Grammatical Analysis and Expository Preaching
Charles Simeon (1759-1836), the eminent British preacher from Cambridge, advised his students in homiletics “to give every text its just meaning, its natural bearing, and its legitimate use…to ascertain from the original and from the context the true, faithful, and primary meaning of every text.” He adds that the aim of every preacher must be to “bring out of scripture what is there and not to thrust in what…might be there.” (1)
Simeon’s advice seems simple enough. Yet this no-nonsense exegetical approach to preaching is not easily found today. What we often encounter are well-intentioned ministers employing homiletical methods that marginalize and misuse the text rather than explain and apply it. All too frequently the preacher is sovereign, not the text. The Word of God is a servant to the preacher, not vice versa. Scripture becomes a launching pad for all manner of subjects loosely related to the text rather than a mine from which to excavate the abundant treasures of divine truth. God’s Word gets eclipsed by man’s word.
This approach is illustrated by the enthusiastic seminarian who told his homiletics professor that he was excited about the sermon he was writing for class and only needed a good passage of Scripture to go with it. Albert Mohler, Jr., explains:
In far too many cases, it seems that the text becomes a point of departure for some message…which the pastor wishes to share with the congregation. Beyond this, the text of Scripture is often emptied—evacuated—of biblical content when, regardless of a passage’s textual form or context, the content is uniformly presented as a set of pithy “points” that come together in a staple outline form. (2)
Regrettably, I have observed this approach in a number of popular evangelical churches. After the minister reads his chosen passage, he rarely refers to it again. His message is filled with humorous stories, engaging anecdotes, and punchy application. The pastor is a winsome, entertaining, and inspiring communicator. But the text is virtually ignored. God’s Word is overshadowed by the pastor’s cleverness and personality. Christ and His gospel get an honorable mention, but they are not clearly heralded from the text. Sadly, this is what a large percentage of evangelical Christians meet with on a weekly basis. T. David Gordon writes in his book Why Johnny Can’t Preach:
I have come to recognize that many, many individuals today have never been under a steady diet of competent preaching … As starving children in Manila sift through the landfill for food, Christians in many churches today have never experienced genuine, soul-nourishing preaching, and so they just pick away at what is available to them, trying to find a morsel of spiritual sustenance or helpful counsel here or there. (3)
To avoid the common hermeneutical infidelity described above, it is essential that ministers practice a method of expository preaching that is informed by an orthodox view of Scripture, are committed to careful exegesis and grammatical analysis, and remain devoted to the spiritual maturity of the flock.
AN ORTHODOX VIEW OF SCRIPTURE
Faithful preaching always flows from an orthodox view of Scripture. Belief in the Bible’s inspiration, inerrancy, infallibility, authority, sufficiency, and efficacy has a profound bearing upon biblical proclamation.
The Apostle Paul underscores this connection in his second letter to Timothy. At the end of chapter 3, he reminds Timothy of the divine origin of Scripture: “All Scripture is inspired by God [theopneustos] and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17).
It is no coincidence, therefore, that on the very heels of this foundational instruction on the nature of Scripture, Paul imparts his weightiest injunction on preaching.
I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with complete patience and instruction. (2 Tim 4:1-2)
A Spirit-wrought confidence in the Bible—the voice of God inscripturated—compels the minister to let the Word speak for itself. He does not want to add to, detract from, or misuse the Word of God. A high view of Scripture inclines the minister to do careful exegesis and not creative eisegesis. He is a humble servant of the text. His aim is to study, observe, understand, explain, and apply the biblical content before him. He wants God’s people to hear the Word of Christ and not some other word, for it is the Word of Christ that the Spirit wields to create, nourish, and grow saving faith in the souls of the elect (Rom 10:17).
The Word must be faithfully preached. It is necessary for salvation. No other word will do.
Our Reformed and confessional heritage recognizes and reinforces this paramount relationship between the exalted nature of Scripture and faithful biblical preaching. For example, the opening chapter of the Second Helvetic Confession (1562), after a sublime statement on the divine origin of Scripture, states:
Predicatio verbi Dei est verbum Dei [The preaching of the Word of God is the Word of God]. Wherefore when this Word of God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe that the very Word of God is proclaimed, and received by the faithful; and that neither any other Word of God is to be invented nor is to be expected from heaven. (4)
Of course, the only way that the preaching of the Word of God can be described as the Word of God is if the minister is truly preaching the text. That’s the point, and the Protestant Reformers were staunchly committed to it. Furthermore, they believed that to preach the text faithfully, the expositor must be thoroughly committed to careful exegesis and grammatical analysis. (5)
CAREFUL EXEGESIS AND GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS
The Bible teaches that pastors are called to rightly handle the Word of truth (2 Tim 2:15). They are to accurately and courageously proclaim the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). This demands hard work. There are no shortcuts to sound preaching. Indeed, before the preacher ever enters the pulpit on the Lord’s Day, he is required to labor over passage during the week—to study its background, redemptive-historical context, grammar and syntax, and literary genre. Let’s briefly consider each of these important aspects of sermon preparation.
Background: Every biblical text is set in a particular context. Explaining the background of a passage of Scripture, therefore, will help the congregation to understand the passage more clearly. Who is the author? Where is he writing from? Who is the original audience, and where do they live? What is the geopolitical scene? What are the original recipients experiencing? Persecution? Worldliness? False teaching? These kinds of questions concerning the background of a text will greatly assist the minister in his expositional task.
Redemptive-Historical Context: God has revealed Himself progressively throughout history, culminating in the glorious revelation of Jesus Christ (Col 1:26-27; Luke 24:27; Heb 1:1-3). Consequently, the minister’s preparation and preaching must be informed and shaped by his understanding of redemptive history. As he approaches his text, he must consider how it relates to the big picture of redemptive history as well as the more narrow scope of the passage.
The preacher must keep in mind the grand unifying theme of Scripture— redemption fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He also must be sure to understand every passage in its immediate context. In other words, the minister must always keep the view from thirty thousand feet as he examines the specific details of a text’s landscape. Taking seriously the redemptive-historical context of every passage will help the minister to faithfully preach “Christ and Him crucified” from all of Scripture without failing to bring out the full weight, meaning, and application of each individual text. Dennis Johnson argues:
We need to read each Scripture, first in the context of its original redemptive-historical epoch, and then in terms of the focal point and climactic “horizon” toward which the particulars of God’s plan always pointed, namely Jesus the Messiah, who is the second and last Adam, seed of Abraham, true Israel, royal descendant of David, and obedient and suffering Servant of the Lord. Redemptive-historical hermeneutics, therefore, offer a framework for preaching Christ from all the Scriptures (cf. Luke 24:44-49) in a way that treats each text’s and epoch’s distinctiveness with integrity and at the same time does justice to the progressively unfolding clarity by which God sustained his people’s hopes for the redemption that has now arrived in Jesus. (6)
Grammar and Syntax: Expository sermon preparation is by nature exegetical and inductive. Therefore, it involves a careful examination of the grammar and syntax of every text. “Grammar” pertains to the general rules of language relating to words, clauses, phrases, and the overall structure of a passage. “Syntax,” a subset of grammar, refers specifically to word order and the relationships of words one to another. To do this kind of study well, one should have at least a basic understanding of the original languages.
While I was studying for an exposition of Hebrews 2:1-4, the verses came into focus upon a simple consideration of the grammar and syntax of verse 1:
For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it (Heb 2:1).
Notice that the verse begins with the conjunction dia touto, usually translated “therefore” or “for this reason.” This indicates that the truth and logic of the previous chapter have significant bearing upon the text that follows. The conjunction communicates a kind of retrospective force—powerfully reminding the reader that the majestic portrait of the nature and works of Christ painted in the first chapter of Hebrews is not without serious implication for the church. It is doctrine for life.
Next comes the Greek verb perissoterōs, a comparative adverb that translates to “greater” or “more.” Here the adverb describes how the church should be “heeding” or “paying attention to” (prosexein) the gospel in consideration of their current situation. They are to pay much “closer” or “greater” attention to what they have heard. Why? So that they do not “drift away from it.”
The Greek word pararuōmen [in the phrase “so that we do not drift away from it”] is in the second aorist passive subjunctive, first-person plural. This is important because it reminds us that the danger of drifting is always before the believer (aorist tense). Spiritual drifting is a very real possibility for those who do not presently take heed (subjunctive tense). The verb pararreō [drift] is a nautical term. It describes a ship that has lost its moorings and is dangerously drifting out to sea. The Christian must always beware of drifting away from Christ, the anchor of our souls.
As we can see, studying the grammar and syntax of a text helps to bring out the true meaning, sense, and application of God’s Word.
Genre: All literature exhibits the characteristics of different genres or classifications. The Bible is comprised of numerous genres, each with varying literary functions. Poetic texts (e.g., the psalms) function differently than historical texts (e.g., 1 Kings). Law (e.g., Deuteronomy) functions differently than apocalyptic literature (eg., Revelation). Therefore, it is crucial that the expositor understand the specific genre of his biblical passage as he seeks to explain and apply it accurately to the flock. The major genres of biblical literature are history, law, wisdom, poetry, prophecy, narrative, gospel, epistles, and apocalypse. To ignore or confuse the literary genre of a text is potentially hazardous to an exposition. (7)
THE SPIRITUAL MATURITY OF THE FLOCK
There is a stewardship to sacred ministry—”to make the word of God fully known” (Col 1:25 ESV; 1 Cor 4:1; Eph 3:2). Pastors, therefore, must be blood-earnest in the task of expository preaching. Their congregation’s spiritual maturity largely depends on it.
Disciples are made through biblical proclamation, teaching all that Christ commanded (Matt 28:20; Acts 2:42). (8) Pastors are under-shepherds-called by Christ, the Chief Shepherd, to “shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). They are to feed and nourish the sheep upon the verdant pastures of the life-giving Word of God (John 21:15-19; 1 Pet 2:2). Isn’t this why the framers of the Westminster Larger Catechism so solemnly addressed the task of preaching?
Q159. How is the Word of God to be preached by those that are called thereunto?
A. They that are called to labor in the ministry of the Word are to preach sound doctrine, diligently, in season and out of season; plainly, not in the enticing words of man’s wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit, and of power; faithfully, making known the whole counsel of God; wisely, applying themselves to the necessities and capacities of the hearers; zealously, with fervent love to God and the souls of His people; sincerely, aiming at His glory, and their conversion, edification, and salvation.
Charles Simeon’s exhortation for preachers “to ascertain from the original and from the context the true, faithful, and primary meaning of every text” is much needed in our day. We need a new generation of bold preachers who will not “shrink from declaring…the counsel purpose of God” (Acts 20:27). Therefore, let us pray for faithful ministers whose expository preaching is marked by an orthodox view of Scripture, a commitment to careful exegesis and grammatical analysis, and a devotion to the spiritual maturity of the flock. Let us pray for ministers who will preach the unadulterated Word of God.
(1) Hugh Evan Hopkins, Charles Simeon of Cambridge (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1977), 57.
(2) R. Albert Mohler, Jr., He Is Not Silent (Chicago: Moody, 2008), 19.
(3) T. David Gordon, Why Johnny Can’t Preach (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2009), 17.
(4) Second Helvetic Confession, chapter one.
(5) See Hughes Oliphant Old, The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church, volume IV: The Age of the Reformation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002).
(6) Dennis E. Johnson, Him We Proclaim: Preaching Christ From All The Scriptures (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2007), 49.
(7) For an excellent overview on how to preach different biblical genres see Graeme Goldsworthy, Preaching the Bible As Christian Scripture (Leister, UK: Inter-Varsity Press, 2000), 135-256.
(8) In his letter to the Colossians, Paul writes that he and the other apostles proclaim the riches of Christ that “we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28-29). It is for this reason that Paul toils and struggles in the energy of Christ. It is for this reason that all preachers must do the same.