Richard A. Bodey

Biblical and Early Church Models of the Sermon (Homily)

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The New Testament distinguishes between preaching and teaching. Preaching is the proclamation of the Messiahship of Jesus, as revealed in his ministry, death, and resurrection. Preaching, therefore, occurs not in the worship of believers but in the public forum. The worship assembly is the setting for instruction in the faith and exposition of the Word of God. Although the sermon or homily of today may be a presentation of the gospel and an appeal for commitment to Christ, it had its origin as a part of worship in the teaching activity, rather than the public preaching, of the New Testament church.

Biblical Terms for Preaching

Preaching is the proclamation of the Word of God recorded in the Bible and centered in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Preaching summons persons to repentance, faith, and obedience. It is God’s appointed means for communicating the gospel of salvation in Christ to the unbelieving world and for strengthening the spiritual life of God’s people.

Of the many New Testament terms for preaching, the most characteristic is the verb kērussō, “to proclaim as a herald,” which occurs about sixty times (Matt. 3:1; Mark 1:14; Acts 10:42; 1 Cor. 1:23; 2 Tim. 4:2). The principal synonym is euangelizomai, “to announce good news, to evangelize,” a common verb used more than fifty times (Luke 3:18; 4:18; Acts 5:42; Rom. 10:15; 1 Cor. 1:17). Whereas kērussō stresses the activity of preaching as an announcement or heralding of the action of God, euangelizomai accents the message that is proclaimed as one of deliverance and hope. The combination “to proclaim the gospel” is also found (Matt. 4:23; Gal. 2:2).

In view of its prominence in the New Testament, it may seem surprising that the Old Testament seldom refers to the proclamation of the prophets as “preaching.” However, allowing the difference between prophetic proclamation (which is generally ascribed to a direct revelation from the Lord) and Christian preaching (which is the apostolic witness to the event of Jesus Christ), the prophets of Israel are properly regarded as the preachers of their day, the predecessors of the New Testament heralds of the gospel. The prophets proclaimed divine judgment because of the broken covenant and announced salvation to the repentant; the preacher of the early church came with a corresponding message, declaring that the covenant has been renewed in the mission, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

The Basic Content of Preaching

The synoptic Gospels summarize Jesus’ public ministry as one of preaching, teaching, and healing (Matt. 4:23; Mark 1:39; Luke 4:44). His message was the good news of the kingdom of God, with its demand that people should repent and believe in the gospel (Matt. 9:35; Mark 1:14–15; Luke 4:43). By this proclamation, Jesus signified that in his ministry the sovereign power of God had invaded history to establish a new reign of righteousness in the salvation of his people. Jesus conceived of his preaching ministry as a divine commission (Mark 1:38), in fulfillment of messianic prophecy (Luke 4:18–21).

The preaching of the apostles, as reported in Acts and gleaned from scattered fragments in the Pauline epistles, seems at first glance to strike a somewhat different note. Although the apostles are still said to preach the kingdom of God (Acts 28:31), the central affirmation of their message is the identification of Jesus as Messiah, the Lord, and Redeemer (Acts 2:22–36; 5:42; 11:20; 17:3; 1 Cor. 1:23–24; 2 Cor. 1:19; 4:5). This difference, however, represents not a contradiction but a progression. The kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed achieved its triumph over the forces of evil and unleashed its creative power in the world through his own death and resurrection. In Christ, God’s sovereign power acted decisively and continues to act for the salvation of his people, so that beginning with the Resurrection, to preach the kingdom is to preach Christ (cf. Acts 8:12). Jesus himself both anticipated and authorized this shift of emphasis when he commanded his disciples to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

The apostolic message (kērugma) in its essential substance can be reconstructed according to this general outline: (1) In fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, the new age of salvation has dawned through the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus, now exalted as Lord and Messiah. (2) The presence of the Holy Spirit in the church testifies to Christ’s present power and glory. (3) The messianic age will reach its consummation at the return of Christ in judgment. (4) God’s action in Christ promises forgiveness of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and eternal salvation to all who repent and believe in Jesus.

On the basis of this reconstruction, the following observations can be made about the Christian message: (1) It consists of a definite body of facts. (2) It is essentially neither a doctrinal nor a philosophical system, still less an ethic, but it is a proclamation of those mighty acts in history whereby God has accomplished the salvation of his people. (3) It is centered in the person and work of Jesus Christ, especially in his cross and resurrection. (4) It is organically related to the Old Testament. (5) It imposes a forceful ethical demand on its hearers. (6) It has an eschatological dimension, looking forward to a realized fulfillment. The sermon that is inconsistent with these themes does not stand in the apostolic tradition of preaching.

Preaching and Teaching

The New Testament distinguishes between “preaching” and “teaching” (Matt. 4:23; 11:1; Eph. 4:11; 1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11; 4:2–4). The publication of C. H. Dodd’s The Apostolic Preaching and Its Developments (New York: Harper, 1937) called attention to the difference between preaching and teaching in their New Testament senses, and it became fashionable in some circles to restrict the term preaching to evangelistic proclamation to the unconverted. Alan Richardson, for example, wrote, “In the New Testament, preaching has nothing to do with the delivery of sermons to the converted … but always concerns the proclamation of the ‘good tidings of God’ to the non-Christian world” (A Theological Word Book of the Bible [New York: Macmillan, 1950], 171–172). Understood this way, preaching in the New Testament is not a worship activity, comparable to the sermon of today, but the announcement (kērugma) of the Christian message to the unbelieving public. Within the Christian assembly, the speaker’s address might more properly be termed teaching or instruction (didachē), directed to already committed believers “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Eph. 4:12). Thus, throughout the history of Christian worship, the sermon or homily has often assumed the form of extended exposition of biblical passages, doctrinal instruction, ethical exhortation, or discussion of various aspects of Christian life and experience directed to largely Christian audiences.

The New Testament contains examples of sermons in the form of instruction in the principles and practice of the life of the new covenant community, such as Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–7) and the letter of James. The teaching function was an important role in the early church and one not to be taken lightly, as James himself stresses (James 3:1). Apparently, however, it was not restricted to certain designated officers. Paul indicated that teaching is one of a number of gifts with which certain members of the congregation might be endowed (Rom. 12:7), but also noted that in the Corinthian assembly “each one … has a teaching” (1 Cor. 14:26 nasb). The exposition of the Scriptures during the assembly of Christian worshipers was a continuation of the practice of the synagogue; after the Babylonian exile, biblical exposition emerged as an important and regular feature of synagogue worship.

However, the distinction between preaching and teaching in the New Testament is by no means absolute. Whereas Matthew reports that Jesus went about Galilee “teaching … [and] preaching” (Matt. 4:23), the parallel passages employ only the word preaching to describe this ministry (Mark 1:39; Luke 4:44). Where Matthew and Mark represent Jesus as preaching the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 4:17; Mark 1:14–15), Luke says, “He taught in their synagogues” (Luke 4:15). More significant still, Mark uses these two terms interchangeably (cf. Mark 1:14–15, 31, 38–39). Elsewhere in the New Testament, the apostolic testimony to Jesus is likewise described in the same reference as both “preaching” and “teaching” (Acts 5:42; 28:31; Col. 1:28).

Teaching and preaching in the New Testament are intimately related and share the same basic content: the gospel of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Teaching is simply the extension of preaching into the regions of doctrine, apologetics, ethics, and Christian experience. Preaching includes all these elements. The difference lies in emphasis, objective, and setting. Whereas the primary thrust of preaching is evangelistic, looking to the conversion of unbelievers, teaching unfolds and applies the fullness of the gospel to the total sweep of life, challenging and enabling believers to become more mature followers of Christ. The teaching function in the context of Christian worship is the necessary extension of the proclamation of the Christian message to the unconverted; it is the proclamation of “the whole purpose of God” (Acts 20:27 NASB; cf. 2 Tim.). The sermon in the context of a service of worship may be both kērugma and didachē; it may effectively appeal for conversion and commitment while instructing Christians in the teachings of Scripture and the principles of spiritual growth.

Bishops, Elders, and Deacons in the New Testament

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In the formative years of the church its ministry exhibited amazing variety and adaptability. Emerging at Pentecost as a Jewish sect, the church naturally modeled its ministry in part on patterns borrowed from the synagogue. But the Spirit of Christ also fashioned new functions and channels of ministry through which the grace of God might be communicated. The principal “orders” of ministry that arose were those of the elder (bishop) and the deacon.

From the early chapters of Acts it is evident that at the first the apostles directed the life of the infant church. Presently they were joined in their ministry by evangelists and prophets who assisted them in spreading the gospel far and wide. As new communities of Christians sprang up in Judea, Samaria, and throughout the Gentile world, the need emerged for official structures of ministry to direct the affairs of local churches. The New Testament generally employs three terms to designate the two official orders of ministry that were established: elder, bishop, and deacon. Alongside these orders existed a constellation of other local and itinerant ministries.

Elder-Bishops

There is no record to indicate when the office of elder, or presbyter (presbuteros), was instituted. Elders are found early in the Christian communities of Judea (Acts 11:30), while Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in charge of the congregations they established on their first missionary journey (Acts 14:23). This office was borrowed, though modified, from the Jewish synagogue, where a company of elders ruled the religious and civil life of the community. Primarily custodians of the Mosaic Law, these Jewish elders taught and interpreted its precepts and administered discipline to its offenders.

The New Testament also designates Christian elders by the name episkopos (“bishop,” or “overseer”). Although sometimes disputed, the evidence strongly points to this identification. In Acts 20:17 Paul summons the elders of the church at Ephesus, while in verse 28 he calls these same men “overseers” (bishops). In Philippians 1:1 Paul extends formal greetings to all the Christians at Philippi, along with their bishops and deacons, but he takes no notice of elders. This omission is inexplicable unless overseers (bishops) and elders were the same. In 1 Timothy 3:1–13 Paul sets forth the qualifications of overseers. Yet he specifically mentions elders in 1 Timothy 5, where he ascribes to them the same functions of ruling and teaching that in the earlier passage are attributed to bishops (cf. 1 Tim. 3:4–5; 5:17). In Titus 1:5–6, after commanding Titus to appoint elders in all the churches in Crete, Paul counsels him to restrict his choice to men who are “blameless.” He then qualifies this requirement by adding, “Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless,” a pointless argument if the two terms do not designate the same office (v. 7).

“Elder” and “bishop,” then, are synonymous, but whereas “elder” indicates the great dignity surrounding this office, “bishop” signifies its function of rule or oversight. In the New Testament oversight is especially related to the figure of the shepherd, who feeds and cares for his flock. It is therefore natural that pastoral language is interwoven with the use of the terms overseer and bishop (Acts 20:28; cf. John 21:15–17). In their pastoral oversight of congregational life, elders reflect Christ’s own office as the Shepherd and Bishop of souls (1 Pet. 2:25; cf. John 10:11–16; Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 5:4).

The comprehensive character of their office involved elders in a wide variety of duties. They engaged in the ministry of preaching and teaching the Word (1 Tim. 5:17). Moreover, there is no New Testament basis for distinguishing between “teaching” and “ruling” elders, as if they formed two separate classes. Elders also guarded the churches against false doctrine (Titus 1:9), rendered pastoral service (James 5:14), and administered ecclesiastical discipline. Their participation in the Jerusalem council along with the apostles (Acts 15:1–6) indicates that their authority, though essentially local, extended to the whole church. They are charged not to rule in lordly fashion, nor for financial gain, but they are to exercise their authority with humility (1 Pet. 5:1–5). It is likely that they conducted worship, although anyone in the congregation possessing a suitable gift of the Spirit might participate in the service (1 Cor. 14:26–33). Nothing is said in the New Testament about sacramental duties, but since the sacraments were closely tied both to the ministry of the Word and to worship (Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:41–42; 8:35–38; 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:17–22), it is possible that elders were largely responsible for their administration. Clement of Rome, writing near the end of the first century, says specifically that they officiated at the Eucharist. Local churches apparently appointed their own elders, who were then ordained by other elders in a solemn ceremony of laying on of hands (1 Tim. 4:14). Presumably, the elders of the apostolic church were the equivalent of pastors today (although it appears that each local congregation had not one but a plurality of elders, who shared in the exercise of the responsibilities of the office). It is especially notable that the apostles Peter and John both refer to themselves by this title (1 Pet. 5:1; 2 John 1; 3 John 1).

Deacons

Forming a secondary order of ministry were the deacons (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:8–13.). Not copied from any Jewish or Gentile prototype, the office of deacon (diakonos) was a wholly new creation of the Christian church. Its origin is frequently traced to the “seven,” who were appointed to administer the distribution of welfare in the Jerusalem church (Acts 6:1–6). Nowhere are the seven called “deacons,” although the word diakonia is used in this passage to contrast their ministry of serving tables with the apostles’ ministry of the Word. Moreover, two of their number, Stephen and Philip, soon distinguished themselves as highly gifted preachers (Acts 6:8–10; 8:4–8; 21:8). While there is no evidence to link the seven with the deacons of Philippians and 1 Timothy, their appointment may have provided the basic pattern for the later office.

The specific functions of the deacons are clouded by nearly as much uncertainty as to their origin, and their duties must be inferred from the nature of their qualifications. They were required to be of serious mind and character, honest in speech, temperate, and free from greed for money; they were to “hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience” (1Tim. 3:8–9 rsv). This list of qualifications, together with the natural associations of the word diakonia, meaning “service,” suggests that household visitation and administration of local benevolence funds were among their responsibilities. At a later date, this was certainly so. It is further known that in the post-apostolic church deacons served as personal assistants to the bishops in conducting worship, especially at the Eucharist, and in managing church affairs. It is possible from 1 Timothy 3:11 to infer that women also held this office, and Romans 16:1 describes Phoebe as a diakonos of the church at Cenchrea. The masculine form of the noun may signify that it is a common noun, meaning “servant,” and not an official title. In any event, deaconesses do not appear to have been common until the third century. The New Testament nowhere indicates the manner in which the deacons were appointed to office, but as in the case of the seven, they may have been chosen by the local congregation and ordained by the laying on of hands.

In view of New Testament evidence, there seems to be no reasonable doubt that the apostolic church had only two official orders of local ministry: presbyter-bishop and deacon. The ministry exercised by these orders assumed three forms: Word, rule, and service. To this threefold ministry the body of Christ, equipped and empowered by his indwelling Spirit, is unceasingly summoned by its living Head.