About Expository preaching...

Taking the Bible as the word of God and teaching from it out of respect for what it represents conveys several things. First, it anchors everything else to something real and important. It believes that something is true, and from that comes the conviction that such truth must be obeyed. From that follows challenge, application and action. Second, it offers believers a sense of God’s divine interest in speaking to His people. This one aspect alone introduces an intimacy to all aspects of worship, for it brings God’s revelation into the center of worship in a way that touches everyone. Far from unseating personal experience of the divine, it provides something to which to anchor that experience. The Holy Spirit, as a third instance, has tools to use to touch individuals in a personal way. Worship and praise can flow out of such an encounter.

Other styles of preaching have their place and can be useful for edification and reproof. A steady diet of stuff other than the Bible has its own limitations however. Sermons which constantly enjoin one to self-reflection and self-improvement chain themselves to something inherently hollow – the creature instead of the creator. Only to the degree that the Holy Spirit can be discerned in an individual can God’s influence be felt. But this begs the question of why one would not want to arm the Holy Spirit in one’s own self with God’s revelation, rather than filtering that through another. Indeed, the concept of the priesthood of all believers requires no less than this; anything else puts humans in the place of mediating between man and God. Even worship and praise become stunted in such a service, because God’s revelation has been neglected and the source of inspiration and admiration has remained veiled. If God is revealed, we are compelled to worship; if He remains hidden, there is little motivation to focus heavenward.

Supposing for the moment the least possible importance for the Scripture, one can still see that this collection of writings have managed to inspire several millennia of believers and is just as valid as relying on the sharing of personal inspiration from speakers, writers and congregants today. Today’s dross will be skimmed away from the faith; the winnowing that took place in the early councils must at the very least have gathered the best representation of Messianic traditions from the culture of the day as representation to the generations that have followed. The Jewish tradition of judging prophets can be applied without reservation to both sorts of writings. The Bible holds up well enough under such scrutiny. And it is the height of intellectual arrogance to assume that 2000 years (or more) of distance from the events in question offer greater discernment over the contents.