The Role of Systematic Theology in Preaching
Synthesize in Doctrine
Biblical theology is a great starting point for theological reflection. And if you develop your biblical theological skills for preaching through plenty of experience, it will take you most of the way through this stage of preparation. At the same time, another branch of theology has a role to play in theological reflection: systematic theology.
If biblical theology helps you to discern the progressive unfolding of God’s redemption plan in Christ, then systematic theology helps you to synthesize everything that the Bible says in the form of doctrines. It organizes Scripture logically and hierarchically, not historically or chronologically (as you would in biblical theology). D. A. Carson defines systematic theology as “the branch of theology that seeks to elaborate the whole and the parts of Scripture, demonstrating their logical (rather than merely historical) connections.”1
At the same time, I think caution is in order. For while I advocate for the role of systematics in preaching, there is a difference between this and teaching systems. Simeon put it this way: “God has not revealed his truth in a system; the Bible has no system as such.” The result of this conviction, then, is simple: “Lay aside system and fly to the Bible; receive its words with simple submission, and without an eye to any system. Be Bible Christians, not system Christians.”2 Simeon is right. We should not be system preachers. Still, there are three practical benefits of incorporating systematic theology into your theological reflection.
- It holds you in the faith.
- It helps you connect to the gospel from particular genres.
- It hones your ability to speak to non-Christians.
Expositional Preaching
David R. Helm
Expository preaching is crucial for the health and vitality of the church. Offering step-by-step guidance for preachers, Helm outlines what must be believed and accomplished to become a faithful expositor of God's Word.
1. It Holds You in the Faith
A major benefit of reflecting on systematic theology in your sermon preparation is that it provides a constraint. It holds you to orthodoxy. When you do your exegesis, you will inevitably come to difficult passages, forcing you to make difficult exegetical choices. And because none of us is perfect, we will make mistakes. When you begin to wrestle with these difficult conclusions about your text, sound doctrine will be a guide.
For example, a superficial exegesis of James 2:14–26 might lead you to conclude that James undermines Paul’s doctrine of “salvation by faith alone.” By submitting your work on that passage to systematic theological reflection, you will have to wrestle with how Paul’s articulation of salvation works with and not against what James is saying. And even if you do not solve all your problems, you will at least be grappling with how Scripture helps to interpret Scripture rather than unknowingly pitting Scripture against Scripture, and, in so doing, denying an orthodox understanding of the inerrancy of Scripture.
2. It Helps You Connect to the Gospel from Particular Genres
The fact is, sometimes it is more challenging to make use of biblical theology in certain genres. The nature of biblical theology—a grand story—connects well to genres where narrative is the primary form of the text. At the same time, Old Testament poetry may not give you a legitimate window into the big story of the Bible the way you might hope. New Testament Epistles, which contain logical arguments, might also be difficult to connect through biblical theology.
Genres that have a lot of discourse or poetry might, however, be more easily connected to the gospel through systematic theology. These genres tend to more frequently address fundamental concepts like faith, grace, justification, sin, and the like. So when a psalm makes a point about repentance from sin, or Paul talks about faith and works, we have a legitimate window into the theological concept of the gospel.
3. It Hones Your Ability to Speak to Non-Christians
I would guess that most of the non-Christians walking into our churches are not like the Ethiopian eunuch—strongly and sincerely desiring to better understand Isaiah. Rather, I bet they are more likely to ask questions about the problem of evil, God, guilt, redemption, and the like. The answers to these questions flow from systematic categories. And so, legitimately connecting your text to systematic theology in the course of your sermon may actually be the best way to draw a non-Christian into the word of God. For example, suppose a non-Christian is listening to your sermon and has questions about the notion of “sin” in your text. A helpful way of instructing on sin might be to look at this systematic category and realize that there are three major metaphors for sin: weight, debt, and stain. So, while your listener may not initially understand the idea of “sin” as it is there in your particular passage, you might incorporate the broader doctrine of sin into your sermon in a way that helps him.
Notes:
- D. A. Carson, “Unity and Diversity in the New Testament: the Possibility of Systematic Theology,” in Scripture and Truth, ed. D. A. Carson and John D. Woodbridge (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1983), 69–70.
- These two quotations come from the notes of A. W. Brown’s reflections on his times with Charles Simeon as part of Simeon’s “conversation parties with the students of Cambridge.” Abner William Brown, Recollections of the Conversation Parties of the Rev. Charles Simeon, M.A: Senior Fellow of King’s College, and Perpetual Curate of Trinity Church, Cambridge (London: Hamilton, Adams, & Co, 1863), 269.
This article is adapted from Expositional Preaching: How We Speak God’s Word Today by David Helm.
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