It is our singular
responsibility to preach the gospel of Christ to men. I know that the gospel
must be applied in a practical way to the hearts and lives of men. But many,
far too many, preachers spend their time and efforts preaching what they call
"practical godliness", and never get around to preaching the gospel.
This must not be. I am sent to preach the gospel. The gospel is the source, the
life, the motive, and the strength of all good works. The gospel changes the heart.
And once the heart is renewed, good works will follow. If we place too much
emphasis on good works and neglect the basis and motive of those works, the
gospel, we will only be promoting pride, self-righteousness, and hypocrisy.
This is what I am saying - The purpose of the Bible,
in its entirety, is to point helpless sinners to the crucified, risen, exalted
Christ, and demand that they bow to him in humble, submissive faith. Everything
in Holy Scripture is written that men may know Christ, trust Christ, and obey
Christ. If I should open the Word of God and fail to preach Christ and him
crucified, my preaching would be vain. It would be just so much meaningless
noise about nothing. And it would be of no profit to those who heard it.
As for me and this household over which God has made
me pastor, we will preach the gospel. It is not our purpose to indoctrinate
men, and make them good Calvinists. It is not our purpose to regulate the lives
of men, by fear and intimidation, and make them good moralists. Our purpose is
to get men to see, trust, submit to, and love the Lord Jesus Christ. If men
ever see Christ, they will get their doctrine straight. If men ever fall in
love with Christ, they will live lives of godliness. I fully intend to go on
preaching the gospel plainly and clearly, as often as God gives me strength to
stand behind a pulpit, because this is whet God has sent me to do (I Cor.
1:17-18; 2:21 9:16). Any who are interested in hearing anything other than the
gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in Christ, need not waste their time
hearing me.