Simplicity in Preaching - A Plea

Far more than some realize, there is danger of making the Christian faith seem so complicated that it is not understood by laymen; or, it may be so attenuated as to become practically devoid of spiritual and practical content.

Many ministers, intrigued with the craftsmanship of preaching, unconsciously project their messages over the heads of their congregations. Others, particularly in their writing, keep the theologically elect in mind and write primarily to them. But when others, remembering the man in the street, express Christian truth in non-technical terms they are sometimes accused of an oversimplification of the Gospel.

It would prove a blessing to all concerned if it were recognized that the ordinary layman—the man in the office, in the shop, in the everyday pressures of work—needs a Christian faith which is vital but simple, concise but accurate, factual but practical.

One justified criticism of much of modern preaching is its failure to be specific. This can stem from taking too much for granted—assuming that those who listen are believers and instructed Christians. Again it can be a deliberate evasion of crucial theological truth. In either case it is the laymen who suffer, and through them the entire Church.

Unquestionably we who make up the congregations across the world need to know our duties as Christians, both as to personal living and corporate responsibilities. But it does little good to tell us what to do unless we have the power to carry out such responsibilities and that power is found in the living Christ. We need to know more about Him.

Christian ethics are desperately important, for only too often we belie our faith by the way we live and speak. But, it must never be forgotten that there can be no effective Christian ethic without the Christian dynamic and that is to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ and his indwelling Spirit.

It may sound trite but it is everlastingly true that the Christian faith centers in a person—Jesus Christ. But this statement is adequate only as we understand its implications. We need to know something about him, who he is and what he does for us. Christianity embraces certain facts without which Christianity is little more than an empty term. And it is just that to many people. We are instructed as to the fruits of Christianity without knowing the Root, the source of the fruit.

But Christianity does not end with accepting certain great and eternal truths. God forbid! The exercise of faith is the door through which we enter into a fellowship with Christ that should affect us every hour of the day and night. A simple faith should lead to a practical application of that faith.

The average layman faces innumerable temptations and problems each day and he painfully muddles along because Christ has never become a personal or practical reality. He is neither the object of our praise nor is he our daily companion. He is neither the source of guidance nor the arbiter of our ethics. But a simple faith will lead us to appropriate the help and the blessings open for and assured to those who accept and know him.

Decisions have to be made; frustrations or triumphs come; there may be unexpected sorrows, or joys, but because we lack this simple faith we miss so much. We walk in loneliness because we neither recognize nor turn to the One who is there unseen.

There is not a problem that cannot be taken to Christ. This may be in the seclusion of our room, or in the crowded ways of life. How often there are circumstances which demand immediate help, guidance, strength. A simple faith will reach out and lay hold on Christ and receive from him the help and wisdom needed at that particular moment.

Temptations? Yes! And the strength to overcome, or the spiritual insight to see the escape route he has provided.

Problems? Yes, and the wisdom to sense the solution which the Holy Spirit will give.

Sorrow? Yes, and the comfort and strength so needed and so precious at such times.

Success? Yes, and the ability to see our good fortune in its relationship to eternal values.

This is not an oversimplification of either the Christian faith or of its practical aspects. The Scriptures make it abundantly plain that the essentials of the Christian faith are so simple that a little child may grasp them and so profound that the most scholarly never exhaust their depths. It is also clear that Christianity is not to be excluded from the so-called trivialities of life, or from its complicated problems.

A simple faith will maintain a vital connection with Christ all the time and under all circumstances. And with it will come a peace and joy which our Lord so truly described as being beyond understanding. We also begin to see sin for the distressing thing that it is, while forgiveness and cleansing become precious realities.

This is an appeal for a return to simple preaching, to Christ-centered preaching, to the authoritative preaching which has its source in the Book rather than in books.

It is our conviction that such can be great preaching for its very simplicity demands a profundity of understanding and a clarity of expression that comes from much prayer and from a saturation with the holy Scriptures. In such preaching the opinions and writings of men decrease as the profound affirmations of divine revelation increase—and the effect of the message becomes more profound on those who hear it.

In no sense of the word is this a plea for a trite recitation of orthodox shibboleths or phrases. But it is a plea to preach the Christian faith in terms of such simplicity that it becomes relevant for everyday and vitally connected with the living Christ.

For some this could require considerable adjustment, for it is an humbling experience to return to the ABC’s of Christian truth when one has long since passed on to its more complex depths.

For others it could require a complete re-examination of the essential factors of Christianity itself. Such examination could prove most rewarding.

From the standpoint of the layman, nothing could prove a greater blessing than to learn that Christ is a living reality, and that a simple faith in him has its issue in a daily fellowship which permeates every phase of life.

It is the lack of this simple faith that is keeping men outside the Kingdom of God. It is a failure to grasp the implications of this faith that keeps so many Christians from living their faith before the world.

And it is a lack of this simple faith that lessens the influence of the Church and causes many to turn from her unsatisfied.

L. NELSON BELL

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