Preaching Mediates God Himself

From Don Carson:

“Granted that ‘preaching’ or ‘proclaiming’ in the Scriptures is not
restricted to something done behind a wooden pulpit between 11:00 and 12:00 on
Sunday mornings, it is nevertheless hard to avoid the strength of this emphasis
on proclamation in the New Testament. The reason for the emphasis lies in the
message itself. God has taken action, and the good news is announced, it is
proclaimed. God is not negotiating; he is both announcing and
confronting.
Done properly, preaching is simply the re-presentation of God’s
gospel, God’s good news, by which men and women come to know him. Thus preaching
mediates God himself. Many preachers, afraid of being thought arrogant, avoid
talking about preaching. They prefer to think of what they do as ’sharing.’ In
some limited contexts, doubtless there is nothing wrong with ’sharing.’ But
something important is lost if we never speak or think of preaching and
proclamation. That is our job, our calling.
It is not arrogant to re-present
as forcefully as we can God’s gospel; it is simply faithful stewardship.
Further, if we focus on the powerful proclamation of the gospel, we shall be
less likely to be seduced by siren calls to soften the sheer non-negotiability
inherent in preaching.”

HT: Unashamed Workman