Recently I started reading a book with a rather uninspiring
title called Sermons on Important
Doctrines. We are told not to judge a
book by its cover; neither should we judge one by its title, at least not this
one. Mind you, I bought it because I have benefitted greatly from other books by
the author, John Colquhoun, who was a much-loved minister in Edinburgh a couple
of centuries ago.
This book could be summarised as describing what Jesus did
for and can do for each of his followers. It begins with his person and moves
on to his actions. Whenever I look at a book, I ask myself, 'What are the
qualifications that the author will need for writing such a book?' Here are
five that I would say are necessary for writing about Jesus:
An understanding of doctrine
is essential because it is easy to go wrong; fortunately, Colquhoun understood
what the Bible says about Jesus and is a sure guide.
A longing for his listeners
and his readers to grasp what he had to say is also essential (it is an
interesting subjective experience to realise that this preacher, who was dead
long before I was born, was concerned for all who would read his words).
A third essential
qualification for preaching and writing about Jesus is a warm love for him, and
Colquhoun certainly had such a love.
Connected to the third
qualification is a fourth, which is that the preacher/writer should enjoy
speaking/writing about his Master. And Colquhoun lets us know his enjoyment
when he says at the beginning, 'In elucidating this delightful subject...'
The fifth essential
qualification is dependence on the Holy Spirit, which Colquhoun admits was his
outlook.
As I made my way through the book, it remained obvious that the author possessed these qualifications.
