The Whole Person

Mark 12:30 says that we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. In other words, we must love the Lord with our whole person. It is therefore no surprise that we must preach to the whole person.

In this lesson, Rev. Ingersoll indicates that effective preaching is “multi-faceted” and “well-rounded” in the context of the Christian community. If we don’t address the whole of the person in our preaching, he urges, we will eventually see problems emerge in our congregation. They will become malnourished because they have not received a balanced diet. In terms of their beliefs, we may see unorthodoxy arise. In terms of their lives and living, we may see immorality emerge.

Ingersoll suggests that, over the long haul, good preaching will address a holistic balance of the following three components:

• Assumptions – Holistic preaching will address what we think and believe.
• Attitudes – Holistic preaching will address our dispositions, our desires, our loves, and our emotions.
• Actions – Holistic preaching will address how we live and our lifestyles.

You can see how failure to address one or more of these dimensions could result in imbalance in a community of faith. Without a full understanding of Christian assumptions and a Christian view of the world, they might easily absorb or substitute the assumptions of the world. Faulty perspectives eventually lead to faulty living.

God is more concerned with our heart than anything else (1 Sam. 16:7; Mark 7:21). James talks about demons who have all the right beliefs and assumptions but still live in fear of God’s final judgment (Jas. 2:19). Similarly, Paul indicates that our attitude as we act can make the difference between whether we are sinning or not (Rom. 14:23).

Yet, God is clearly concerned about how we live. “Faith without deeds is dead” (Jas. 2:26). Jesus similarly says, “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matt. 7:20). If someone has the Holy Spirit, you should see love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).

Holistic preaching will address all the dimensions of a believer’s life. It will even move beyond the individual believer to our relationships with one another. It will address not just our relationships with God, but our relationships with others, with ourselves, and with God’s creation.