By: Leslie Holmes

He was introduced as the preacher for the missions conference. He was a seminary scholar of some note, well published with impeccable academic credentials. It was a well-thought-through and biblically sound presentation. It was excellent teaching, but it was not preaching. Do you understand the difference between teaching and preaching?

The Apostle Paul did. Study carefully his charge to young preacher Timothy: “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). Notice he starts with “preach” and concludes with “and teaching.” For Paul, preaching and teaching are not the same thing, nor is one a synonym for the other.

What is more, all preachers are called to teach, but not all teachers are called to preach. For example, someone may be called to teach Sunday School or seminary, but not necessarily called to preach. If you are a preacher, however, you should expect to teach. Preaching, says the apostle, includes “teaching.” This is not to say that there will not be some level of overlap between the two. Elsewhere, we read that some will be “pastor-teachers” (Eph. 4:11).

The difference between preaching and teaching is seen in the primary Greek words used in the New Testament. The most frequently used word for a preacher is kērux, from the Greek kērussō, meaning “herald.” In the Graeco-Roman world, every king had a herald whose job description had two parts to it. First, the herald was employed to speak for and on behalf of the king and to speak with the king’s authority. That Greek root, kērussō, is used both as a noun and a verb. So, as preachers, we are not just called to be heralds (a noun) but to herald (a verb!) for our King.

What is this saying to us? Just this: Each time we preach, we are called to be the look on King Jesus’s face, the tone of His voice, the touch of His hands, the physical representative of His grace. In short, we are to make our invisible King come alive to all who hear us.

There’s just one big problem with all this, of course. None of us is up to this high calling. So, the King who calls and sends us comes alongside and gives us the grace to represent Him well! “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. . . . And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:12, 14).

In Acts 15:35, Paul’s Antiochian ministry in partnership with Barnabas is described in these words: “Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord.” Ancient Antioch had a large population of cultural Jews. So, it stands to reason that pre-eminent in their ministry was teaching that Jesus was their promised Messiah.

For “teaching,” the Greek word is different from the word for preaching. Now it is not kērux but didaskalos, meaning to instruct, reason, or spell out clearly and reasonably the lesson for their lives—that Messiah has come and His name is Jesus. In the New Testament, one who teaches concerning the things of God and the duties of people is held to a high standard (see James 3:1). His teaching is to be, above all else, logical. That is why the word didaskalos is sometimes rendered as “Master” (e.g., Matthew 8:19) or “Teacher” (see Matthew 23:8), both honored titles.

The preacher, too, is to be logical. To use Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ definition: “Preaching is logic on fire!” And there’s a major part of the difference.

Teaching is an important part of being a preacher, and we should work hard to do it well when we have an opportunity. All preachers are called to teach. Not all teachers are called to preach. There is a difference between teaching and preaching. Teaching can be a heady thing, but good, honest preaching that saves souls rises up all the way from the toes.

Be sure you know the difference. Get fired up and preach, preacher! Your King has sent you with His message!