1 Corinthians 2:12-13 is a key text for understanding pastoral ministry, especially preaching:
“[12] Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. [13] And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.”
Paul desires to give what he has received. What has he received? Not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit has been freely given to him, and he desires to freely impart this Spirit to others so they too can become Spiritual men.
How is the Spirit imparted from, or through, Paul to others? The Spirit is the “this” that he imparts to others in verse 13. The Spirit is imparted by words: “we impart this [Spirit] in words.” We know the words he is referring to are words he preached; indeed, he described his preaching ministry at the beginning of the chapter.
So this is the picture of pastoral ministry, particularly preaching, Paul gives to us: Paul has received the Spirit, and as he preached the Word of God, the Spirit flows out from him to those who hear. This Spirit contrasts with the demonic spirit of the world. And this same Spirit who accompanies the word as it is preached also prepares and works in the hearers so they can receive Spiritual truth. A Spiritual wisdom, proclaimed through a Spiritual preacher, using Spiritual words, heard by those who are being made Spiritual men by the work of the Spirit – that’s how Paul understands pastoral ministry.
Preaching is no mere human work. Preaching is not merely human words. It is a Spiritual work, done by Spiritual men, aimed at producing more Spiritual men. The message is not one discoverable by human wisdom; it requires the work of the Spirit. Of course, where the Spirit is Christ is as well. To preach words that impart the Spirit is to preach Christ and him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2).
Thus: When the word is faithfully preached, Christ himself is preaching. “Christ preaches through his preachers,” as Calvin put it. And so we can say that when Christ is preached faithfully, we can be assured the Spirit is working in and through the Word. The Word will not return void. It will accomplish God’s saving purpose because it comes with God’s Spiritual power and imparts that power. The Spirit binds together the preacher, the word preached, and those who receive the word preached.
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“If we [pastors] measure our worth by public opinion, we’ll always be tempted to give people what they want instead of what they need.”
— Harold Senkbeil
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I could never have become a pastor if I did not believe Jesus had promised to be personally present in the means of grace, so that when the gospel is preached, Jesus is the One preaching; when water is poured in the Triune name, Jesus is doing the baptizing; and when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, Jesus is giving himself through bread and wine to hungry and parched souls.
My philosophy of pastoral ministry is not just undergirded by my theology of the means of grace; my theology of the means of grace IS my philosophy of pastoral ministry. The central tasks of the pastor are simply a Spirit-wrought continuation of the ministry of Jesus in the lives of his people through his appointed means. The pastor is like a UPS man during the Christmas season, delivering gifts that are not his, that he hasn’t purchased, but which he has been appointed to bring to their designated recipients. Through Word and sacrament, Jesus continues to be present with us and actively at work in our midst. Pastoral ministry is the embodiment and enactment of that truth.
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Preaching does not merely convey information; it conveys life. Every faithful gospel preacher can say with Jesus, “The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and Life.”
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The means of grace are really the means of Jesus. Jesus is the grace of God. He is God’s gift. He is God’s salvation. And now he comes to us through his appointed means.
The means of grace – preaching, baptism, and the communion meal – are just ways in which Jesus gives us himself and distributes to us the gifts he purchased and won for us at the cross. He gave himself once and for all on the cross so that he might give himself continually through these means.
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In a very real sense, the Eucharist makes the church. We are what we eat – we eat the body of Christ in order to become the body of Christ.
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“Baptism thus forms the hinge of the new life in Christ. In many ways, the cure of souls is always ongoing baptismal therapy; the pastor applies one aspect or another of Christ’s magnificent baptismal gifts to souls burdened with guilt or broken by hurt and shame. At the heart and center of baptism lies the remission of all sins in the shed blood of Jesus: remission for sins we’ve committed against God and sins others have committed against us.
Though baptism is a one-time event, such remission meets our collective ongoing need for spiritual health and healing. The forgiveness of sins is the daily bread-and-butter of every baptized soul.”
— Harold Senkbeil
I love that phrase “baptismal therapy” – it’s a great summary of what pastoral counseling is all about.
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“The Lord’s Supper is a great antidote to the toxic individualism of our age. Sharing in this sacramental mystery these many individuals become one body, bearing each other’s burdens and heartaches and multiplying each other’s joys. Further, they join in this sacred meal in intimate communion with the saints who from their labors rest in heaven’s glory, gathered there around the throne of God to celebrate the marriage feast of the Lamb in his kingdom ever and forevermore…
The Divine Physician himself continually gives wounded suffering souls the very body and blood first incarnate in the womb of Mary, once nailed to the cross for us and our salvation, and then risen mightily from the dead as victor over death and hell. Now he reigns in glory, never to die again. But in this sacrament he comes each Lord’s Day in intimate union and communion to console and heal sin-sick souls. In this meal Jesus gives his own risen flesh and blood as real food and real drink, strengthening, preserving, and enlivening the faithful not just in soul, but in body as well.
The sacrament of the altar lies at the heart of the church’s life. Together with the preaching of the word, this “edible word” is the hub of our life together with Christ Jesus. The Lord’s Supper remains an essential feature of the cure of souls. In one way or another every aspect of the ongoing care of the souls for whom Jesus died invites them to take possession of the gifts previously given them at the altar. And then we physicians of souls continually beckon them on to yet another communion until their earthly pilgrimage is done. Then in [resurrection] glory they will join in the ongoing feast with all the faithful who have preceded them in death and together enjoy eternal union and communion in soul and body with their heavenly bridegroom.”
— Harold Senkbeil
I love the description of the Lord’s Supper as the “hub” of our common life.
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