The Ancient Scriptures And The Modern Pulpit Addressing – What Is True “Biblical Preaching”

By Ryan Habbena

Popular television preacher, Joel Osteen, has a standard introduction to each of his sermons. He invites all in attendance (usually 8,000 plus people) to take their Bibles, raise them in the air, and repeat after him:

This is my Bible
I am what it says I am
I have what it says I have
I can do what it says I can do
Today I will be taught the word of God
I boldly confess, my mind is alert, my heart is receptive,
I will never be the same

Much can be said about this weekly mantra. But a couple points strike me as I ponder these words. First, there is a declaration that “I am what it says I am.” I wonder how many are aware that the very word in their hands proclaims that apart from repentance and belief in the true Gospel all are “by nature children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). There is the declaration: “I can do what it says I can do.” I wonder how many are aware that the word proclaims regarding those without the Holy Spirit of God: “all have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one” (Romans 3:12).

Finally they announce: “Today I will be taught the word of God.” There are few churches that would frankly declare “We do not preach out of the Bible.” Most churches and preachers see themselves as those in accord with the will and word of God. However, we need to be able to properly distinguish between preaching that “uses the Bible” and true “Biblical preaching.” In my listening to Mr. Osteen’s messages, there are points where he uses the Bible (quite often mishandling the text), but true Biblical preaching is not evident. What do I mean by “biblical preaching”? By “biblical preaching” I am referring to the proper proclamation of God’s once and for all revelation in the Scriptures. Allow me to outline three evidences that emerge from preaching that is truly in accordance with God’s word.

1. True Biblical Preaching Properly Recognizes Context

The cornerstone of all types of communication is context. Context reveals and highlights meaning. The Bible is no exception. In order to glean the meaning, the context needs to be understood. Biblical preaching must pay attention to the context of the Scriptures. This entails understanding the book’s context, the historical context, and the overall Biblical context. The more one is acquainted with the context of the whole counsel of God, the better one will be able to understand and communicate the meaning of the Biblical text.

2. True Biblical Preaching Properly Bridges Contexts

The Scriptures were written halfway across the world and thousands of years ago. Since this is so, the context of the ancient world needs to be properly bridged to our contemporary context in order for the word to impact. The preacher must understand the true meaning of the text in order to properly “bridge” its teaching to today’s context. The preacher must consult the whole counsel of God in order to have an informed interpretation that will make the proper parallels with the contemporary context in which we live. A misunderstanding of the meaning will produce applications that miss the mark. Let me illustrate how understanding meaning, and consulting the context of the whole counsel of God, is essential to producing proper application.

An Example

A couple years ago, Joel Osteen preached a message on healthy living. He appealed to the food laws of the Old Testament to make his point. Osteen singled out pork and shellfish and that the Bible forbids them. He states:

“In Bible times, the pig was considered unclean. It was never considered a source of food.”

After giving several quips about his perceived benefits of cutting pork and shellfish out of ones diet, Osteen concludes:

“I made changes not only for my health’s sake; I made changes to honor God. View Video

Osteen’s focus was on healthy living. There is nothing sinful about pursuing healthy living. Indeed it is good to take care of one’s “vessel.” But Osteen’s understanding of the Biblical text is off the mark, and thus he produces an application not in accordance with the word of God.

As we survey the context of the whole counsel of God, we come to understand that one of functions of the dietary laws given to Israel (as well as many other restrictive commandments) is that they were there to keep them separate from the other nations. With the coming of Christ and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, the dietary restrictions of the Mosaic law were lifted in order for Jew and Gentile to be united in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

There were episodes chronicled in both the Gospels (Mark 7:19) and early parts of Acts (chapters 10:1-11:18) that taught these truths. The issue then came to a culmination at the Jerusalem council in Acts 15 regarding the Gentiles relationship to the codes and restrictions of the law of Moses:

The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” (Acts 15:6-11)

The “yoke” that Peter spoke of, is the Mosaic law. The Apostles then collectively wrote a letter informing the Gentile churches they did not need to be burdened by thinking they had to observe the stipulations of the Mosaic law. Furthermore the apostle Paul exhorts the Colossians:

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. (Colossians 2:16)

Therefore, under the New Covenant, eating pork and shellfish is a matter of Christian liberty. The preacher has no authority to bind Christians, or anyone, to abide by the food laws of the Mosaic law.

Osteen declares that his diet is to “honor God.” By implying and preaching that Christians are bound by the food laws of the Old Testament, he dishonors God by preaching a message that conflicts with the message of Jesus and His apostles. In preaching “freedom” he places his listeners into the bondage to the law of Moses, and those who place themselves under the yoke of the law are “cursed” according to the inspired apostle Paul (Galatians 3:10-13). This spiritually toxic application has taken place because of a misunderstanding of the meaning of the Old Testament dietary laws and ignorance of, or worse, rebellion against, the whole counsel of God’s word.

3. True Biblical Preaching Magnifies the Person and Work of Jesus Christ

The ultimate aim and focus of the Scriptures is the person and work of the Messiah— Jesus Christ. The Old Testament anticipates Him and promises His coming. The New Testament declares the faith delivered once and for all. All true Biblical preaching will point towards who Jesus is (the Messiah: true God and true man), what He has done (secured salvation through the cross and resurrection), and call people to the prescribed response (repent and believe in His person and work). These are the essentials and no matter what text is being stressed, all ultimately point to Christ. Furthermore, the Scriptures are there, not as an end, but as a means to come to Jesus on His terms. For He Himself declares:

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. (John 5:39-40)

The messages that flow from Osteen and those like him are very much “life enhancement” messages that are peppered with (often out of context) Biblical texts that are cited to attempt to support their preconceived notions. There is little, if any, legitimate interaction with the Biblical text to properly understand what message the original author was conveying. Because of this, the central message of the Bible is rarely, if ever, communicated from Osteen’s pulpit.

Do Some Believers Need to Start with “Milk”?

I have heard people say of Joel Osteen’s messages: “Some new believers need to start with the easy to understand “milk,” like Joel Osteen’s messages, before moving on to the meaty stuff.” New believers indeed need to be fed the “milk” of God’s word—the basic truths that constitute authentic Christianity. The fact is this: the Bible itself defines what constitutes true “milk.” The author of Hebrews teaches:

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. (Hebrews 5:12-6:2)

The author of Hebrews wants to teach his readers about the further “meaty” portions of God’s word, but knows his readers need to be instructed again in the “milk” or basic principles. He wants to teach them about the glories of Jesus being of the priestly order of Melchizedek, but laments their continued need for basic teaching. Included in these are: repentance and faith, the resurrection of the dead, eternal judgment. These are the “milk” or basic principles of God’s word. Does Joel Osteen, and other preachers in his mold, preach such things? If not, those listening are not even getting the “milk” or elementary teachings of God’s word. If the elementary teachings aren’t even being preached, then the Gospel is absent. Where the basic teachings of the Gospel are absent, growth in grace will not result.

Accountability: The Preacher and the Listeners

The people that raise their Bible and repeat after Joel Osteen, as well as all who sit under teaching and preaching under a banner that is called “biblical,” are accountable for what they believe and put into practice. Teachers and preachers will indeed be judged according to a higher and stricter judgment, but all need to become well acquainted with the Scriptures in order to discern what is good and what is evil. The bitter irony is the very Bibles in the hands of those following Mr. Osteen and his ilk contains a very different message than that flowing from their pulpit. They may be hearing preaching “using the Bible,” but the message is certainly not true “biblical preaching.”

The apostle Paul comforted and exhorted the church in Thessalonica with the coming wrath of God to bring vindication for those who were suffering harshly for the Gospel of their King, Jesus of Nazareth. Ask yourself when the last time such truths have been driven home in your hearing of the word:

This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. (2 Thessalonians 1:5-10)

Such passages are plentiful in the Scriptures but are a rarity in most pulpits today. True biblical preaching does not shrink back from proclaiming the whole counsel of God. True biblical preaching recognizes the need for the complete word of God to go forth—to wound and heal, to humble and encourage, to convict and comfort. May the Holy Spirit rouse His remnant to stand in true biblical preaching—preaching that proclaims the whole counsel of God—preaching that brings authentic application that conforms the hearers to the image of Christ—preaching that magnifies and honors the name of the Magnificent One who purchased His people with His own blood. The dire need for such becomes more and more apparent as we continue to approach the last days of “the last days.”