Why is expositional preaching that ignores biblical theology unsound?
Expositional preaching that ignores biblical theology is unsound because:
- It fails to adequately explain the text. Explaining an individual text without explaining how it fits into the flow of redemptive history is like staring very hard at a single piece of a jigsaw puzzle without ever mentioning that it’s part of a puzzle.
- It turns the Bible into a book of rules. If a preacher fails to demonstrate how all of Scripture points to Christ, he will inevitably drift into moralism. Old Testament narrative will become bare moral lessons. New Testament exhortations will become bare rules for Christian living. If a preacher doesn’t proclaim the Christ-centeredness of Scripture, which is one of the main features of biblical theology, then his preaching is in danger of producing legalism and despair rather than grace-motivated faith and obedience.
