If you’ve done any preaching or teaching in the church, you’ve likely heard someone refer to the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for sermon or lesson preparation. While I’ve never heard a pastor or Christian leader admit that they’ve used AI to “generate” a sermon or some part of a sermon, I would suspect some have. Furthermore, with access to AI getting easier, alongside the ever-growing acceptance of AI for research and content creation, the temptation to use it is not only real but being encouraged. This got me thinking about what I’d be giving up, were I to surrender my sermon preparation to a server.

Sermon Preparation Is Worship

The first thing I would be giving up is an opportunity to worship the Lord. Above and before anything else, sermon preparation is an act of worship. Much has been written about the preacher’s need of personal devotion and communion with God.[1] And, while sermon preparation might be the duty of the preacher or Christian leader (more on that later), it’s so much more. Understanding this has everything to do with rightly understanding what our source material actually is. That is to say, sermon preparation is an encounter with the living God. As we prepare for Sunday, we’re exposing our hearts and minds to the most sacred asset this side of heaven. We are trading in that which is “more to be desired than gold, even fine gold” (Ps. 19:10). Lloyd-Jones cautioned, “Do not read the Bible to find texts for sermons, read it because it is food that God has provided for your soul, because it is the Word of God, because it is the means whereby you can get to know God.”[2] In other words, the pursuit of God is the beginning and end of our sermon preparation. And, the pathway upon which we pursue God is laid forth as we labor to understand and craft our messages week in and week out. To hand over the creation of my sermon to AI is to let the worship of God fall into decline in my life.

Sermon Preparation Is Sanctification

Secondly, by handing over my sermon preparation to Artificial Intelligence, I’d be giving up one critical aspect of sanctification in my life. As I labor to understand and rightly share the meaning of a certain passage of Scripture, God is using that very passage to shape my own walk with Him. As I mull over the text of Scripture, analyzing, evaluating, and observing, I’m exposing myself to the best means of spiritual growth in my life. As Peter wrote, “long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Pet 2:2). In other words, drinking in the Word results in spiritual growth. Of course, that’s not to reduce sanctification to Scripture reading and study alone. The process of sanctification surely calls me to action, hence the command to “put to death the deeds of the body” (Rom 8:12). That being said, such an action is initiated by Scripture and the power of the Holy Spirit. If I were to hand over my sermon preparation to AI, I’d be handing over one of the critical means God uses to conform me to the image of His Son (cf. 2 Cor 3:18).

Sermon Preparation Is Service

The third thing I would be giving up, if I acquiesce to AI, would be the opportunity of Christian service. I’m using the word “service” here in the sense of duty. More specifically, I’m avoiding the word “duty” because it often refers to an action we’re not inclined to enjoy. While sermon preparation may be our duty, it shouldn’t be viewed as a burden or a chore. Rather, the act of sermon preparation is a work of service to our God. For many of us, sermon preparation is a responsibility. It’s a part of our job description. And yet, sermon preparation is so much more than some function we perform for our job. In fact, handing over our sermon preparation to AI is a declaration that sermon preparation is no more than a work obligation. It’s to declare that the ends justify the means and that the product is more important than the process. I suppose one might object here and argue that consulting AI is no different than consulting a commentary. In response, I would clarify that I’m writing here about using AI for content creation. In other words, I’m addressing the temptation to copy and paste material from AI into my manuscript. (I’ll leave you to address whether or not you think AI should be consulted as a commentary.) To acquiesce to AI is to miss out on a specific opportunity to tangibly serve God.

Sermon Preparation Is State-of-the-Art

The fourth thing I would be giving up is the opportunity to be state-of-the-art. Let me explain. Artificial Intelligence, as we’re using it here, is simply a tool through which information can be created using a wide range of previously collected information (e.g., ChatGPT, Writesonic, etc.). Notice I said, previously collected information. In other words, AI cannot generate anything new. All it can do is collect data and export that data in the way it's programmed to. It cannot think for itself. It’s incapable of making a new point or being, as I’ve put it, “state-of-the-art.” To be clear, I’m not suggesting that preachers and teachers need to be state-of-the-art, in the sense of always coming up with something new. That being said, creativity brings learning to life. The best Bible teachers are inventive and imaginative. Roy Zuck said that hermeneutics is the science and art of interpreting the Bible.[3] I would argue that preaching is the science and art of Bible interpretation. As Vines and Shaddix said, “A sermon properly composed is a work of art.”[4] In other words, to effectively preach and teach the Bible, one has to employ artistry and a touch of beauty. Furthermore, to approach sermon preparation this way is to see our work under the banner of the creation mandate. God has called us to take dominion. We take dominion from our study as we extract the meaning of the text of Scripture through the artistic tools of style, voice, visualization, and delivery. The outcome is a sermon uniquely created through the enablement of the Holy Spirit to minister to the people of God in our specific context. What a calling! To relinquish my sermon preparation to AI is to generate something less than what God has called me to create by His grace and through the power of the Holy Spirit. In effect, it’s to become an artificial preacher.

To sum up, I’m not sure whether or not you’ve been tempted to use AI in your sermon preparation. That being said, It’s my hope that these points might help convince you that God doesn’t want you to hand over your preparation to a server and become an artificial preacher. In the case that you’ve used AI in the past, or fallen into the habit of using it regularly, I want to remind you that the work of God cannot be thwarted. Although I’ve argued against using AI in your preparation, I’m not suggesting the power of God can be restrained by AI. As the prophet Zechariah reminded Zerubbabel, “Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit” (Zech 4:6). The Spirit of our God is not dependent on us to accomplish His work. Whatever means we pursue to craft our messages, whether acceptable or unacceptable, God’s work will prevail. However, God never intended that such a truth be used to justify wrongdoing. Therefore, let us draw near to our God in sermon preparation. Let us hold fast our responsibility to seek the God of the Word and to “query the text” for His glory and the good of the church.

References

[1] See part 2 in John MacArthur, Preaching: How to Preach Biblically (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2005).

[2] D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1972), 172.

[3] Roy Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook), 19.

[4] Jerry Vines and Jim Shaddix, Power in the Pulpit: How to Prepare and Deliver Expository Sermons (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 1999), 240.