Learning More About Expository Preaching

After further investigating the allegations against Pastor John F. MacArthur by some Independent Fundamental Baptists who go with the "easy message", I was thinking about verse by verse preaching especially when I had visited the Spurgeon Archive. So what would be expository preaching be defined as to today's reader? Expository preaching is defined as exposition or comprehensive explanation of the Scripture, that is, presenting the meaning or intent of the Biblical text. It seeks to expose the meaning of the Bible verse by verse. Charles Haddon Spurgeon was an expository preacher who explored the Bible with up to 3,000 sermons verse by verse before he joined the Heavenly Father in glory. Today we have Grace to You Ministries with Pastor John F. Macarthur who has done some verse by verse preaching in exploring the meaning of each one but sadly he can be taken out of context.

I am yet to read John MacArthur's book "Expository Preaching" but I have observed his preaching style from Grace to You and have been examining his style of verse by verse preaching. Or from the Spurgeon archive, I am so amazed at how many verse by verse lectures Charles Haddon Spurgeon had developed throughout his entire career hence he was dubbed as "The Prince of Preachers". This is taking the Bible into proper context and not just a few verses then we're done. From Genesis to Revelation, I usually get a highlighter and highlight the key verses, get what they mean and I just don't stop there... I make sure I go around the Bible. I've used Vernon McGee's commentary, Matthew Henry's commentary and Spurgeon's sermons as a guide. I don't really believe there's a perfect theologian but I do believe in the proper interpretation of the Bible with the guide of the Holy Ghost.

In my own experience of listening then practicing expository preaching, it really pays to read the Bible chapter by chapter and verse by verse as never to take anything out of context. In fact, taking a certain event and learning the Greek and Hebrew, what it means and exploring the deeper meaning allows people to learn the Bible much easier. I was also thinking in examining the beliefs of various heretics from conditional security proponents to easy believism, they are all very sadly misled. I mean truly a person who has eternal security may sin but he or she CANNOT live a life of sin in contrast to what easy believists upholding Romans 4:5 IGNORING the fact that Romans 6 talks about new life in Christ and two, in Romans 3 they fail to see the life changing Gospel meaning NOBODY is ever saved and living like the rest of the world even if such people will fall into sin but they CANNOT sin constantly without remorse.

Also, conditional security proponents take a few verses and misguide people into believing that salvation can be lost by merely stumbling or two that one actually needs to persevere to the end to be saved rather than the Calvinist stand of the perseverance of the saints, that is the Christian will certainly persevere to the end or that if they believe people who believe salvation in Christ cannot be lost or that I can't teach holy living. They are sadly mistaken in taking away some verses out of context. In fact, doesn't God's grace teaching HOLY LIVING even if salvation is not kept by works? Ephesians 2:10 is clear about that and using Ephesians 2:10 to defend works salvation is utter heresy as it will NULLIFY Ephesians 2:8-9 that teaches we are never saved by works or kept saved by works. Instead, we are saved by grace which RESULTS to works.