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.
There is all the difference in the world between preaching and lecturing. In both cases, someone stands in front of other people and addresses them. In both cases, he has a topic. In both cases, he is trying to communicate something and he structures his address to that end. In both cases, he may be trying to persuade the listeners of certain opinions. But that is where the similarities stop. A lecturer will usually lay out his information, consider various points of view and weigh their merits and demerits. He will then turn the matter over to the judgment of his audience. He indicates he is doing so by using phrases like "I submit to you that....". He places them in the seat of judgment over the arguments that are being presented.
On the other hand, a preacher stands to declare the eternal truths of Almighty God. He does so as an ambassador. He speaks in the Name of God, as though God were speaking through him (which He is) 2 Cor 5:20. The preacher does not "submit" the Word of God to the judgment of men. He may appeal to men on God's behalf but there is always an inherent authority in the act of preaching that does not apologize to anyone for the message. Rather, the preacher declares it to be God's Truth, and calls upon his hearers to submit to it.
But there is another distinction between preaching and lecturing that we need to consider, and which Paul mentions in our text. When a faithful man, commissioned by God, preaches the Word, Christ speaks through him as he preaches and spiritual power attends the message. This power works in several different ways, depending on the particular hearer:
If he or she is not a Christian, there are two possible outcomes from hearing God's Word preached:
- They may, through the power of preaching, believe the Gospel and be raised from the dead (spiritually speaking), or take a further step towards their eventual salvation.
- They may also be hardened in their sins and take a further step towards their ultimate destruction.
God makes it clear in the Bible that there is one thing that His Word cannot do once He has sent it out - and that is to return to Him without accomplishing the purpose for which He sent it (Isa 55:11). It follows that Divine power must always be present to accompany the preaching of the Word.
Churches today are too ready to settle for lecturers in their pulpits rather than having preachers. In too many places we have speakers who pander to their listeners and say things their itching ears want to hear. Small wonder there is so little life-changing power in evidence. The message is tailored to suit the tastes of the hearers, rather than them being brought into subjection to the Divine Word! What we desperately need is a return to the primacy of preaching, for churches that have forgotten what preaching is to rediscover it, and for men to declare the Truth with authority and with the power that attended the preaching of Paul in our text!
We should need no encouragement to seek out true preaching of the Word of God, to humble ourselves under it, and to be transformed through the power of God that is at work as it is preached.