# What is the purpose of preaching?



## AV1611 (Nov 22, 2006)

What are your thoughts?

My thoughts (taken from a paper I am working on):



> The covenant purpose of God is to manifest his own Trinitarian covenant life through the taking of a people for his own possession and establishing a covenant with them in Christ Jesus. This covenant, whilst established in eternity is realised or is made manifest in history and the means by which the covenant is realised is faith which is itself a fruit of electing grace and a covenant blessing in Christ. “So that men may be brought to faith, God mercifully sends heralds of this most joyful message to whom He will and when He wills. By their ministry men are called to repentance and to faith in Christ crucified.” Hence the gospel is a means through which God fulfills his covenant purpose. Through it he calls the elect to faith and effectually draws them into communion with himself and it is precisely this communion which is the very essence of covenant. The preaching acts as the means by which the communion is manifested, developed and enabled to flourish.


----------



## Robin (Nov 23, 2006)

"In the Word of command and promise, we discover who we are: the law tells us that we are "under sin" by nature; the gospel tells us that we are "in Christ" through faith. This is the Word of the Covenant, but in both Old and New Testaments we learn also of the sign and seals of the covenant that ratify the treaty of peace." p. 144 "God of Promise" Michael Horton

The Word preached is God's presence as treaty; the sacrments are ratification of the treaty. See page 138

The Word, rightly preached, is God speaking to us as if He were actually present.

 

Robin


----------

