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The Address of the Gospel (2)

As I mentioned in my last article, I am going to be spending some time on the question of the address of the gospel. This is a subject often misunderstood, or, perhaps I should say, often not sufficiently understood and appreciated. Many of the questions that have been sent in for answering quite obviously involve some aspect or other of the general subject: The Address Of the Gospel.

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First of all, we must say something about the contents of the gospel. What is it that is preached in the gospel? What does a minister say when he brings the gospel of Jesus Christ?

In general, of course, the contents of the gospel are the sacred Scriptures. God has given the church His own infallibly inspired Word. That Word, as it is contained in the Scriptures is, in its totality, the revelation of Jehovah God as the God of salvation in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

Or, in short, the Scriptures reveal Christ in Whom is made known God as the God Who saves.

All preaching must be limited entirely and exclusively to Scripture. No man may bring his own word, his own ideas, his own thoughts on matters, his own notions about things, when he preaches. He must limit himself rigidly and totally to what Scripture says so that he is able, in his preaching, to say: Thus saith the Lord.

When a minister or preacher preaches, he comes with the Word of God!

That Word of God is Christ.

When the apostle Paul in I Corinthians 1:23 says: "But we preach Christ crucified...," he means exactly that the gospel which he brings is limited to that one subject only: Christ crucified. That that is what he means is evident from what he writes in the very next chapter: "For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (vs. 2).

In the cross of Christ is revealed the salvation worked by Jehovah God.

Now all of this is obvious and fundamental to any Reformed man.

But it must also be understood that the Scriptures contain much, much more than direct references to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

The Scriptures contain a great deal of doctrine. In fact, Scripture is fundamentally interested in doctrine; i.e., in the truth as it is in God. Many, many doctrines are found in God's Word; doctrines of creation, providence, election and reprobation, justification, heaven, etc. They are the doctrines contained in the creeds of the church.

These doctrines must be preached. Every one of them must be preached. This is what Paul meant when he reminded the elders from Ephesus that he had been faithful in his ministry and that he is pure of the blood of all men because he "had not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:26, 27).

How many ministers today can say the same thing?

But the Scriptures also contain many other kinds of material than doctrine. The Scriptures contain stories (in both the Old and New Testaments); they contain poetry, prophecy, wise sayings; but they also contain many, many exhortations and admonitions covering every aspect of life and requiring of men obedience to God in all they do. There are uncounted demands placed upon men, requirements coming from God, callings which cannot be ignored. These too are part of the gospel.

And, in addition to all these things, the Scriptures also contain many dire threats and warnings, attached to Scripture's demands, which threaten those who disobey with the most terrible of judgments in this life and in the life to come.

And the Scriptures contain many sweet and blessed promises of untold riches, marvelous treasures, blessings indescribably great, of inestimable value and worth - which are also made in connection with Scripture's demands, exhortations, admonitions, callings.

One point must be emphatically remembered, however. And that is this: Whatever may be the content of preaching, whether history, poetry exhortations, demands, threatenings, or promises, -- it must be Christ and Him crucified. That is, it must proclaim Christ as the revelation of Jehovah God, the God of all salvation.

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Additional Info

  • Volume: 5
  • Issue: 12
Hanko, Herman

Prof. Herman Hanko (Wife: Wilma)

Ordained: October 1955

Pastorates: Hope, Walker, MI - 1955; Doon, IA - 1963; Professor to the Protestant Reformed Seminary - 1965

Emeritus: 2001

Website: www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?speakeronly=true&currsection=sermonsspeaker&keyword=Prof._Herman_Hanko

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  • City
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  • State or Province
    MI
  • Zip Code
    49428
  • Country
    United States
  • Telephone
    616-667-6033
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