Rediscovering Expository
Preaching
By: Richard Mayhue
Vice President and
Dean
Professor of Pastoral Ministries
The Master's
Seminary
Biblical preaching's authenticity is
significantly tarnished by contemporary communicators'
being more concerned with personal relevance than God's
revelation. Scripture unmistakably requires a
proclamation focused on God's will and mankind's
obligation to obey. With men wholly committed to God's
Word, the expository method commends itself as preaching
that is true to the Bible. The method presupposes an
exegetical process to extract the God-intended meaning
of Scripture and an explanation of that meaning in a
contemporary understandable way. The biblical essence
and apostolic spirit of expository preaching needs to be
recaptured in the training of men newly committed to
"preaching the Word."
* * * *
*
The Master's
Seminary joins with others[1] in accepting the urgent
responsibility for transmitting the Pauline legacy to
"preach the Word" (2 Tim 4:2). The current series of
articles in The
Master's Seminary Journal signal
an effort to instill in twenty-first century preachers a
pattern of biblical preaching inherited from their
predecessors.[2]
Every generation
shares the kind of dire circumstances that Amos
prophesied for Israel: "`Behold, days are coming,'
declares the Lord GOD, `When I will send a famine on the
land, not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but
rather for hearing the words of the LORD'" (Amos 8:11).
The last several centuries have proven this need
again.
REVIEWING
RECENT TRENDS
In an explanation
of Heb 8:10, the Puritan commentator William Gouge
(1575-1653) remarked,
Ministers are
herein to imitate God, and, to their best endeavour, to
instruct people in the mysteries of godliness, and to
teach them what to believe and practice, and then to
stir them up in act and deed, to do what they are
instructed to do. Their labor otherwise is likely to be
in vain. Neglect of this course is a main cause that men
fall into as many errors as they do in these days.[3]
To this editorial
by Gouge, Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) adds a word about
nineteenth-century England:
I may add that
this last remark has gained more force in our times; it
is among uninstructed flocks that the wolves of popery
make havoc; sound teaching is the best protection from
the heresies which ravage right and left among us.[4]
John Broadus
(1827-1895) decried the death of good preaching in
America, too.[5] G. Campbell Morgan (1863-1945) noted,
The supreme work
of the Christian minister is the work of preaching. This
is a day in which one of our great perils is that of
doing a thousand little things to the neglect of the one
thing, which is preaching. [6]
The following
typical laments evidence that little improvement had
been made by the mid-twentieth century:
Except for the
growing worldliness of its members, the pulpit is the
church's weak spot.[7]
But the glory of
the Christian pulpit is a borrowed glow. . . . To an
alarming extent the glory is departing from the pulpit
of the twentieth century. . . . The Word of God has been
denied the throne and given a subordinate place.[8]
Yet it remains
true that "whatever be the marks of the contemporary
pulpit, the centrality of Biblical preaching is not one
of them."[9]
In a tradition
that focuses on the centrality of the written Word few
subjects are more important than the interpretation and
proclamation of that Word. Everyone stresses the
necessity of a solid exegesis of the text, but few are
adept at providing such an exegesis and preaching
effectively from it.[10]
By the mid-1980's
a national Congress on Biblical Exposition (COBE)
convened to urge a return to true biblical
exposition.[11] COBE's recurring theme demanded that the
American church must return to true biblical preaching
or else the western world would continue its descent
toward a valueless culture. Commenting on the uniqueness
of America in contemporary culture, Os Guiness noted
with concern that ". . . in all my studies I have yet to
see a Western society where the church pews are so full
and the sermons so empty."[12]
John MacArthur's
review of preaching patterns in the late 80's led him to
observe,
Specifically, evangelical preaching ought to
reflect our conviction that God's Word is infallible and
inerrant. Too often it does not. In fact, there is a
discernible trend in contemporary evangelicalism away from
biblical preaching and a drift
toward an experience-centered,
pragma-tic, topical approach in the pulpit.[13]
As the 90's
dawn, an irresistible urge for a focus in the pulpit on
the relevant
seemingly exists, with a resultant inattention to God's
revelation. Siegfried Meuer alerted the 1960's to the same
"contemporary danger."[14] He likened the direction of
his day to the earlier trends of Harry Emerson Fosdick
who wrote in the 20's, "The sermon is uninteresting
because it has no connection with the real interests of
the people. . . . The sermon must tackle a real
problem."[15] Meuer noted that Fosdick opened the
floodgate for philosophy and psychology to inundate the
modern pulpit with unbelief.
Fosdick's
philosophy sounds alarmingly similar to the advice given
in a recent publication on relevant contemporary
preaching:
Unchurched people
today are the ultimate consumers. We may not like it,
but for every sermon we preach, they're asking, "Am I
interested in that subject or not?" If they aren't, it
doesn't matter how effective our delivery is; their
minds will check out.[16]
The implied
conclusion is that pastors must preach what people want
to hear rather than what God wants proclaimed. Such
counsel sounds the alarm of 2 Tim 4:3: "For the time
will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but
wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate
for themselves teachers in accordance to their own
desires."
What is the
necessary response? We assert that it is to redis-cover
and reaffirm expository preaching for the coming
generation of preachers facing all the spiritual
opportunities and Satanic obstacles of a new millennium.
We agree with Walter Kaiser's appraisal:
Regardless of what
new directives and emphases are periodically offered,
that which is needed above everything else to make the
Church more viable, authentic, and effective, is a new
declaration of the Scriptures with a new purpose,
passion, and power.[17]
REVISITING SCRIPTURE
When warnings
about a drift away from biblical preaching sound, the
only reasonable response is a return to the scriptural
roots of preaching to reaffirm its essential nature. In
a reexamination of the heritage of biblical
proclamation, two elements emerge: the mandates to
preach and the manner of preaching.
Mandates to
Preach
The gospels, Acts,
the epistles, and Revelation provide many examples and
exhortations to preach the truth in fulfillment of God's
will. As a reminder of the apostolic legacy and a
reaffirmation of the scriptural authority for
Bible-based preaching, five significant mandates are
representative of the larger number of passages.
Matt 28:19-20 `
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and
the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the
end of the age."
1 Tim 4:13 `
"Until I come, give attention to the public reading of
Scripture, to exhortation and teaching."
2 Tim 2:2 ` "And
the things which you have heard from me in the presence
of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who
will be able to teach others also."
2 Tim 4:2 `
"Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season;
reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and
instruction."
Tit 2:1 ` "But as
for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound
doctrine."
Manner of
Preaching
In his
discussion of khrssv (kryss, "I preach," "I proclaim") Friedrich notes at
least thirty-three different verbs employed by NT
writers to portray the richness of biblical
preaching.[18] In the following discussion, the four
most prominent of these are examined briefly.
Kryss sees
general use throughout the gospels, Acts, and the
epistles. John the Baptist (Matt 3:1), Jesus (Matt
4:17), and Paul (Acts 28:31) all engaged in the action
of preaching as indicated by this verb. To Timothy, Paul
commended this same activity, telling him to preach the
Word (2 Tim 4:2).
Eaggelzv (Euaggeliz, "I
preach the gospel") is practically interchangeable
with
kryss (Luke 8:1; Acts 8:4-5).
Paul and Barnabas preached the good news of the Word of
the Lord (Acts 15:35).
Martyrv (Martyre, "I testify," "I bear witness") is a legal term
picturing the communication of truth from one who has a
first-hand knowledge. John the Baptist bore witness to
the light (John 1:7-8) and John the Apostle testified to
the Word of God (Rev 1:2).[19]
Didskv (didask, "I
teach") focuses on the purpose and content of the
message transmitted, without excluding elements of the
three previous verbs. As part of the Great Commission,
Jesus commanded His disciples to teach (Matt 28:20).
Paul recommended teaching to Timothy (1 Tim 6:2; 2 Tim
2:2). Teaching is sometimes associated with kryss (Matt
11:1) and
euaggeliz (Acts 5:42). The
content of what is taught focuses on the way of God
(Matt 22:16) and the Word of God (Acts 18:11).[20]
In addition
to these four prominent words, there are many others
that significantly enhance the biblical manner of
communicating God's Word. For example, the Ethiopian
eunuch invited Philip to "guide" (or "lead" (dhgv [hodge]) him
through Isaiah 53 (Acts 8:31). Paul "explained" (or
"laid out") (ktuhmi [ektithmi]) the
kingdom of God (Acts 28:23; cf. 18:26). Paul told
Timothy that he was to "entrust" (or "commit")
(paratuhmi [paratithmi]) what he had heard from Paul to faithful men
that they might teach others also (2 Tim 2:2).
Jesus's
interaction with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus
adds further dimensions to biblical preaching. He
"explained" (or "interpreted") (diermhnev [diermneu]) the
things about Himself in the OT, from Moses to the
prophets (Luke 24:27). They in turn marveled at the way
He had "opened" (or "explained") (dianogv [dianoig]) the Scriptures (Luke 24:32; cf. 24:45).
A study of
additional words such as naggllv (anaggell, "I
announce, declare") (Acts 20:27), naginskv (anaginsk, "I
read") (1 Tim 4:13), parakalv (parakale, "I
exhort, comfort") (1 Tim 4:13), jhgomai (exgeomai, "I
declare") (Acts 15:12), lalv (lale, "I speak")
(John 3:34), dialgomai (dialegomai, "I
discuss, argue") (Acts 17:17), and fuggomai (phtheggomai, "I
utter") would be profitable. Yet this brief survey is
enough to conclude that the one common link in all the
biblical terms in their contexts is a focus on the
things of God and Scripture as exclusively central in
the preacher's message. Without question, this feature
alone marks the uniqueness of scriptural preaching. A
biblical and theological content is the sine qua
non of NT proclamation.
With this biblical
foundation, an identification of the contem-porary mode
of NT preaching is possible.
DEFINING EXPOSITORY
PREACHING
Discussions about
preaching divide it into three types: topical,
backgrdal, and expositional. Topical messages usually
combine a series of Bible verses that loosely connect
with a theme. backgrdal preaching uses a short text or
passage that generally serves as a gateway into whatever
subject the preacher chooses to address. Neither the
topical nor the backgrdal method represents a serious
effort to interpret, understand, explain, or apply God's
truth in the context of the Scripture(s) used.
By contrast,
expositional preaching focuses predominantly on the
text(s) under consideration along with its(their)
context(s).[21] Exposition normally concentrates on a
single text of Scripture, but it is sometimes possible
for a thematic/theological message or a
historical/biographical discourse to be expositional in
nature. An exposition may treat any length of passage.
One way to clarify
expository preaching is to identify what it is not:[22]
1. It is
not a commentary running from word to word and verse to
verse without unity, outline, and pervasive drive.
2. It is
not rambling comments and offhand remarks about a
passage without a background of thorough exegesis and
logical order.
3. It is
not a mass of disconnected suggestions and inferences
based on the surface meaning of a passage, but not
sustained by a depth-and-breadth study of the text.
4. It is
not pure exegesis, no matter how scholarly, if it lacks
a theme, thesis, outline and development.
5. It is
not a mere structural outline of a passage with a few
supporting comments, but without other rhetorical and
sermonic elements.
6. It is
not a topical homily using scattered parts of the
passage, but omitting discussion of other equally
important parts.
7. It is
not a chopped-up collection of grammatical findings and
quotations from commentaries without a fusing of the
same into a smooth, flowing, interesting, and compelling
message.
8. It is
not a Sunday School-lesson type of discussion that has
an outline of the contents, informality, and fervency,
but lacks sermonic structure and rhetorical ingredients.
9. It is
not a Bible reading that links a number of scattered
passages treating a common theme, but fails to handle
any of them in a thorough, grammatical, and conbackgrdal
manner.
10. It is not the ordinary
devotional or prayer meeting talk that combines running
commentary, rambling remarks, disconnected suggestions,
and personal reactions into a semi-inspirational
discussion, but lacks the benefit of the basic
exegetical-conbackgrdal study and persuasive elements.
Before proceeding
further, consider the English word group "expose,
exposition, expositor, expository." According to
Webster, an exposition is a discourse to convey
information or explain what is difficult to
understand.[23] Application of this to preaching
requires that an expositor be one who explains Scripture
by laying open the text to public view in order to set
forth its meaning, explain what is difficult to
understand, and make appropriate application.
John Calvin's
centuries-old understanding of exposition is very
similar:
First of all,
Calvin understood preaching to be the explication of
Scripture. The words of Scripture are the source and
content of preaching. As an expositor, Calvin brought to
the task of preaching all the skills of a humanist
scholar. As an interpreter, Calvin explicated the text,
seeking its natural, its true, its scriptural meaning. .
. . Preaching is not only the explication of Scripture,
it is also the application of Scripture. Just as Calvin
explicated Scripture word by word, so he applied the
Scripture sentence by sentence to the life and
experience of his congregation.[24]
Exposition is not
so much defined by the form of the message as it is by
the source and process through which the message was
formed. Unger poignantly captures this sense:
No matter
what the length of the portion explained may be, if it
is handled in such a way that its real and essential
meaning as it existed in the mind of the particular
Biblical writer and as it exists in the light of the
over-all context of Scripture is made plain and applied
to the present-day needs of the hearers, it may properly
be said to be expository
preaching. . . . It is
emphatically not preaching about the Bible, but
preaching the Bible. "What saith the Lord" is the alpha
and the omega of expository preaching. It begins in the
Bible and ends in the Bible and all that intervenes
springs from the Bible. In other words, expository
preaching is Bible-centered preaching.[25]
Two other
definitions of exposition help clarify what it is:
In preaching,
exposition is the detailed interpretation, logical
amplification, and practical application of a passage of
Scripture.[26]
At its best,
expository preaching is "the presentation of biblical
truth, derived from and transmitted through a
historical, grammatical, Spirit-guided study of a
passage in its context, which the Holy Spirit applies
first to the life of the preacher and then through him
to his congrega-tion."[27]
In summary, the
following minimal elements identify expository
preaching:
1. The
message finds its sole source
in Scripture.[28]
2. The
message is extracted from Scripture through careful
exegesis.
3. The
message preparation correctly interprets Scripture in
its normal sense and its context.
4. The
message clearly explains the original God-intended
meaning of Scripture.
5. The
message applies the Scriptural meaning for today.
The spirit of
expository preaching is exemplified in two biblical
texts:
And they read from
the book, from the law of God, translating to give the
sense so that they understood the reading (Neh 8:8).
Therefore I
testify to you this day, that I am innocent of the blood
of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you
the whole purpose of God (Acts 20:26-27).
A particular
example is Jesus' expounding of Isa 61:1-2 in the
synagogue (Luke 4:16-22). He later gave a thematic
exposition of Himself to the disciples on the road to
Emmaus (Luke 24:27, 32, 44-47). Philip in Acts 8:27-35
expounded Isa 53:7-8 for the Ethiopian eunuch. Stephen
preached a historical/biographical expository sermon to
the Jews before they stoned him (Acts 7:2-53).
Greer Boyce has
aptly summarized this definition of expository
preaching:
In short,
expository preaching demands that, by careful analysis
of each text within its immediate context and the
setting of the book to which it belongs, the full power
of modern exegetical and theological scholarship be
brought to bear upon our treatment of the Bible. The
objective is not that the preacher may parade all this
scholarship in the pulpit. Rather, it is that the
preacher may speak faithfully out of solid knowledge of
his text, and mount the pulpit steps as, at least, "a
workman who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling
the word of truth."
The preacher's
final step is the most crucial and most perilous of all.
It is to relate the biblical message both faithfully and
relevantly to modern life. At this point all his skill
as a craftsman must come into play. We must be warned
that faithful exposition of a text does not of itself
produce an effective sermon. We need also to be warned,
however, that faithfulness to the text is not to be
sacrificed for the sake of what we presume to be
relevancy. This sacrifice too many modern preachers seem
willing to make, producing, as a result, sermons that
are a compound of moralistic advice, their own
unau-thoritative and sometimes unwise opinions, and the
latest psychology. Expository preaching, by insisting
that the message of the sermon coincide with the theme
of the text, calls the preacher back to his true task:
the proclamation of the Word of God in and through the
Bible.[29]
UNDERSTANDING THE EXPOSITORY
PROCESS
Discussing the
biblical foundations and the definition of exposi-tory
preaching, while essential, is relatively easy. The real
challenge comes when one has to move from the classroom
to the weekly pulpit. Unless the preacher understands
clearly the expository process, he will never achieve
his potential in the craft of expository preaching.
As a frame of
reference for discussion, we propose that the expository
process include four standard elements: preparing the
expositor, processing and principlizing the biblical
text(s), pulling the expository message together, and
preaching the exposition. The four phases need equal
emphasis if the exposition is to be fully effective in
the sight of both God and the
congregation.
Preparing
the Expositor [30]
Since God should
be the source of expository messages, one who delivers
such a message should enjoy intimate communion with God.
This is the only way the message can be given with
greatest accuracy, clarity, and passion.
Seven areas of
preparation qualify a man to stand in the pulpit and
declare, "Thus saith the Lord!":
1. The
preacher must be a truly regenerated believer in Jesus
Christ. He must be a part of God's redeemed family (John
1:12-13). If a man is to deliver a personal message from
the Heavenly Father effectively, he must be a legitimate
spiritual son, or the message will inevitably be
distorted.
2. The
preacher must be appointed and gifted by God to the
teaching/preaching ministry (Eph 4:11-16; 1 Tim 3:2).
Unless a man is divinely enabled to proclaim, he will be
inadequate, possessing only human ability.[31]
3. The
preacher must be inclined and trained to be a student of
God's Word. Otherwise, he cannot carry out the mandate
of 2 Tim 2:15 to "cut straight" the Word of God's truth.
4. The
preacher must be a mature believer who demonstrates a
consistent godly character (1 Tim 3:2-3).[32]
5. The
preacher must be dependent upon God the Holy Spirit for
divine insight and understanding of God's Word (1 Cor
2:12-13). Without the Spirit's illumination and power,
the message will be relatively impotent.[33]
6. The
preacher must be in constant prayerful communion with
God to receive the full impact of the Word (Ps 119:18).
The obvious one to consult for clarification is the
original author.[34]
7. The
preacher must first let the developing message sift
through his own thinking and life before he can preach
it. Ezra provides the perfect model: "For Ezra had set
his heart to study the law of the LORD, and to practice
it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel"
(Ezra 7:10).
Processing and
Principlizing the Biblical Text
A man in tune with
God's Spirit and Word is ready to begin a process to
discover not only what God originally meant by what He
said, but also appropriate principles and applications
for today.[35]
1.
Processing the biblical text[36] ` A man cannot
hope to preach effec-tively without first having worked
diligently and thoroughly through the biblical text.
This is the only way the expositor can acquire God's
message. Two preachers from different eras comment on
this essential feature:
2. A man
cannot hope to preach the Word of God accurately until
he has first engaged in a careful, exhaustive exegesis
of his text. Herein lies the problem, for competent
exegesis requires time, brain power, "blood, sweat, and
tears," all saturated with enormous doses of prayer.[37]
3. You
will soon reveal your ignorance as an expositor if you
do not study; therefore diligent reading will be forced
upon you. Anything which compels the preacher to search
the grand old Book is of immense service to him. If any
are jealous lest the labor should injure their
constitutions, let them remember that mental work up to
a certain point is most refreshing, and where the Bible
is the theme toil is delight. It is only when mental
labor passes beyond the bounds of common sense that the
mind becomes enfeebled by it, and this is not usually
reached except by injudicious persons, or men engaged on
topics which are unrefreshing and disagreeable; but our
subject is a recreative one, and to young men like
ourselves the vigorous use of our faculties is a most
healthy exercise.[38]
4.
Principlizing the biblical text ` Preaching does
not stop with under-standing ancient languages, history,
culture, and customs. Unless the centuries can be
bridged with contemporary relevance in the message, then
the preaching experience differs little from a classroom
encounter. One must first process the text for original
meaning and then principlize the text for current
applicability.[39] One's study falls short of the goal
if this step is omitted or slighted.
Pulling the
Expository Message Together
At the third stage
the expositor has finished his deep study and asks
himself, "How can I blend my findings in such a way that
my flock will understand the Bible and its requirements
for their lives today?" In a sense, the art of
exposition commences here.[40]
Nolan Howington
uses a graphic description to relate exegesis and
exposition: "Thus an exegete is like a diver bringing up
pearls from the ocean bed; an expositor is like the
jeweler who arrays them in orderly fashion and in proper
relation to each other."[41]
Titles, outlines,
introductions, illustrations, and conclusions enter the
process at this stage. The message moves from the raw
materials mined by exegesis to the finished product of
exposition, which the hearers hopefully will find
interesting, convicting, and compelling. The key to this
step is remembering what distinguishes exposition:
explain-ing the text, especially parts that are hard to
understand or apply. It is equally important to remember
not only the text, but the audience as well.
F. B. Meyer offers
this advice when thinking of the listeners and what
sermonic form the message will take:
There are five
considerations that must be met in every successful
sermon. There should be an appeal to the Reason, to the
Conscience, to the Imagination, to the Emotions, and to
the Will; and for each of these there is no method so
serviceable as systematic
exposition.[42]
Preaching the
Exposition
The final decision
to be made by the expositor relates to his preaching
mode, whether from memory or from notes. This step is
perhaps the most neglected in preparation by those
committed to true exposition. Too often expositors
assume that proper work done in the study will ensure
that the pulpit will care for itself. It is true that
there is no substitute for hard work in the study, but
equally hard work in the pulpit will reward both the
preacher and the flock to a much greater degree. James
Stalker effectively draws attention to this challenge:
Ministers do not
get enough of result in the attention, satisfaction and
delight of their hearers for the work they do; and the
failure is in the vehicle of communication between the
study and the congregation, that is to say, in the
delivery of the sermon. What I am pleading for is, that
there should be more work to show for the coal
consumed.[43]
At the point of
delivery, it is essential for the expositor to be clear
in his purpose. Otherwise, the message preached may be
far afield from the message studied and the message of
Scripture. J. I. Packer makes this point by contrasting
what preaching is not with what it is:
The purpose of
preaching is not to stir people to action while
bypassing their minds, so that they never see what
reason God gives them for doing what the preacher
requires of them (that is manipulation); nor is the
purpose to stock people's minds with truth, no matter
how vital and clear, which then lies fallow and does not
become the seed-bed and source of changed lives (that is
academicism). . . . The purpose of preaching is to
inform, persuade, and call forth an appropriate response
to the God whose message and instruction are being
delivered.[44]
Also of importance
is the language used in communicating the message. It
should be clear, understandable, picturesque, and most
of all, biblical. The following strong warning issued
over twenty years ago is still applicable:
I urge adherence
to Biblical terminology. Much modern preaching has taken
a psychological and sociological turn. It is mysterious
and mystical. It sets forth psychiatric ideas, often
using the terms of the psychiatrist rather than those of
the Christian evangelist. It speaks of repression,
fixations, traumas, neuroses, and syndromes, world
without end. I claim that in the main these are not
terms that the Holy Spirit can use effectively.[45]
Another crucial
matter is the dynamics of speech, i.e. audience
relationship and communicative effectiveness. Vines and
Allen outline three basic principles for every
expositor:
In short,
effective communication from the pulpit must be informed
by Aristotle's rhetorical triad of logos, ethos, and
pathos. This involves a thorough knowledge of the
subject matter and here is where there is no substitute
for thorough exegesis. It involves a thorough knowledge
of the speaker-audience dynamic such that the preacher
must speak from integrity and his audience must know of
his sincerity and genuineness. Finally, it involves a
knowledge of people and how they respond to the spoken
word.[46]
Above all, the
expositor must expound the Word like Paul did in Corinth
(1 Cor 2:1-5). He did not come as a clever orator or
scholarly genius; he did not arrive with his own
message; he did not preach with personal confidence in
his own strength. Rather, Paul preached the testimony of
God and Christ's death, and this, with well-placed
confidence in God's power to make the message
life-changing. Unless this kind of wholesale dependence
on God marks the modern expositor's preaching, his
exposition will lack the divine dimension that only God
can provide.
In summary, of the
four steps of the complete expository
experience—preparing the expositor, processing and
principlizing the biblical text, pulling the expository
message together, and preaching the exposition—no phase
can be omitted without seriously jeopardizing the
truthfulness or usefulness of God's Word mediated
through the expositor.
CONSIDERING EXPOSITIONAL ADVANTAGES [47]
Expository
preaching best emulates biblical preaching both in
content and style. This is the chief benefit. Besides
this, other advantages listed in random order include
the following:
1.
Expositional preaching best achieves the biblical
intent of preaching: delivering God's message.
2.
Expositional preaching promotes scripturally
authoritative preaching.
3.
Expositional preaching magnifies God's Word.
4.
Expositional preaching provides a storehouse of
preaching material.
5.
Expositional preaching develops the pastor as a
man of God's Word.
6.
Expositional preaching ensures the highest level
of Bible knowledge for the flock.
7.
Expositional preaching promotes thinking and
living biblically.
8.
Expositional preaching encourages both depth and
comprehensive-ness.
9.
Expositional preaching forces the treatment of
hard-to-interpret texts.
10. Expositional preaching
allows for handling broad theological themes.
11. Expositional preaching
keeps preachers away from ruts and hobby horses.
12. Expositional preaching
prevents the insertion of human ideas.
13. Expositional preaching
guards against misinterpretation of the biblical text.
14. Expositional preaching
imitates the preaching of Christ and the apostles.
15. Expositional preaching
brings out the best in the expositor.
RECLAIMING EXPOSITORY PREACHING
As the twentieth
century sets and a new millennium dawns, we must reclaim
the method and art of expository preaching for the
coming generation. No one said it would be easy. It is
quite the opposite. No other method of preaching
requires so much work. At the same time, no other method
rewards so richly.
If the suggestions
which have been offered are well founded, it will be
obvious that expository preaching is a difficult task.
It requires much close study of Scripture in general,
and much special study of the particular passage to be
treated. To make a discourse which shall be explanatory
and yet truly oratorical, bearing a rich mass of details
but not burdened with them, full of Scripture and
abounding in practical applications, to bring even dull,
uninformed, and unspiritual minds into interested and
profitable contact with an extended portion of the
Bible`of course, this must be difficult.[48]
While the growing
trend among today's preachers is toward consumer
satisfaction and contemporary relevancy, we reaffirm
that biblical preaching must be first directed toward
divine satisfaction and kingdom relevance. Reflect
carefully on Mark Steege's clarion call to expositional
preaching and its note of biblical authority:
Through our
preaching the Lord seeks to change men's lives. We are
to be evangelists, to awaken men to their high calling
in Christ. We are to be heralds, proclaiming the
messages of God to men. We are to be ambassadors,
calling men to be reconciled to God. We are to be
shepherds, nourishing and caring for men day by day. We
are to be stewards of the mysteries of God, giving men
the proper Word for their every need. We are to be
witnesses, telling men of all that God has done for
them. We are to be overseers, urging men to live their
lives to God. We are to be ministers, preparing men to
minister with us to others. As we reflect on each of
these phases of our work, what emphasis each gives to
the importance of preaching! What a task the Lord has
given us![49]
Although R. L.
Dabney wrote over a century ago, we join him today in
urging,
. . . that the
expository method (understood as that which explains
extended passages of Scripture in course) be restored to
that equal place which it held in the primitive and
Reformed Churches; for, first, this is obviously the
only natural and efficient way to do that which is the
sole legitimate end of preaching, convey the whole
message of God to the
people.[50]
Endnotes
[1] E.g. Haddon W.
Robinson, Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids: Baker,
1980); Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Toward an Exegetical
Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1981); John Stott,
Between Two Worlds (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982);
Samuel T. Logan (ed.), The Preacher and Preaching
(Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1986); Al
Fasol, Essentials for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids:
Baker, 1989).
[2]See the initial
articles by John F. MacArthur, Jr., "The Mandate of
Biblical Inerrancy: Expository Preaching," The Master's
Seminary Journal 1/1 (Spring 1990) 3-15 and Robert L.
Thomas, "Bible Translations: The Link Between Inerrancy
and Expository Preaching," The Master's Seminary Journal
1/1 (Spring 1990) 53-73. Subsequent issues of the
Journal will carry additional essays.
[3]William
Gouge, Commentary on Hebrews (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1980
rpt.) 577-78.
[4]C. H. Spurgeon,
"Sermons`Their Matter," Lectures to My Students (Lecture
5, Book 1; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1977 rpt.) 72.
[5]John A.
Broadus, On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons
(Grand Rapids: AP&A, n.d.) x.
[6]G. Campbell
Morgan, Preaching (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1974 rpt.) 11.
[7]Jeff D. Ray,
Expository Preaching (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1940) 14.
[8]Merrill F.
Unger, Principles of Expository Preaching (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1955) 11-15.
[9]Nolan
Howington, "Expository Preaching," Review and Expositor
56 (Jan 1959) 56.
[10]Klyne R.
Snodgrass, "Exegesis and Preaching: The Principles and
Practice of Exegesis," Covenant Quarterly 34 (Aug 1976)
3. For other comments on the decline of expository
preaching in America, see Lloyd M. Perry Biblical
Preaching for Today's World (Chicago: Moody, 1973) 9-12.
[11]Brian Bird,
"Biblical Exposition: Becoming a Lost Art?" Christianity
Today 30/7 (Apr 18, 1986) 34.
[12]Ibid.
[13]MacArthur,
"The Mandate" 4.
[14]Siegfried
Meuer, "What Is Biblical Preaching?" Encounter 24
(Spring 1963) 182.
[15]Harry Emerson
Fosdick, "What Is the Matter with Preaching?" Harper's
Magazine 47 (July 1928) 133-41.
[16]Bill Hybels,
et al., Mastering Contemporary Preaching (Portland:
Multnomah, 1989) 27. A similar comment is, "The wise
interpreter begins with a human need today, and chooses
a passage that will enable him to meet this need"
(Andrew W. Blackwood, Expository Preaching for Today
[New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury, 1953] 13).
[17]Kaiser,
Exegetical Theology 242.
[18]Gerhard
Friedrich, "khrssein, et al.," Theological Dictionary of
the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1966) 3:703.
[19]See Klaas
Runia, "What Is Preaching According to the New
Testament," TynBul 29 (1978) 3-48, for further
information on khrssv, eaggelzv, and martyrv.
[20]For an
expanded discussion of didskv, see Homer A. Kent, Jr.,
"A Time to Teach," GTJ 1/1 (Spring 1980) 7-17.
[21]Horton Davies,
"Expository Preaching: Charles Hadden Spurgeon,"
Founda-tions 66 (Jan 1963) 14, calls exposition
"conbackgrdal preaching" to distinguish it from the
backgrdal and topical types.
[22]These ten
suggestions are derived from Faris D. Whitesell, Power
in Expository Preaching (Old Tappan, NJ: Revell, 1963)
vii-viii.
[23]Webster's
Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary (Springfield, Mass.:
Merriam-Webster, 1988) 438.
[24]John H. Leith,
"Calvin's Doctrine of the Proclamation of the Word and
Its Significance for Today in the Light of Recent
Research," RevExp 86 (1989) 32, 34.
[25]Merrill F.
Unger, Principles 33. See also William G. Houser,
"Puritan Homiletics: A Caveat," CTQ 53/4 (Oct 1989)
255-70. Houser proposes that the power of the Puritan
pulpit diminished as the mechanical form of the message
took precedence over the process of forming the message.
Coupled with boring deliveries and exceedingly long
messages, Puritan preaching influence quickly declined
when these factors became dominant.
[26]Ray,
Expository 71.
[27]Hadden W.
Robinson, "What is Expository Preaching?" BibSac 131
(Jan-Mar 1974) 57. For other definitions, see Broadus,
On the Preparation 119-20 and J. Ellwood Evans,
"Expository Preaching," BibSac 111 (Jan-Mar 1954) 59.
[28]R. B. Kuiper,
"Scriptural Preaching," The Infallible Word (3rd rev.
ed., ed. by Paul Wooley; Philadelphia: Presbyterian and
Reformed, 1967) 253, asserts strongly,
Exposition of
Scripture, exposition worthy of its name, is of the very
essence of preaching. It follows that it is a serious
error to recommend expository preaching as one of
several legitimate methods. Nor is it at all
satisfactory, after the manner of many conservatives, to
extol the expository method as the best. All preaching
must be expository. Only expository preaching can be
Scriptural.
[29]Greer W.
Boyce, "A Plea for Expository Preaching," CJT 8 (Jan
1962) 18-19.
[30]D. Martyn
Lloyd-Jones devotes a whole chapter to this subject
(Preaching and Preachers [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1972]
100-20).
[31]James Stalker,
The Preacher and His Models (New York: Hodder and
Stoughton, 1891) 95-99; cf. also John Piper, The
Supremacy of God in Preaching (Grand Rapids: Baker,
1990) 37-46.
[32]Louis
Goldberg, "Preaching with Power the Word `Correctly
Handled' to Transform Man and His World," JETS 27/1 (Mar
1984) 4-5.
[33]Kaiser,
Exegetical Theology 236.
[34]Charles H.
Spurgeon wrote, "If you do not understand a book by a
departed writer you are unable to ask him his meaning,
but the Spirit, who inspired Holy Scripture, lives
forever, and He delights to open the Word to those who
seek His instruction" (Commenting and Commentaries [New
York: Sheldon and Company, 1876] 58-59).
[35]Nicholas
Kurtaneck, "Are Seminaries Preparing Prospective Pastors
to Preach the Word of God?" GTJ 6/2 (Fall 1985) 361-71.
[36]Specifics of
the exegetical process will be outlined in a forthcoming
essay in The Master's Seminary Journal. See Snodgrass,
"Exegesis" 5-19 for a basic nine-step approach.
[37]John A.
Sproule, "Biblical Exegesis and Expository Preaching"
(unpublished lecture at Grace Theological Seminary,
Winona Lake, Ind., 1978) 1.
[38]Spurgeon,
Commenting 47.
[39]H.
Cunliffe-Jones wrote, "We must be able to say not only
`This is what this passage originally meant,' but also
`This passage is true in this particular way for us in
the twentieth century.'" ("The Problems of Biblical
Exposition," ExpTim 65 [Oct 1953] 5).
[40]It is helpful
to distinguish between a sermon, a homily, and an
exposition. "Homily" comes from the Greek mola which,
like the Latin sermo, means "conversation" or "talk."
The Latin word is the basis of the English "sermon," so
in a general sense, all three are the same. For the
purpose of this article, however, we choose to use the
phrase "expository message" or "exposition" so that its
source, process, and purpose are unmistakably
distinguishable from the other two terms.
[41]Howington,
"Expository" 62.
[42]F. B. Meyer,
Expository Preaching Plans and Methods (New York: George
H. Duran Company, 1912) 100.
[43]Stalker, The
Preacher 121.
[44]J. I. Packer,
"Why Preach?" The Preacher and Preaching (Samuel T.
Logan, ed.; Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed,
1986) 9.
[45]William W.
Ayer, "The Art of Effective Preaching," BibSac 124
(Jan-Mar 1967) 41.
[46]Jerry Vines
and David Allen, "Hermeneutics, Exegesis, and
Proclamation," Criswell Theological Review 1/2 (Spring
1987) 333-34.
[47]James W.
Alexander, Thoughts on Preaching (Edinburgh: Banner of
Truth Trust, 1988 rpt.) 228-53, develops some of these
advantages in more detail.
[48]Broadus, On
the Preparation 124.
[49]Mark J.
Steege, "Can Expository Preaching Still Be Relevant in
These Days?" The Springfielder 34 (Mar 1971) 261.
[50]Robert
L. Dabney, Sacred Rhetoric (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth
Trust, 1979 rpt.) 78-79.
