Positive Mental Preaching

Positive Mental Preaching

There has been a trend in denominational churches to preach only “positive things” which they call “Positive Mental Preaching”.

This is to preach only what once can encourage then avoid the preaching about sin but just love.

OLD TESTAMENT

The idea is not new for King Solomon had said “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9. This is true for going back in the Old Testament the Prophet Isaiah recorded “ That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:” Isaiah 30: 9-10.

NEW TESTAMENT

In Romans chapter six verse twenty-three we can read the letter of Apostle Paul “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”.

Now let us divide the verse in what they call positive and negative preaching.

“For the wages of sin is death” according to human view this is “negative preaching”, but why then Apostle Paul said this statement? Oh let us advice him just to preach positive things.

The second statement is “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” and definitely this fall to the category of “positive things”.

Now we have the negative and positive in one verse.

In Mark chapter sixteen verse sixteen we can read the statement of Jesus our Lord Himself “He who believes and is baptized will be saved: but he who does not believe will be comdemned”.

“He who believes and is baptized will be saved” is a positive in a human view but the statement “he who does not believe will condemned” is a negative preaching. If the “Positive Mental Preaching Approach” is right in its objective why then we have positive and negative in just one statement? I am now following the way they think.

The truth is there is no such thing as positive and negative preaching but just gospel preaching. There is no standard to determine what is positive and negative.

May we only preach the gospel in its fullness without hypocrisy and malice. – Men Mark A. Tumandan