THE RELATIONSHIP OF THEOCENTRIC TO CHRISTOCENTRIC
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t is crucial for the preacher to understand how his preaching text fits into thescope of redemptive history and how it may be affected by subsequent revelationClowney warned, "The Christian proclamation of an Old Testament text is not thepreaching of an Old Testament sermon".114 Christ, is the unity of redemptive history He isconstantly present in the progress of this history "The progression of redemptive history isnot so much a progression to Christ (the Incarnation) as the progression of ChristBecause Christ is the eternal Logos, from the beginning with God, and himself truly God"'’a commitment to a theocentric focus in preaching will be manifested in Christocentricsermons "Theocentric preaching inevitably becomes Christocentric not because the sermonalways cites the name of Jesus or draws to mind some event from his earthly ministry, butbecause it demonstrates the reality of the human predicament that requires divinesolution "" 7 No less a preacher than Paul characterized his preaching as nothing exceptJesus Christ and him crucified 111 This did not make him a "johnny-one-note" with a slimsermon file Paul presented the Word of God in its fullness 119 Rather, Paul and all thosewho claim to preach the same message understand that the Scriptures are both a unity anda progression because they record the redemptive plan of God whose focus is Christ AsGreidanus stated, "The unity of redemptive history implies the Chnstocentnc nature of Clowney, Preaching and Biblical Theology , 75Greidanus, Sola Scriptura , 143John 1 1,2 Chapcll, Christ-Centered Preaching, 2961 Corinthians 2 2Colossians 1 25 every historical text. Redemptive history is the history of Christ He stands at its center,but no less at its beginning and end" 120
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