The preacher in a Highland situation needs to be aware of
the possible reasons regarding lack of assurance that will be there in
those listening to him. They could include the following.
Firstly, it is possible to lose assurance for non-spiritual
reasons. Mental illness or other psychological problems may affect a believer’s
sense of his relationship with God. This type of loss of assurance is not
usually healed through preaching, rather it should be dealt with by appropriate
medical treatment.
Secondly, some of those listening to his preaching may be
guilty of secret or open disobedience to God’s commands. Their consciences will
not allow them to be at peace in their sins, and they may be looking for an
indication that what they are doing is not as bad as they suspect it is.
Therefore, the preacher should not preach assurance in such a way that this
type of professing Christian will deduce false approval from what is said.
Thirdly, there may be those whose lifestyle is not one of
secret or open sin but who may not be as occupied as they could in using the
various means of grace that God has provided for their spiritual growth. These have
become dilatory in reading the Bible and personal prayer, and may be irregular
in their attendance at public meetings of the church. It is not surprising that
such will lack assurance, but the response of the preacher is to warn such of
the dangers they face if their lukewarmness continues. A possible response from
such is to assume that because their spiritual temperature was warmer in the
past, therefore their current indifference may only be temporary. The preacher
must watch that his assuring his hearers that those who believe in Christ are
truly saved is not assumed by those who are backsliding as a kind of
justification for not repenting of their failures.
Fourthly, it is possible that a believer has lost assurance
because of Satanic activity. The devil is aware that a believer without
assurance is liable not to be a spiritually-strong Christian, therefore he will
attempt to prevent the believer having it.
Fifthly, assurance can be lost because of a failure to
understand the Christian doctrine of justification. Some Christians look upon
faith, inner graces and religious experiences as the rock upon which the
Christian must stand rather than depending on Christ’s righteousness.
These situations indicate that it is not an easy matter to
preach biblically, accurately and pastorally sensitively about assurance. But one method that could help the preacher is to preach the
doctrine of adoption.
Preaching is part of the preacher’s service which he owes
to God and to the church. An important aspect of this service is that the
preacher serves the Word of God. The Scriptures dictate what the preacher has
to say about them. But exegesis is not enough for serving the people of God. In
addition to exegesis, there needs to be application and exhortation. The
following comments are related to exegesis, application and exhortation of the
doctrine of adoption.
First, the doctrine of adoption can be preached in an expository way (in the
sense of explaining and applying a biblical passage) or in a topical way (in
the sense of preaching a subject). Preaching is more than a person giving his opinions on a
biblical passage or a theme. The goal of true preaching is to leave a
congregation with a sense of God. It is possible to give one’s hearers a wrong
sense of God by focusing on aspects of his person or work that will not bring
comfort to those who lack assurance. I suspect that Highland preaching has often created the sense of God as Sovereign but not of God as Father. Focusing only
on his sovereignty can result in a hearer having uncertainty about personal
salvation because of misunderstandings of election, or a sight of God’s
supremacy can make the hearer feel small and insignificant, and that God is far
away. It is correct to preach that God has elected and that humans are small in
comparison to him, but it is not biblically balanced to stress only these
aspects of God. By also preaching him as Father the preacher shows his
listeners that God is caring and near. As he preaches to those seeking
assurance of salvation, they will be encouraged to know that the Father has
sent the Spirit, with one of his functions being that of witness to salvation.
Second, a requirement when preaching adoption is that for
it to be understood it has to be explained in its relationship to other doctrines.
If the claim is correct that adoption is the highest of Christian
privileges, and I think it is, then it is not really possible to explain
adoption without referring to the lesser privileges. It is possible to preach
about justification and not mention adoption, since justification is concerned
with our becoming right with God. Adoption includes being right with God but is
more than being right with God. Similarly it is possible to speak about
sanctification (the process of becoming holy) and not mention adoption, but
adoption includes sanctification as part of the goal of becoming like Christ,
which John includes in his description of the family of God (1 John 3:1-2). If
perfect likeness to Christ is the destiny of God’s sons, the preacher can also
go back to the first stage of salvation, that of election, and explain that it
is predestination unto adoption (Eph. 1:4-5). Preaching adoption allows the
preacher to cover in a balanced manner the great biblical doctrines. Focusing
on this doctrine opens a door for preaching the entire counsel of God. In
effect, the preacher needs to be a systematic theologian. Systematic theology enables the
preacher to have adequacy of coverage, accuracy of exposition, and adequacy of
application.
Third, not only does preaching adoption allow the preacher
to clarify the various doctrines of the faith, it also allows him to explain
the practical aspects of the Christian life. I already mentioned that
sanctification can be seen through the goal of adoption, to be like Christ. But
adoption also enhances other aspects of sanctification. An obvious example is
that of prayer to the heavenly Father which implies that praying is the
activity of his children. The writers of the New Testament, when referring to prayer, write in terms of assurance,
be it the cry of ‘Abba’ or coming to God confidently. This common emphasis
indicates that prayer is to be a priority for Christians and the writings just
referred to indicate that prayer is to be both an expression of sonship and an
experience of assurance. Another example is chastisement, which far from being
an indication that God has abandoned the one enduring it, is an evidence of
membership of God’s family. Moreover, recognition of our Father by the world is given by
Jesus as an incentive for living a different lifestyle (Matt. 5:16).
Fourth, a further benefit of preaching adoption is that it
allows the preacher to address the whole man in each of his hearers. Adoption
is more than teaching to instruct the mind, it is more than an incentive to
stimulate the will, it is also an opportunity to suggest the suitability of a
healthy emotional life toward God as expressed in the cry of ‘Abba Father’.
Romans 8, which says that one benefit of adoption is the witness of the Spirit,
also mentions that another function of the Spirit in the life of believers is
to groan (v. 26). Adoption does not demand that every experience be enjoyable,
chastisement is proof of that. The sons of God will experience situations in
which they cannot discern what their Father is doing in their lives, but it is
not a denial of adoption to express ignorance and to ask God, ‘Why?’
Fifth, preaching the doctrine of adoption also allows the
preacher to address current emphases in society. One influential emphasis in
the modern world is that of self-worth, where persons are urged to appreciate
who they are and what they contribute to society. Adoption gives the highest
possible self-worth to those who believe in Jesus, no matter their status in
society.
Sixth, preaching about adoption cannot stop at a
description of what the biblical writers say about this relationship. There has
also to be exhortation to seek for all that this new relationship with God can
bring into the person’s experience. One aspect of the relationship is that each
of God’s children possesses the Holy Spirit permanently, and while not
possessing him in his fulness, he is there as the firstfruits of his fulness.
Believers should be encouraged to have from the Spirit all that he will give,
among which are earnestness and intimacy in prayer (the cry of ‘Abba Father’),
and also to know the witness of the Spirit. If, as has been argued, the witness
is a crucial part of assurance, then preaching should also include exhorting
all who believe to pray that the Spirit will intensify all their experiences of
God.
No comments:
Post a Comment