Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Preachers, Weigh Your Words

This quote is directed to future pastors but is equally applicable for teachers or anyone who proclaims or explains God's word to a group.

Every time a pastor is preparing to write a sermon that he will deliver from his pulpit, he should approach his task with fear and trembling, that is, with the reverent concern that he would preach nothing contrary to the Word of God.  He must examine everything he has written down most carefully to see whether it is in harmony with the Word of God and the experience of Christians.  Every time he should weigh everything that he is to speak in public, using the holy scales of the temple to weigh the true gold content, as it were.  He should see whether it agrees with the writings of the apostles and prophets.

C.F.W. Walther, Law and Gospel: How to Read and Apply the Bible,
(trans. Christian C. Tiews; St Louis: Concordia, 2010), 328

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