The Greek word kerygma (κήρυγμα) refers to the message or proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is related to the verb kerysso (κηρύσσω), which means “to proclaim, announce, or preach.” In the New Testament, kerygma refers specifically to the apostles’ proclamation of Christ’s death, resurrection, and exaltation. This kerygmatic message is at the heart of the Gospels and Acts.
The apostles’ preaching in Acts consistently focused on the historical events of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension. For example, Peter’s sermon at Pentecost emphasizes that “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:24). The kerygma proclaimed these events as the decisive acts of God for salvation. Through his resurrection, Jesus was exalted as Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36).
Paul sums up the core kerygma in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” This early creedal statement encapsulates the heart of the apostolic preaching about Jesus.
The kerygma is centered on Christ’s passion and resurrection rather than his ethical teachings. The apostles’ proclamation of the kerygma called for faith in God’s redemptive work in Christ and a response of repentance and baptism (Acts 2:38). It conveyed the necessity of Christ’s death and resurrection for salvation (Acts 4:12). The kerygma forms the theological core of the New Testament message.
Several key themes emerge from the kerygmatic content in Acts and the Epistles:
- Jesus’ identity as the promised Messiah and Son of God
- The fulfillment of Scripture in Jesus’ death and resurrection
- Jesus as Lord and Christ appointed by God
- Jesus as divine Savior and sacrifice for sins
- The offer of forgiveness and justification through faith in Christ
- The gift of the Holy Spirit to believers
- Jesus’ future return as judge
In addition to its content, the kerygma had an urgent tone calling listeners to respond. There is a vocative force to the apostolic preaching, appealing for faith and repentance. It conveyed the necessity and centrality of the Christ event for salvation.
In Romans 1:16, Paul declares that the gospel itself “is the power of God for salvation.” The kerygma is the vehicle for this saving power. Through the proclamation of the gospel, the risen Lord offers forgiveness, new life, and reconciliation to all who respond in faith. The apostles were witnesses to the decisive saving event of Christ’s death and resurrection (Acts 1:8). Their eyewitness testimony provides the content and authority of their kerygmatic preaching.
There is continuity between the apostles’ original proclamation of the kerygma and the later New Testament writings. The Gospels, Acts, and the Epistles are all rooted in the primitive gospel message. The written texts carry forward the life-giving word first proclaimed by the apostolic witnesses. However, the kerygma is adapted to new settings and challenges in the New Testament writings.
In summary, the term kerygma refers to the apostles’ oral proclamation of the gospel centered on Jesus Christ’s death, resurrection, and exaltation. This original eyewitness testimony calls for faith and repentance. The kerygma is the foundation of the Gospels and early Christian preaching. It summarizes the heart of the New Testament message – that Jesus is the crucified and risen Lord and Messiah who graciously offers salvation to all who believe.
The New Testament establishes that the kerygma, the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, is essential to Christian faith and practice. Several key principles about the kerygma emerge from Scripture:
- The kerygma is centered on the historical events of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and exaltation (1 Cor 15:3-5).
- Preaching the kerygma was the primary activity of the apostles (Acts 5:42).
- The kerygma derives its power and authority from apostolic eyewitness testimony (Acts 10:39-41).
- The kerygma demands a response of faith, repentance, and baptism from listeners (Acts 2:38).
- All believers are called to proclaim the kerygma to others (2 Tim 4:2).
- The kerygma works powerfully in those who believe to bring salvation (Rom 1:16).
- The New Testament writers build upon the foundation of the kerygma (1 Cor 3:11).
- Faithful preaching of the kerygma produces steadfast disciples (Acts 14:21-22).
- The kerygma provides access to the grace and blessings of Christ (Gal 3:2, 5).
- Responding to the proclamation of the kerygma leads to conversion and new life (1 Pet 1:23-25).
In the New Testament era, the kerygma functioned as the essential message that enabled people to come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. The apostles were entrusted with authoritatively proclaiming the climactic events of Christ’s death and resurrection. Their eyewitness testimony summoned hearers to conversion through announcing God’s redemptive work in Christ. The kerygma continues to speak powerfully today whenever believers faithfully proclaim the gospel of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection for the salvation of the world.
The kerygma proclaimed in the New Testament has several vital implications for Christian ministry today:
- Preaching and evangelism should focus on the kerygmatic events of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and exaltation.
- Hearers must be called to respond to the kerygma in faith and repentance.
- The kerygma offers assurance of forgiveness and new life for believers.
- Proclaiming the kerygma promotes discipleship and spiritual growth in converts.
- The church gains power and authority when kerygmatic preaching grounds its teaching and practice.
- Pastors and evangelists must faithfully steward the apostolic deposit of the kerygma.
- Teaching should be tested against its fidelity to the truths of the kerygma.
- The kerygma can correct doctrinal imbalances or ethical deficiencies in ministry.
- Dynamic engagement with Scripture nurtures kerygmatic proclamation.
- Preaching the kerygma allows hearers to encounter the risen Christ.
In sum, the kerygmatic pattern seen in the New Testament provides an indispensable model for gospel ministry today. Faithful proclamation of the apostolic kerygma remains essential for evangelization, disciple-making, church renewal, and theological reform in every generation. The kerygmatic word is still the power of God for salvation to all who believe.
The kerygma has profound relevance for Christian preaching today. Several principles can guide preachers seeking to integrate the kerygmatic model in their expository teaching and proclaiming:
- Ground sermons directly in a scriptural text, as the apostolic kerygma did.
- Focus on the climactic events of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and exaltation.
- Highlight how Christ fulfills Old Testament prophecies and patterns.
- Proclaim Jesus’ identity as Lord, Christ, Savior, and sacrificial Lamb.
- Announce the forgiveness and new life offered through faith in Christ.
- Call hearers to respond with repentance, faith, and baptism.
- Rely on the convicting work of the Spirit to empower the kerygmatic word.
- Connect the kerygma to contemporary issues and needs.
- Cultivate expectation of an encounter with Christ through Spirited proclamation.
- Follow the apostolic example of bold, urgent, public preaching of the gospel.
At its core, Christian preaching is kerygmatic – proclaiming the good news of what God has accomplished in Jesus’ death and resurrection for our salvation. Faithful preachers through the centuries have followed the apostolic pattern by grounding their messages directly in Scripture and boldly declaring the kerygmatic events that form the heart of the gospel. Just as the apostles’ preaching summoned their listeners to conversion and new life, so ministers today are called to speak the timeless kerygmatic word with expectancy and urgency. The kerygma remains indispensable for powerful biblical preaching that saves and transforms lives.