A Famine of Truth

If churches and pastors were subject to malpractice lawsuits as hospitals and physicians are, we would have an ecclesiastical crisis on our hands. The practice of medicine is subject to strict standards, as it should be. The television commercial that shows a man sitting at his dinner table with a knife in his hand being told by a surgeon over the phone how to proceed with self-surgery evokes a laugh. The forlorn man says to the doctor, “Shouldn’t you be doing this?” What is not funny is the way many contemporary preachers are handling the Bible. They use hit and run hermeneutics, tell one story after another, and leave a butchered Bible in their wake. While all the time the congregation seems to be paying rapt attention, taking notes, laughing, or saying amen. These responses are not bad in themselves but what is being preached to them is malfeasance of duty. It is a violation of trust. A pastor is responsible before God to handle accurately the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).

The times in which we live are bad. We are faced with a moral and ethical crisis of staggering proportions. This crisis is exacerbated by the non-Christian world and life views clamoring for adherents and bringing with them a host of idols. Eastern religions parading in western suits of clothes proclaiming altered states of consciousness, reincarnation, and karma deceive the unwary. We are in the midst of a crisis of authority. Pilate’s “what-is-truth” cynicism is eating away at the fabric of social stability. Many are buying into the notion that truth comes from within each individual or is merely a social construct (i.e. one’s truth is as good as another). And to top it all off, we are suffering from a crisis in the pulpit. There is a drought of biblical exposition. Pastors have retreated from a robust proclamation of the truth of God’s Word to an experiential-based pudding which poses as expository preaching.

What is it that constitutes authentic Bible exposition? Expository preaching is not pasting verses on felt needs of people. It is not a running commentary without a theme, outline, or logical cohesiveness. You are hearing expository preaching when the text of Scripture is being exposed. It is an explanation of the Scriptures which is true to its historical and contextual location with proper care being given to grammar and word meaning. It is then applied by the Holy Spirit as it flows through the personality of the preacher, then through him to his hearers (a paraphrase of Haddon W. Robinson’s definition). There are three essential elements bound up in this process. First, there must be Scripture. If you don’t need your Bible during a message, you are probably not hearing an expository message. Secondly, there is interpretation. The biblical text is laid open for all to see and understand. The goal is to determine what the intent of the biblical author was. This requires preparation on the part of the preacher and concentration for the hearers. Thirdly, application must be made. Frequently Bible exposition is given a bad name because the meaning of the text is not related to life situations. This is one reason why a “psychologized” Christianity has crept into the pew. Psychological categories such as self-esteem, co-dependence, and self-actualization have replaced sin, redemption, propitiation, reconciliation, and maturity in Christ.

One of the great Bible expositors of the past century, John Stott, has astutely observed that, “It is not an exaggeration to say that the low standards of Christian living throughout the world are due more than anything else to the low standards of Christian preaching and teaching.” It is not necessary to preach through books of the Bible to do expository preaching, but it offers the best opportunity to follow the flow of the Holy Spirit’s thought through the text of Scripture. Every text of the Bible has a context and it must be honored. To quote Stott further, “The worst kind of preaching allows people to say, ‘Well, I’m sorry, I don’t agree with you. I think you’re twisting the Scripture.’” In too many instances believers with open Bibles and hungry hearts are being given a stone rather than the bread of truth. Are you committed to a steady diet of expository preaching or are you allowing yourself to become comfortable with cheap and dangerous substitutes. Berachah Bible Church believes that the teaching of God’s Word must be flowing through our spiritual veins if we are to be the church we ought to be. Are you hungry? Eat often and tell others where they can find a meal of the wonderful words of life. If the American church continues to exist without demanding Bible exposition, God will send a famine “for hearing the words of the Lord” (Amos 8:11). Has this famine already begun?

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church