Why We Must Preach the Word

For the biblical expositor, 2 Timothy 4:2 majestically stands out as sacred ground. It is precious territory for every pastor who, following in the footsteps of Paul, desires to faithfully proclaim the Word of God. In this single verse, the apostle defined the primary mandate for God-honoring church ministry, not only for Timothy, but for all who would come after him. The minister of the Gospel is called to “Preach the Word!”

As he penned this Spirit-inspired text, Paul knew he was about to die. The words of this verse stand at the beginning of the last chapter he would ever write. Alone in a bleak Roman dungeon, without even a cloak to keep himself warm (v. 13), the unwearied apostle issued one final charge—calling Timothy, and every minister after him, to herald the Scriptures without compromise.

Paul understood what was at stake; the sacred baton of Gospel stewardship was being passed to the next generation. He also knew that Timothy, his young son in the faith, was prone to apprehension and timidity. That is why he prefaced his exhortation to pastoral faithfulness with the strongest possible language:

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. ( 2 Tim. 4:1–2 )

The heart of that brief passage, preach the word, summarizes biblical ministry in one central mandate.

That command is consistent with what the apostle had earlier explained to Timothy about the qualifications for spiritual leadership. In 1 Timothy 3:2, Paul noted that—in addition to numerous moral and spiritual qualifications—overseers and pastors must possess one universal skill: the ability to teach. They must be competent Bible expositors—men who are able to both clearly explain the text and effectively exhort the congregation.

But being called to preach and teach is not just a sacred privilege. It is also a serious responsibility—one that the minister is expected to carry out at all times. He is to fill his pulpit “in season and out of season.” Whether it seems acceptable or unacceptable, wise or unwise, his mandate and his mission never change. The man of God has been summoned to boldly preach the message of God to the people of God, no matter how often the winds of popular opinion swirl and shift.

Faithfulness to the Word demands, furthermore, that the minister preach all of it. Timothy was not to focus solely on the positive, heart-warming aspects of pastoral ministry. He was also to “reprove, rebuke, [and] exhort” the flock, refusing the temptation to shy away from Scripture’s warnings and corrections. Yet, his reproof was to be balanced out with “great patience and instruction”—his fiery firmness tempered by his compassion and tenderness toward those under his spiritual care. For the faithful shepherd, patience towards people is of paramount importance.

But, while his shepherding is characterized by gentleness and longsuffering, his preaching must not be marked by uncertainty or ambiguity. Instead, the faithful minister proclaims the truth of God’s Word with the confidence and certainty that it deserves. Authority in preaching does not come from the pastor’s office, education, or experience. Rather, it derives from the highest possible source—God Himself.

Insofar as the sermon accurately portrays the biblical text, it comes with the Author’s own authority. The power of the pulpit, then, is in the Word preached, as the Spirit uses His sword to pierce human hearts ( Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12 ). Consequently, the pastor’s task is to faithfully feed the flock with pure milk of the Word ( 1 Pet. 2:1–3 ), trusting God for the resulting growth.

In the verses surrounding 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul provided his protégé with much-needed motivation to stand firm and persevere to the end. For Timothy, the command was clear: preach the Word; and the calling was deadly serious: souls were at stake. In order to equip him for the task, Paul gave Timothy five compelling reasons to persevere in ministry faithfulness. These motivations, found in 2 Timothy 3:1–4:4, are as applicable today as they were when the apostle wrote them nearly two millennia ago.

We will look at the first of these five motivations tomorrow.