In 1 Timothy 2:7 the apostle Paul writes, “…I was appointed a preacher…” That English word “preacher” literally means “herald.” Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:21 that “…we preach Christ crucified…” Again, in this instance too, “we preach” literally means “we herald.” So a preacher is a herald.
The herald was a messenger who conveyed the words of the king. In the same way, a preacher is a messenger who conveys the words of the King ( who is Jesus). The herald doesn’t make up the message, rather delivers the one he has been charged to deliver. So the question begs, what message has our King charged us to deliver? Well, after His resurrection Jesus told the apostles in Luke 24:47, “…repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached [heralded] in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” The message we herald on Christ’s behalf is that forgiveness of sins will be granted to all who repent of their sins.
Now to properly be a biblical herald, we have to do more than simply make a proclamation. Additionally, we have to make an appeal. In 2 Corinthians 5 Paul first tells the Corinthians of “…God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ…” (v.18) This is the proclamation. Then, secondly, Paul tells the Corinthians, in light of the proclamation, to “Be reconciled to God” (v.20). This is the appeal.
The mathematical formula for biblical preaching then is as follows: Proclamation + Appeal = Biblical Preaching The herald proclaims the truth that there is peace with God through Jesus and then makes an appeal to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord.
To make a proclamation without an appeal or to make an appeal without a proclamation is to do only half the job of a herald. We don’t want one without the other. We want both.