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Augustine on the Aims of Preaching, by Pastor Charlie

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Augustine on the Aims of Preaching
By Pastor Charlie

In his famous book, On Christian Doctrine, Augustine writes the following about the proper aims of preaching:
     Whoever, then, thinks that he understands the Holy Scriptures, or any part of them, but puts such an interpretation upon them as does not tend to build up this twofold love of God and our neighbor, does not yet understand them as he ought. If, on the other hand, a man draws a meaning from them that may be used for the building up of love, even though he does not happen upon the precise meaning which the author whom he reads intended to express in that place, his error is not pernicious, and he is wholly clear from the charge of deception.
     For there is involved in deception the intention to say what is false; and we find plenty of people who intend to deceive, but nobody who wishes to be deceived…Nevertheless, as I was going to say, if his mistaken interpretation tends to build up in love, which is the end of the commandment, he goes astray in much the same way as a man who by mistake quits the high road, but yet reaches through the fields the same place to which the road leads. He is to be corrected, however, and to be shown how much better it is not to quit the straight road, lest, if he gets into the habit of going astray, he may sometimes take cross roads, or even go in the wrong direction altogether. (Book 1, Chapter 36)
It’s not that Augustine underestimates the dangers of error in interpretation. Indeed, he goes on to argue that if a preacher of the Word allows error and then,
…evil to creep in, it will utterly destroy him. ‘For we walk by faith, not by sight.’ Now faith will totter if the authority of Scripture begins to shake. And then, if faith totter, love itself will grow cold. For if a man has fallen from faith, he must necessarily also fall from love; for he cannot love what he does not believe to exist. But if he both believes and loves, then through good works, and through diligent attention to the precepts of morality, he comes to hope also that he shall attain the object of his love. And so these are the three things to which all knowledge and all prophecy are subservient: faith, hope, and love. But sight shall displace faith; and hope shall be swallowed up in that perfect bliss to which we shall come. (Book 1, Chapter 37)

Let us take Augustine’s admonition to heart: the aim of our teaching and preaching must be love or it is not true teaching and preaching. It is not honoring to God. It is not edifying to the people. It is not a blessing to the world. 



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