which was offered to him in the promise, and by which he perceived that righteousness was being communicated to him" (cf. Rom. 4:3; CNTC 8:84).
"But this grace [of reconciliation] is communicated to us by the Gospel, because it is the ministry of reconciliation. . . " (cf. Rom. 5:2; CNTC 8:105).
Statements like these are to be found by the hundreds in Calvin’s works. And it is incomprehensible that students of Calvin have taken so little note of them or at least have scarcely integrated them into their studies. Dankbaar writes (in De Sacramentsleer bij Calvijn [Amsterdam, 1941], pp. 11-12) that in his Institutes Calvin "gives no separate treatment of the Word as a means of grace; but instead the Word is an ‘external means’ by which God invites us into and keeps us in fellowship with Christ, and therefore it merited a discussion here at least as extensive as the sacraments."
Then right after this he writes:
In this connection it should be mentioned first of all that even though, before discussing the sacraments, the Reformer had already developed the doctrine of God’s revelation through his Word at length in Book I of the Institutes, and had already in Book IV dealt with the preaching of the Word, yet he in no way overlooked the fact that the Word too is an external means of assistance and this bears a sacramental character. Moreover, it is to be remembered that Calvin’s theology is not a theology of the Word merely in name only, and thus that everything in Books I-III which precedes is already built upon the Word as a means of grace.
Finally, despite all of his craving for systematic arrangement, Calvin’s ultimate aim is not to produce a tightly closed system; in that respect he also liberated himself from scholasticism. He achieved his aim when in his Institutes he created as much a dogmatically responsible as a practically comprehensive outline. And in both he has succeeded in an unsurpassed manner, also in terms of the doctrine of the sacraments.
Dankbaar cites in this connection Bavinck’s observation that Reformed theologians in distinction from Lutherans did not generally treat the doctrine of the Word under the media gratiae [means of grace], but in a separate chapter.
This peculiar method of treatment provides no ground for the assertion that Reformed theologians have not recognized the Word of God as a means of grace, for again and again they say the opposite. But one may well conclude from this that for Reformed thinkers the Word of God had a much richer meaning than that it served, in the narrow sense of the word, only as a means of grace (Gereformeerde Dogmatiek, 3rd edition, IV:489[-490]).
But in reply to Dankbaar it can be observed that throughout his writings, Calvin very emphatically mentions and describes this fundamental function of the Word. It lives for him. As for Bavinck’s observation: for the Reformers the Word was richest when conceived of as "means of grace" in its essence, its "proprium officium" [proper office]. And further, the question could be raised whether later Reformed theologians did not remain silent about the Word as a means of grace because they no longer recognized it as being such or not fully so.
(For Calvin’s view of the Word, see among others Ronald S. Wallace, Calvin’s Doctrine of the Word and Sacraments [London-Edinburgh, 1953]; Werner Krusche, Das Wirken des Heiligen Geistes nach Calvin [Gottingen, 1957].)
II. The Word as Means of Grace
With respect to the Word as "means of grace," as the living Word by which and in which God in Christ through the Spirit bestows forgiveness of sins, new life — in short, the whole of salvation, yes, even his very self — we might still observe the following:
The Word which God allows to go forth unto men by means of the Scriptures is the Word by which God himself addresses us. Undoubtedly it comes to us in human language, but nonetheless it is the Word by which and in which the Lord himself directs his speaking self to us.
The Scripture, says Calvin, so comes to us out of heaven as if God’s own living voice were heard here below (Institutes I.vii. 1). With this expression Calvin wishes to say two things: First, in his speaking God uses men as the "instruments" or "organs," and therefore his Word comes to us as a human word. But at the same time, and secondly, nothing is detracted thereby from the authority, the power, and the content of his Word.
That Word coming to us in Scripture is really and fully "word." That is to say: it is always something spoken and thus neither can nor may be detached for a moment from the One who speaks it. That Word is from God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. That Word is always "in the mouth" of the Speaker and proceeds from his mouth to us. The inscripturated Word is never just an entity, a thing in itself. It never flutters down upon us or next to us like a leaf blown off a tree. Nor is it like a bomb exploding within us or upon us. Rather the inscripturated Word as a real word has its nature, its existence, and it’s meaning in that it is the utterance of and points to him who speaks. Thus that Word "exists" only in and through the speaking of God. Therefore, in the inscripturated Word we are dealing always and directly with the living, speaking God himself.
It is one of the most serious misunderstandings or heresies involving the Word of God to conceive of it not as an actual, living, and genuine Word of God, but as a mere idea, for example, an abstraction or a concept.
In this connection it is especially important to stress that the inscripturated Word is that Word which the Holy Spirit speaks to the church and to the world. In the inscripturated Word we are thus dealing with the speaking Spirit. It is borne, interpreted, and spoken by the Holy Spirit. In and through the Word the Spirit continuously "bears testimony" (Jn. 15:26; Heb. 9:17, 10:13). Where the Spirit comes, he comes with and in the Word. But also the reverse is true: where the Word is, there the Spirit is also. Whoever hears the Word hears the Spirit (Rev. 2:11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). And whoever rejects the Word opposes the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51). In sum, the Word is the Spirit (Jn 6:63). That Word has such enormous power precisely because it is the Word of the Spirit. Only for that reason can the Word both work faith on human hearts and regenerate people — as it also actually does (Jas. 1:18; I Pet. 1:23-25).
Scripture lays special emphasis on the fact that God’s Word is power. It is a fire that consumes the straw of false prophecy and a rock-crushing hammer (Jer. 23:29). The Word, especially the gospel, is the power of God (I Cor. 1:18), and then above all else, the power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16). It can never be fettered (II Tim. 2:9). It reveals his power even where it is rejected by men as foolishness and as a scandal (I Cor. 1:18, 23). It is always an active Word (I Thess. 2:13); it is alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing the deepest secrets of men and of human life (Heb. 4:12). It is the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17); it even has such power that it regenerates people (Jas. 1:18; I Pet. 1:23-25) and consecrates all creation (I Tim. 4:5).
In addition to being a power the Word of God is also salvation. According to its own specific character God’s Word is "salvation." In short, it is a redemptive Word. The central, predominant expression of God’s love to his people consists in the fact that he addresses them, that he "gives them his Word." In that word God meets his people personally and thereby places them in a relationship of grace.
The Central Function of the Word as Means of Grace
With this aspect of the word we touch its deepest dimension. The word can have various functions: communicating events, conveying ideas and feelings, expressing desires and wants, etc. But the deepest, central, and most comprehensive function is to establish and maintain fellowship between the speaker and the one spoken to.
In a unique way the Word — which God allows to proceed to us by means of Scripture — does that now. For in that Word, God in Christ through the Spirit gives himself to his people as the God of all grace, as the heavenly Father.
The unique function, the essential nature of the inscripturated Word of God is, therefore, that it is "a power of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16). It "embodies" that salvation; it bestows and effectuates it. The whole of salvation in Christ — the fruit of his conception and birth, of his work and suffering, of his death and resurrection, of his ascension and world dominion, in sum: the entire redemption which is in Christ Jesus — is "in" that Word and is offered, bestowed and imparted to us in it. In that Word, and in that Word alone, we "have" and "possess" those things.
For the Word of the Scriptures is the Word of the cross (I Cor. 1:18), the Word of reconciliation (II Cor. 5:19), the Word of salvation (Acts 13:26), the Word of grace (Acts 14:3), the Word of life (Phil. 2:16; Acts 5:20; Heb. 4:12; I Pet. 1:23), and the Word of truth. All of which is to say: the Word is that in which God’s faithful grace, his complete grace-filled faithfulness, obtains concrete shape and becomes a power in the life of those who hear it (II Cor. 6:7; Eph. 1:13; Col. 1:5; II Tim. 2:15; Jn. 1:13).
All of these additional specifications of the Word are not merely references to that about which the Word speaks and communicates. Rather, they tell us much more. They are above all else the description, the definition of what that Word gives and does. So these added specifications don’t merely tell us that the Word treats salvation, reconciliation, grace, life and truth. Instead, they shout that the Word bestows and effectuates reconciliation, salvation, grace, and life because, as the Word of the God of all grace, it is reconciliation, salvation, grace and life.
And as God in this Word bestows salvation in Christ, he also in and through that Word guarantees the same to all who believe. When Paul left the Ephesian brothers he entrusted them to the exalted Lord Jesus Christ and to the Word of his grace. For they must get redemption from that Word. Through it they shared in Christ and in all the salvation in him (Acts 20:32). But above and beyond this, the Word is also a guarantee and surety that God’s grace would triumph in their lives. For the Word of God coming to us in the Scriptures is a faithful Word, a Word one can rely on (I Tim. 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; II Tim. 2:11; Titus 3:8; Rev. 21:5; 22:6).
III. The Gospel Word
In a pregnant way the characteristic redemptive nature of the inscripturated Word is brought to expression when it is qualified as gospel. Gospel is literally: good news, a joyful message, glad tidings. That is generally known. But when "gospel" is employed to describe God’s inscripturated Word, its specific meaning and range was and often is obscured in Reformed circles.
In order to understand the characteristic and rich meaning of the biblical word "gospel," we must note that in the Bible’s thought-world an intimate relationship exists between a thing and an event, and the words or account by which those are described.
The words by which things or events are often equated, even identified, with the things or events themselves. Events are sometimes simply called words, just as the reverse is true: words are also taken as events. The well-known expression "and it happened after these things" sometimes sounds, if translated literally, like "and it happened after these ‘words’" (Gen. 15:1; 20:8; 24:66; passim on the O.T.). According to the biblical conception a past event continues, so to speak, in the words by which it is related; it gains new actuality; it becomes present again. And renewed in the "present" as a living thing, the past event exercises efficacy.
What is now special is a message, a word, an account in which the thing related becomes present and real. In a message the thing related inescapably enters into the life of those whom this message is directed, and in fact becomes therein a living power which decisively governs their lives. For a message "is" in reality that about which the message is a message. The message about a victory IS that victory. The message about a defeat IS that defeat. A joyful message imparts or realizes that which causes the joy, in those to whom the message comes. Therefore it "is" what that joy effectuates. And a sad message "is" the sorrow which pierces people’s lives and pours out misery upon them. The connection between a particular event and that message about it — a connection that is a virtual identification — appears especially in the fact that in former times, the one who brought good news was often richly rewarded. For he was in fact the cause of great rejoicing. By contrast, the one who brought bad news was punished, sometimes even killed. For he was in reality the cause of the misery.
The Gospel as "News"
God’s inscripturated Word, and then especially the Word that Christ spoke, is now the gospel, the joyful news, in a unique, exclusive, absolute sense. For it is the Word wherein Christ and the whole of salvation obtains concrete form, entering into the life of those who hear the Word; it is bestowed upon them and governs their lives.
The gospel involved in the Scriptures is the gospel of Jesus Christ (Mk. 1:1). In this expression Jesus Christ is described not only as the "subject" but also as the "object," the "content" of the gospel. Jesus Christ speaks, brings, and gives the gospel. But at the same time he "is" the gospel. The expressions "gospel of the kingdom" (Matt. 4:23; 9:35; 24:14) and "the gospel of God" (Mk. 1:14) have essentially the same meaning. For the kingdom "is" in Jesus Christ. He is the personification of it. In him it is "among" us, "in our midst" (Lk. 17:24). He is, to use Origen’s pregnant expression, the autobasileia. And the gospel is, in the last analysis, the gospel of God, since both Jesus Christ and the kingdom are given by him.
In the letters of Paul the multi-colored riches of the gospel appear in their full light. According to Paul’s testimony the "content" of the gospel is Jesus Christ, in his person and work. That is to say, Jesus Christ and his birth, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension, session and work in the glory of his Father (Rom. 1:3-4; I Cor. 15:1f). Along with this Paul emphasizes that the gospel does not signify a break with the Old Testament (Rom. 16:26; I Cor. 15:3). On the contrary, already in the Old Testament the gospel was fully present. For the gospel in the New Testament does not introduce new "doctrine," it does not have a new "content." The "new" of the New Testament with respect to the gospel is simply this: in the gospel proclamation salvation becomes a reality. For Jesus Christ actually atones for sin, actually brings redemption, and actually breaks the power of Satan, sin and death. In him the gospel is "fulfilled." And in the New Testament dispensation that fulfilled gospel is now proclaimed.
Paul therefore characterizes the gospel above all else as the gospel of Jesus Christ or the gospel of God (Rom. 1:1; 15:9 passim). For the gospel is the "message" of the living God who in Christ bestows mercy on the world, and it is the gospel of Jesus Christ who has come in order to redeem sinners, to justify the godless and to save the world.
But Paul also speaks of the gospel as a gospel of salvation and a gospel of peace (Eph. 1:13; 6:15). What he wants to say by that is now clear. For the reality and the truth of both of these are present in the gospel and are bestowed upon us as they are contained and reach us in the gospel. Paul expresses this when he says that through the gospel Christ Jesus has brought life and immortality to light (II Tim. 1:10). Moreover, in the gospel believers have received a share in the hope, that is, in an eschatological redemption, reserved for them in heaven (Col. 1:15). In the gospel that eternal glory penetrates our world and our time, and believers share in it. Thus the gospel also has a totally eschatological meaning.
In addition, Paul emphasizes that God calls men through the gospel so that they "mat obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ" (II Thess. 2:14). This calling takes place with great power. For the preaching of the gospel takes place not only "in word" but also "in the Holy Spirit" (I Thess. 1:5). The gospel is a word, a power, an operation of the Spirit.
Moreover, Paul characterizes the gospel also as a power of God. For in the gospel God’s righteousness, his desire to justify the godless, comes to light and becomes real (Rom. 1:16). The kind of power and effect possessed by the gospel is expressed very clearly when Paul says almost uncouthly that he has begotten believers through the gospel (I Cor. 4:15). The gospel is the kind of power of God, the kind of word of the Spirit, which gives new birth. It is "the seed of regeneration" [I Pet. 1:23].
At the same time Paul insists with great emphasis that the gospel is preached in order to be obeyed (II Thess. 1:8). In this connection he speaks of the faith of the gospel (Phil. 1:27). By that he means that the gospel’s purpose is faith, to push for a decision of faith, and conversely, that faith is totally and completely directed toward the gospel. Faith comes into being from and through the gospel and has the gospel as its "content." And the gospel proceeds to its redemptive effect through faith, in the way of faith. To believe is ultimately nothing else than to be conquered, governed and renewed by the gospel
One can similarly disobey the gospel (Rom. 10:16). For those who are disobedient — they are those who are perishing — the gospel is veiled. That happens only because the god of this age has darkened the "packagings" with which the gospel must be received. As a result of this these people do not perceive the splendor, the radiance of the gospel wherein the glory of Christ is revealed — the glory and power which he received as the Resurrected One (2 Cor. 4:3).
One more remarkable feature of Paul’s speaking about the gospel is that he so often characterizes it as "his" gospel (Rom. 2:16; 16:25; 2 Tim. 2:8). Naturally, he doesn’t intend to say by this that he preaches a "different kind" of gospel than his fellow apostles (Gal. 1:6-7). There is but one gospel. Rather, with the expression "his gospel," i.e., the gospel brought by him, Paul wishes to focus attention on two aspect of the gospel which came to the fore especially in his apostolic ministry. These two aspects are, first, that there is no room for people meriting anything with God, and thus salvation comes by grace, apart from the works of the law. And secondly, that the gospel, and thus also the redemption revealed in the gospel, is intended not only for Jews but also for Gentiles.
Preliminary Summary
In summary, we can describe the gospel of Jesus Christ as a word — a spoken word — whose content is Jesus Christ and the full salvation merited by him. It is a word spoken by the Holy Spirit and as such is a living power of God unto Salvation. It is the kind of word that doesn’t merely speak about a previously realized central moment of redemptive history, but the kind that, precisely as a word about that previously realized central moment of redemptive history, is itself a redemptive event. It is never an empty, ineffectual word. On the contrary, it creates fellowship with Christ, and in him with God, and in this way it is an instrument in the realization of the salvation and the formation of the church. It is and bestows God’s grace or it effects, in the case of its rejection, everlasting judgment.
IV. The Gospel Word Preached
The gospel must now be preached everywhere. The preaching of the gospel is the central moment in the work of Jesus Christ, of the apostles, of the church. It must be done until the last day.
In Scripture the word employed for "preaching" (in the NT: kerussein) means: to cry out, to announce, to preach, to proclaim. It is the work of a herald who loudly proclaims that a prince has appeared, who cries out that a king is coming, who announces a feast, or who officially makes known a decision or regulation which then by that fact attains legal status.
The proclaiming or preaching of the Word in the New Testament dispensation was first performed by Jesus Christ while he sojourned upon the earth, and was performed after his ascension by the apostles and other servants. This was done, however, in such a way that Christ himself continues to speak through these sent ones. Christ himself was and remains the "subject" of this proclamation.
Paul writes: "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?" (Rom. 10:14-15a). Preaching is done — and can only be done legitimately — when Jesus Christ calls, equips, and sends people to do it. But this also is true: when preaching is done by virtue of the commission and according to the will of Christ, then Christ himself draws near to people in those preachers, and through them he himself addresses people.
Paul emphatically assures us that what true preachers say is "the word of Christ." And when Paul declares that according to God’s ordination, throughout all of time, faith will come into existence by hearing, and that hearing occurs through the Word of Christ, then he very emphatically eliminates, so to speak, the human carrier of the preached Word (Rom. 10:17). For him that is of little interest. In the matter of preaching, the human carrier simply disappears from view. In speaking this way he places special stress on the fact that in preaching the gospel we have to do with Jesus Christ himself, and that in gospel preaching it is his Word that re-sounds (of course, this is the case only when it is the real preaching of the gospel!). Jesus Christ himself is present, comes, speaks, and works wherever true preaching occurs. Our Savior had in fact assured us earlier that whoever listens to his messengers listens to Jesus himself, and whoever rejects his heralds rejects Jesus himself (Lk. 10:17). And Paul praised the Thessalonians who received the preached Word, because they had accepted that Word not as a word of man, but as it really was: a Word of God (I Thess. 2:13).
The Content of Preaching
When we now ask what the "content" of preaching is, then Scripture answers in every place that preaching is preeminently the preaching of the kingdom of God, or put another way: preaching the kingdom of heaven.
In the New Testament the reality of this kingdom is portrayed in its various hues. It is first the real and effective dominion of God’s grace in Christ (Lk. 1:33). Then again it appears to encompass all the redemptive benefits which are bestowed in that kingdom (Matt. 5:1; Lk. 6:20; Rom. 14:17). The kingdom is also a territory, a world, in which Christ exercises dominion and those benefits are enjoyed (Lk. 18:4). The kingdom is also portrayed as a revelation of divine judgments indissolubly connected to the operation of the kingdom (Matt. 3:2-12). And finally the kingdom is viewed as the reign of God’s grace in Christ in its complete unfolding in eternity (Lk. 13:29; 29:31)
Indeed, the kingdom — more precisely, he in whom this kingdom obtained concrete form and became a reality in this world: our Lord Jesus Christ — is the "content" of preaching. But at the same time it is also the case that various moments in and aspects of the kingdom are seen as the content of preaching.
For example: frequent mention is made of a preaching of repentance (Matt. 3:2; 4[:17]; [11:20]; Mk. 6:12; Lk. 4:18; 9:2). Because the kingdom is coming and is present, people are summoned to conversion. Not that the kingdom’s arrival depends upon or can be "merited" by this repentance, nor can the kingdom be forced into existence thereby. That is out of the question. The kingdom comes completely independently of people, by divine grace, in the first and second coming of Christ. But the coming kingdom does summon people unto conversion and along this path of repentance is realized in those to whom the preaching of that kingdom comes.
But more: this preaching is also a preaching of repentance unto the forgiveness of sins (Mk. 1:4; Lk. 3:3; 24:47). When the kingdom comes in preaching it brings the forgiveness of sins with it. This is inherent to it. And not merely the forgiveness of sins, but the comprehensive and full salvation in Christ. Consequently, the Bible speaks of the preaching of the gospel (Matt. 4:23; 9:35; 24:14; 26:13; Mk. 1:14: I Thess. 2:9).
Similarly, through preaching, the judgment of God is also realized in a twofold manner.
First, in those who believe: in Christ they become and are condemned and damned. The preaching of Jesus Christ is the most crushing sentence imaginable to be executed upon people. For in him the forgiveness of sin and grace is proclaimed. But: forgiveness and grace are matters which involve the godless! Forgiveness and grace are and can be bestowed upon none but those who have been affected by God’s judgment of condemnation.
Consequently, there is nothing so radically crushing for a person as the preaching of forgiveness and grace. For this preaching is the absolute and permanent condemnation of everything that man himself is, has and does.
Secondly, preaching brings judgment upon those to whom the proclamation of the kingdom goes out, but who have not believed it. On one occasion Paul declared, "We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (I Cor. 1:23-24)
It goes without saying that the New Testament also speaks simply of a preaching of Jesus (Acts 8:5; Phil. 1:15), of Christ (I Cor. 1:23), of the crucified Christ (II Cor. 1:29; 4:5), and of Jesus Christ (Acts 20:25). For in our Savior the kingdom is concentrated and realized, and in him it came and is coming, to the point where one day it will embrace heaven and earth.
The Specific Character of Preaching
Now the specific quality of this preaching is that it is proclamation. It is first of all neither a didactic, hortatory, aesthetic, or scientific word. Rather, it is a proclamation.
That is to say: in and through preaching, that which is preached becomes reality; as the determining factor it enters the life of those who hear it.
When the herald proclaims the coronation of a king, then this coronation becomes a reality for those who hear it. By that announcement those hearers "receive" a king; through that announcement they become his subjects. When a herald announces a feast, then the feast breaks into actuality in the appearance of that man. To be sure, a herald announces the feast; but at the same time he brings the feast into reality both with and in himself. His appearance is the first event on the festival program. When in ancient times a herald read aloud before the assembled citizens of a city a regulation, then this regulation thereby obtained the status of law, all the citizens were bound to it and from the moment of its "proclamation" were obligated to live accordingly.
So then, through preaching — preaching as the proclamation of the kingdom of God — that kingdom, that is, Jesus Christ and all the salvation won by him and present in him, enters sovereignly into the lives of all who hear it. The kingdom is "fulfilled" in them. It is bestowed upon them. In preaching Jesus Christ is, comes and gives himself as Savior to all who simply receive that preaching in faith.
One can never explain with enough force and seriousness this unique character of preaching. It is a fundamental and fatal misunderstanding to think that in preaching, nothing more is given than an (historically reliable) account about Jesus Christ and his work, or a (perhaps very interesting) perspective of his person, words or deeds. Or simply any kind of rendering, exposition, explanation or application of these.
Rather it is this: Jesus Christ came in the flesh, accomplished redemption, obtained and became the redemption of the world. And in him and in everything he did the kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy came in the Holy Spirit. And now you must see this: Christ, salvation in him, and his kingdom are all present here and now in preaching, in the proclamation of the Word and of the gospel. In and through preaching, Christ is present among his own in the world and walks with his church. Preaching represents Christ. That is: in preaching he makes himself — and thus is — present in the here and now. Through preaching a bridge is built between the Christ of the cross, the resurrection and ascension, and people everywhere today and tomorrow. That preaching "is" Christ. In the proclamation he is there, he gives himself, and he works. Christ, the kingdom, and the proclamation of the kingdom are so closely and unbreakably united, so woven together, that on one occasion Christ said that his purpose in going about was simply to preach, to proclaim (Mk. 1:38).
So that proclamation is the central, dominating goal of his coming into the world. For in and through proclamation all that he wants to accomplish is attained. Nor does that proclamation exist alongside Christ’s redemptive work as a sort of surplus, an appendix or a neutral communication about it. On the contrary, it is an essential moment in that redemptive work.
Anyone who ascribes to that proclamation an exclusively communicational character barricades the path to discovering the secret of preaching. Preaching doesn’t communicate to us a closed event, an historical facticity — namely, of the birth, suffering and resurrection of Christ — all of which belong irrevocably to the past, though they continue to be effectual in the present. Rather, that historical event — and it was indeed a genuinely historical event — in terms of its reality, its power and effect, progressed in its being preached, throughout the whole world and through all of time. All of that is permanently present in preaching; through preaching that which is permanent reveals its power and accomplishes the effect envisioned by Christ.
One cannot speak meaningfully about salvation in Christ without thereby immediately and fully involving the Word of proclamation. For only in preaching does all of that salvation exist for people and work itself out among them. But even less can anyone talk meaningfully about the Work of proclamation without directly and fully involving the living Christ, the kingdom, and salvation. These two are never to be separated from one another; the one never appears without the other. Christ, the kingdom and salvation clothe themselves with the proclamation of the Word, the gospel; in and through the proclaimed gospel they penetrate the world and there continue in full reality until the last day. Consequently, salvation obtains concrete form for us only in its proclamation, in which alone it is communicated to us and in which alone we can and may "possess" it.
This arrangement of things is perhaps made no more clear than in the words of Christ: "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Lk. 24:46-47).
With these words Christ unfolds an extremely expansive vision of his person and work, and of the great progress of redemptive history. Here Christ distinguishes the three great moments in his one great redemptive work: first, his suffering, then his resurrection, and finally, preaching. In his suffering Christ laid the foundation, the forensic basis for everything he had to, wanted to, and would accomplish. Thereby he "merited" redemption. With and in his resurrection Christ received the full salvation in the basis of and as reward for the justice of God which he fulfilled and for bearing the burden of God’s wrath against sin.
In addition, he then received (for he was highly exalted) "all power," i.e., all authority, all authorization, all commission, in heaven and on earth. That is to say: he received all powers and rights that would put him in a position to complete his redemptive work. So after the resurrection, preaching must follow, wherein Christ effectuates what he obtained through his suffering and received with his resurrection. In preaching he dispenses redemption to all whom the Father gave him. In preaching Christ’s work done in the state of humiliation bears its full fruit.
In view of all of that it is not all strange that Paul should simply describe preaching as something saving (I Cor. 1:21) and characterize it as the administration, the application and realization of reconciliation (II Cor. 5:18). What is noteworthy is that the term "saving faith," which term strictly speaking is neither present in Scripture nor scriptural, became generally accepted among Reformed people. (Bavinck writes: "Properly speaking, faith or knowledge doesn’t save, but God saves in Christ through the Holy Spirit" [Gereformeerde Dogmatiek, 3rd edition, IV: 90].) But the fully scriptural expression "redemptive preaching" remained foreign among Reformed people. Subjectivism is everywhere a thriving and very obstinate evil.
That concludes our discussion about preaching. There is still quite a lot from Scripture that we might talk about. One need only think of such Bible words as evangelize, ministry of the Word, give an address, teach, bear witness, prophesy, exhort, instruct, comfort, etc. Through all of those new light is cast on preaching, and time and again new facets of preaching are characterized. But what we have just focused on is certainly the heart of the biblical message about preaching.
V. Law and Gospel
We would like to mention one more aspect.
We have just seen that the Word of God is the gospel. It is that above all else. It is that from start to finish. But there is still another aspect belonging to that Word. It is what in Scripture is called "law." Gospel and law are two aspects of the one, indivisible Word of God. It is therefore a matter of the highest importance to see clearly the distinguishing features of these two aspects of God’s Word — both the difference and the mutual relation between them.
Time and again the church has taken a wrong turn in this regard, to the serious detriment of the life of faith.
We could characterize gospel and law as follows: the gospel is the Word of God wherein he says who and what he is for man. The law is the Word wherein God makes known how man must — and may! — live before his face. The gospel is the Word of God wherein he gives himself to humanity in Christ through the Spirit, along with the whole of salvation. The law is the Word, in that by it God indicates how and wherein people may give themselves to him. The gospel is the "bestowing" Word. The law is the "requisitioning" Word — the demanding, commanding Word.
Now, in the Word of God it is the gospel, the evangelical aspect of that Word, that is predominant. The Word of God is before all else redemptive Word, gospel.
When God comes to man he does so especially as the gracious, all-loving God, the God who alone accomplishes everything and bestows whatever goodness mankind receives. That was already the case in paradise. For even in the state of righteousness, without God’s coming and giving himself in favor and love there could have been no fellowship between God and man. Even then God’s coming in love and goodness was the starting point and the basis of human living with God in the covenant.
The same thing is true now, in a very unique sense. For fallen man the reception of salvation and life is absolutely and solely dependent on God’s coming to him in guilt-forgiving favor or grace. There simply cannot be fellowship with God — no forgiveness of sins and deliverance — unless God is the Initiator, unless as Initiator God turns himself in grace to sinful, godless man. Neither can there be any religion, any covenant, unless in them God is and remains the Initiator, unless with inscrutable grace he absolutely and solely gives that which man receives in religion and covenant.
Now then, it is about God’s being and remaining the Initiator in his relationship to men whom God adopts as his children that the gospel speaks. In its being spoken by God as such, in its coming to man, the gospel is the most convincing proof of that.
At the same time the gospel is also the "means" through which God in a concrete way is and remains the God of all grace, the Initiator in the life if man. For the gospel is the "means" by which he dispenses to men his grace and the gifts of his grace — of which forgiveness of sins and eternal life are foremost! Thorough the gospel God bears witness with the greatest possible emphasis that out of pure grace he bestows forgiveness of sins and eternal life in Christ to the godless, and thus incorporates them into his fellowship. But at the same time it is the case that by and in the gospel God bestows grace and the gifts of grace, and thereby brings to full realization the fellowship of grace, the covenant within which he desires to live with his own.
On the basis of this gospel and in unbreakable unity with it God now speaks and gives his law which makes plain his will of precept according to which man must and may live. Or, in other words: by the gospel God gives himself to men and places himself in a relationship of grace with them, a relationship within which they as his children must and may live according to his will and law.
Scriptural Testimony on Gospel and Law
Everywhere the Scripture speaks very clearly about this.
In God’s call of Abraham what resounds in that summons is primarily the evangelistic assurance that God chose him in grace to be his friend, and would bless him and make him a blessing. Immediately after that summons and in connection with it God called the first patriarch to walk before his face and to be blameless (Gen. 12:1-3; 17:1).
When the Lord established his covenant with Israel his first words were, "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the house of bondage," an expression of his gracious love. Immediately after those words God gives his holy law as something flowing directly from them (Ex. 20:1f; Deut. [5:6f.]).
And when Jesus Christ came in the flesh, the cry that the kingdom if God had come echoed more loudly than any other. And on that basis the summons to repent went out to all who heard it, the call to start living according to the will of God (Matt. 3:2, and parallels).
The gospel materially precedes the law; it has a material priority in relation to the law. But this does not mean that gospel and law, the evangelical aspect and the legal aspect of the Word should exist apart from each other. On the contrary, they constitute a wonderful, inseverable unity of life. They are so closely tied to each other and depend so entirely upon each other that to separate them would be to lose them both. Without the law the gospel is a vain dream, a fiction, intoxicating people but afterward leaving them in greater misery than before. Without the gospel the law becomes a power hostile to the gospel, becoming the preeminent means for arousing human pride to the extreme. Pharisaism, the religion of the law-without-the-gospel, is perhaps the most universal, dangerous and repugnant manifestation of this arrogance. The despair of the man who tries in vain to keep the law in his own power is another manifestation of that same evil.
How closely gospel and law are related is shown to us clearly through all of Scripture. The passages already mentioned speak of it.
In a particularly clear way this is displayed in the ark of the covenant, as Dr. Woelderink has repeatedly suggested. The ark of the covenant is the sign of the fellowship, of the covenant fellowship, between God and his people. The covering of the ark is the covering of atonement. Upon it atonement comes into being, in the symbol of sprinkling with the sacrificial blood. In this way it is a sign, a proclamation and the visible gospel of atonement. But the two stone tablets of the law are kept in this ark. In quite a telling manner we are hereby shown that in the covenant of the Word of God’s grace and atonement — the gospel — is tied inseparably to the Word of the law (Ex. 20:1f; Deut [5:6f.]). The covenant even obtains concrete shape in the twofold unity of gospel and law, or said another way: in the twofold unity of promise and summons. Therefore these may not be separated from one another for a moment. To do that would be to tear God’s covenant asunder in a fundamental sense.
Moreover, gospel and law are intimately united. One could say that from start to finish every gospel-word is also law-word. For the gospel as such is always a passionate summons to faith. For God proclaims the gospel so that it may be believed. The preaching of the gospel to the Philippian jailor sounded like this: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31). Here is full gospel preaching. In these words of Paul Jesus Christ draws near to the jailor and offers himself as his Savior. But at the same time these words are a penetrating summons to believe, a powerful proclamation of the summons, the law of faith.
Preaching Gospel and Law
From this example it is also clear that genuine preaching of the law is at the same time full preaching of the gospel. For as Paul sounds forth this preaching of the law and holds this summons before the jailor, God in Christ stands before the jailor. In and with these words Christ stands before him as Redeemer. In fact, he is basically saying: "I am the Lord your God."
Moreover, that proclamation of the law is the guarantee that God will give what he asks. For God asks only for what he gives. And we can give only what he has first given us and what we’ve received from him. But if God actually, earnestly asks of us what he alone can give to us, then does not the guarantee of God’s really giving it lie already in his asking? God doesn’t play frivolous games with men, certainly! (In this connection one thinks of Augustine’s well-known words: da quod jubes et jube quod vis [Give what you command — and command what you wish].) A commandment like the well-known "This is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ" is therefore fully gospel (I Jn. 3:23). In the giving of this "law" lies the absolute certainty that Jesus Christ desires to give himself, along with all the treasures and gifts that he embodies, to whomever this demand of faith comes.
Therefore, we could and should put it this way: just as the gospel is totally permeated with the law, so too the law — truly! — is fully evangelical. In view of this state of affairs we would therefore rather speak of an evangelical aspect and a legal aspect of the Word of God, rather than simply of gospel and law.
When one has learned to understand the Word of God as the indivisible unity of gospel and law, it is impossible to posit that the preaching of the law must precede the preaching of the gospel in order to lead men to discover their sin and guilt. Law and gospel proceed simultaneously from God’s mouth, so that as a result the law can be heard, understood and believed in no other way than in its unbreakable unity with the gospel. Especially the demand of faith presupposes the gospel and its proclamation. To be sure, this demand is embodied in and flows out of the gospel and as a consequence can be heard and obeyed in no other way than in and with the gospel.
When we learn to understand God’s Word as the intimate unity of gospel and law, then it also becomes clear what the heart of this law is. It is nothing else than the law of summons to faith, the call to believe. Whenever the speaking God directs himself to men he addresses them with the gospel, and then the immediate priority reaching men is the summons to accept the gospel in faith.
The Catechism quite accurately defines the first commandment of the law of the Lord as the commandments of faith. The exposure of sin which God so obviously desires to effect before everything else is the exposure of the sin of unbelief.
The Jews on Pentecost and Saul on the Damascus road were not exposed on this or that transgression of this or that commandment. Rather, the realization began to live in them that they had rejected him whom God had given them as a Savior. That is to say: they were exposed in their unbelief. But at the same time, intimately involved with that was the opening of their eyes to see Jesus Christ as the Messiah who had come, as the living Savior. Yes, from the law comes the knowledge of sin. But this law is so interwoven with the gospel that we must simultaneously assert that their eyes were opened through the gospel, that through it they came to believe in Christ and were made alive. The gospel embodies and maintains the law this way so that we who know our sins should accept God’s grace in order to start living out of it.
According to its origin and nature God’s law is holy, righteous and good (Rom. 7:12). It is the expression of God’s fatherly will with regard to people whom he has created. It is the guide for how people may live as his children. In the Old Testament it was called "instruction." The longest psalm is a sustained hymn of praise to the law of the Lord. According to its nature the law does not coerce. It summons people to love him who has first loved us and gave himself in love to people who are the image of God as well. To live completely according to the law is salvation. It is also to stand in perfect freedom. The law of God is the law of freedom (Jas. 2:12). For the godless alone is the law full of threat; for them alone the law demands fulfillment with the penalty for failure of eternal condemnation. Moreover, in those who despise the law it causes sin to break out more and more strongly.
Finally, we must mention that talking about "gospel and law" entails a serious danger. The unintentional consequence of this way of talking is that the evangelical and law aspects of God’s Word are still viewed as two independent entities that must be brought together and held in balance. Often the expression mentioned above is evidence and proof of the fact that one views gospel and law in that kind of a relationship.
With this way of talking and this conception of gospel and law we are then risking the same misunderstanding and danger that threaten us when we talk about "Word and Spirit." Those too become, when designated in that way, two entities which can be separated from each other and which can operate independently of each other. What is forgotten is that in the Word we are dealing with an utterance of the Spirit, which simply cannot even exist without the active, speaking Spirit. The fact is overlooked that when the Spirit comes somewhere, he always comes speaking, which is to say: he comes in and through the Word.
Bibliography
The literature dealing with the various aspects of "word" in Holy Scripture is quite extensive. We must mention first of all the pertinent articles in Kittel’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, and the bibliography given there. For an initial orientation the reader is referred to Dr. Herman Ridderbos Heilige geshiedenis en Heilige Schrift (Kampen, 1995), pp. 99f.; and to Dr. J.T. Bakker’s Kerugma en Prediking (Kampen, 1957). Additional works dealing with "word" and other words employed in connection with preaching are, among others: Helmuth Schreiner, Die Verkundigung des Wortes Gottes (5th edition; Hamburg, 1949); Gustaf Wingren, Die Predigt (Gottingen, 1955); W. Trillhaas, Evangelische Predigtlehre (4th edition; Munster, 1953); and E. Lerle, Die Predigt im Neuen Testament (1956).