Leaving Beyond – Grounded In Scripture

Warnings against shallow, man-centered preaching in the pulpit are the result of courageous men faithfully expositing the Word of God, demonstrating that what Christ has commanded them to preach to His bride is sufficient, powerful, and effective. It is also the responsibility of every Christian to test what they hear against sound doctrine and hold fast to that which is good.

As J. C. Ryle once said:

“No one can preach the Word aright without a deep reverence for the authority of Scripture.”

The Faithful Expositor and the Temptation to Misinterpret

What about men who do study, who do pray, who are consistently devoted to the faithful exposition of the text? What about when these faithful expositors begin to “miss the point” or add more to the meaning than what the original author intended?

Even faithful expositors must be careful not to allow what they feel, what they fear, or what is in their heart to cause them to add more to the text than it says or means.

As John Piper reminds us:

“God’s Word is the measure of all ministry; we must not allow our hearts to become the standard.”

Faithful expositors care about what the text says and means. Since they are not like wolves who intentionally pervert the text, does that mean they may not be tempted to allow their heart to drive the meaning?

Wrestling with the Heart

I couldn’t help it—what a great segue into acknowledging that even faithful expositors may wrestle with their own hearts in bringing meaning to the text that it does not “exactly” mean. But we do as well. We are all tempted by external factors, especially when a text is emotionally important to us, to manipulate it so that it bends to our desires.

It is not always sinful desires that lead us to allow our hearts to drive the meaning. Even otherwise good desires—such as the salvation of loved ones—can have this effect. If we do not truly trust the sovereignty of God in salvation, our attempts to influence outcomes not only hinder our prayers as we seek to manipulate God, but our love for family and others can cause our hearts to override the text. Instead of allowing the text to give us comfort and assurance in who God is, we risk twisting it in our evangelistic efforts toward loved ones and the lost.

These temptations are not exclusive to false teachers or false converts. We all wrestle with our hearts, striving to be conformed to what God’s Word says and resisting the urge to pervert the text to satisfy our sinful desires.

We must submit our hearts and minds to the text—not only to understand what it means, but also to examine ourselves in light of it, as well as consider our motives when sharing it with others. Not passive-aggressively. Not to assuage our own fears. Not to do the work of the Holy Spirit for Him. But in love, proclaim the truth and trust God with the results.

As Charles Spurgeon said:

“Preach the Word; it alone is the sword of the Spirit. Let not your own feelings dictate its edge.”

Mishandling the Text Through Sinful Motivations

The text can be correctly shared, yet our motivations may still be sinful. The text can be proclaimed correctly, but at any point we add our own bias, fears, or desires, we are guilty of mishandling it.

While there are obvious wolves in many pulpits who intentionally pervert the text, there are also faithful expositors who may, at times, be tempted to add to or take away from the meaning, as their heart—not the text—drives the point.

Remember your own hearts temptations to do the same.

True Faithful Exposition

A faithful expositor does not only go into the text to bring out its meaning; his own heart and mind are changed by the truth in the text. When he preaches, he does so as pleases the Lord—not to assuage his fears, please his hearers, or affirm his desires. He does not add out of fear that someone needs “a little more.” He does not take away out of fear that someone may be angry. He preaches the Word and leaves the results to God.

As R. C. Sproul wrote:

“The preacher’s responsibility is to deliver the Word of God faithfully. God is responsible for the fruit.”

The Heart Cannot Be Separated from the Text

Pray that pastors take their fears, desires, and temptations to God in prayer and never to the pulpit.

May saints pray for pastors and the wrestlings they have with their own hearts that we know nothing about. A church ought to pray for its pastor as one prays for their own soul.

Pray recognizing our responsibility to test what we are taught against Scripture—be a good Berean—and at the same time testing our own motives when approaching the text.

While there are many wolves in pulpits, there remain many faithful expositors of the Word of God. Pray for them and their families.

Grace and Peace, y’all.

Soli Deo Gloria

April J. Buchanan