Tuesday, March 06, 2012

Horton on the apostles' preaching and "ordinary" preaching

I'm still working my way through Michael Horton's The Christian Faith.  As one might expect in a Reformed systematic theology, Horton presents a high view of preaching as a means of grace.  In chapter 23 on "Word and Sacrament" he notes how the "ordinary" preaching of men today compares to the "extraordinary" preaching of the apostles:

Only the written canon occupies constitutional status in the church, but the subsequent preaching of ministers after the apostles communicates exactly the same Word (i.e., Christ and all his benefits) in the power of the same Spirit....  The difference between Peter's Pentecost sermon and that of an ordinary minister today  is that the former is part of the canon that norms our preaching.  However, when preaching today is faithful to that canon, it conveys exactly the same content and therefore is the same Word as that spoken by the prophets and apostles (p. 754).

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