The truth behind topical versus expositional preaching and why one approach isn't inherently superior to the other.



In some circles, there are two types of sermons or messages – topical or expositional – and only one of them is deemed acceptable to a vocal minority.

Let me explain.

Topical messages deal with… well, topics. Think marriage, family, parenting, finances, the End Times, spiritual disciplines… the list is endless. Expositional messages take passages of Scripture and “exposit” them. The word itself means to set forward the facts, the ideas, of a text. It puts forward a detailed explanation. So how should you “preach” if you want to be an expository preacher? Take a book like Ephesians and teach it, verse by verse, and exposit it.

There is a school of thought, small but vocal, that only expositional messages are weighty, meaty, faithful and true, whereas topical messages are superficial, frothy, “lite” and trendy—almost heretical. There are even some who gauge the degree of biblical orthodoxy by whether the preaching is topical or expositional. Specifically, expositional preaching is the only “true” preaching, or “best” preaching, or truly “biblical” preaching.

I love expositional preaching. And I do my fair share of it, having taken books like James, Philippians, Romans, Jonah, and, yes, Ephesians, to do just that. Over nearly 40 years of giving messages, I’ve walked through – expositionally, verse by verse – almost every book of the Bible.

But I also do topical preaching. But let’s be clear what that means: you take a topic, explore everything the Bible has to say about it, and proclaim it. In other words, you present a biblical theology. The best topical preaching is nothing more than expositional preaching focused on a topic. You bring everything the Bible has to offer to bear on a singular need, question, or concern.

This is why I studied systematic theology throughout my graduate school years. The discipline of systematic theology requires looking at everything there is to look at – Scripture, history, philosophy – and bringing it all together in a singular way to speak coherently and exhaustively about matters of doctrine. That is what I love about topical preaching through the lens of expositional study; you let Scripture interpret Scripture, giving the whole counsel of God on any given matter.

So, should you preach topically or expositionally? The answer, of course, is “Yes.” And as mentioned, the best topical preaching is expositional in nature and, I might add, the best expositional preaching is packaged topically. But in saying that, let’s also clear away the arrogance about one approach over another. For example, here are a few names who, to my knowledge, never preached an expositional message in their entire ministry: C.S. Lewis, Billy Graham, and… yes, Jesus.

So let’s get off our spiritual high horse about what “type” of proclamation is the most spiritual. If you proclaim the Bible, if you make clear the gospel, if you hold fast to orthodoxy,

… it’s a good, solid message.

In truth, there can be a menu of styles and approaches, allowing a wide range of topics to be addressed optimally. In fact, if you want to be an effective communicator of Scripture, this is what should be pursued.

This is why when I prepare a teaching schedule, I consider several dynamics:

o the life of the church I lead and its unique needs;
o the questions and concerns being posed by the wider culture and, specifically, the unchurched community;
o areas of leadership that need to be addressed through the language of leadership;
o “hot” topics of interest that present spiritual questions being met by spiritual confusion;
o areas of discipleship that have been exposed as collectively weak;
o and so much more.

Each series tends to lend itself to a particular biblical source material. Perhaps a book of the Bible speaks uniquely to the need, and thus an expository series is at hand. Other times, holistic biblical theology needs to be pursued through a topical series that draws together the relevant biblical teaching on a particular subject. Other times, a specific sub-section of a book of the Bible is called for, such as the Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount.

Each topic can also lend itself to a particular style. Some are more narrative in nature, others more didactic. Some are laced with stories, others are much more bullet-point by design. The bottom line is that there should be – even must be – variety in teaching and presentation in light of the subject at hand.

But all with one foundation: the Bible.

All sermons should be biblically based (specific Scriptures) and biblically informed (in light of the full canon of Scripture), with the aim of applying biblical truth (the pointed use of Scripture) in light of proper, contextual biblical interpretation.

And this is the real point that all should drive home. Not whether one style is better than another, but the importance of every style being biblical. When you examine messages contained in the New Testament, you do not find any uniformity in terms of style or approach, personality, or structure. Whether Jesus or Stephen, Peter or Paul, there was an extraordinary variety. Even within the teaching of one individual, such as Paul, there was variety. The one commonality was that they were biblically based, biblically informed, and biblically applied.

And that’s what true biblical preaching is all about.

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