We must remember that while the Bible was written for us, it was not written to us.
We were not the original audience for the Old and New Testament Scriptures.
It’s important we understand this, especially as preachers and teachers of the Bible.
Preaching is weighty.
Teaching week in and week out is a gift and responsibility. It’s a gift that God would call anyone to exegete the Scriptures and teach them to people. Yet it’s also a responsibility to teach faithfully and correctly.
To teach the Scriptures faithfully requires approaching them correctly. It requires asking the right questions of the text. It also requires knowing when to ask those questions.
This process of knowing how to interpret the Scriptures is referred to as hermeneutics.
Proper hermeneutics is essential to the task of preaching and teaching the Scriptures.
How Hermeneutics Affects Preaching
Jeremy Kimble writes in his review of the book Homiletics and Hermeneutics for The Gospel Coalition:
Preachers ought to be conscious of the ideas and principles that shape them each time they herald the Word and address their people. Beneath every approach to preaching, there is a particular hermeneutic at work.
At the root of every sermon is a hermeneutic.
Questions were asked or not asked.
Context and grammatical structure were taken into account.
Those questions and structures lead to an interpretation of the text. This is then taught by a pastor or teacher to others.
A sermon can’t be separated from the study.
The sermon itself is a collection of style, study, and interpretation, all forming the content of the sermon.
Due to this reality, hermeneutics are invaluable to the life and study of all who preach and teach the Bible.
If we aren’t careful, our interpretations of the Scriptures can become a collection of our preconceived notions and ideas, rather than a proper study and hermeneutical approach to the text.
If the questions we ask of the text only go so far as to answer what the text means today, we will miss what the author intended the text to mean to their original audience. That original intent is important for how we understand and communicate the text today.
How to Preach with a Proper Hermeneutics
Professor Scott M. Gibson writes in his book Homiletics and Hermeneutics: Four Views on Preaching Today:
Preaching should be God centered because God is God centered and wants us to be God centered in everything we do. All God does he does for his glory, and all we do—eating, drinking, and certainly preaching—we do for his glory (1 Cor. 10:31). Preachers may take up a variety of texts and topics, but they should take them up (and their hearers with them) all the way into the presence of God, so that listeners are instructed by the Word of God, convinced of the value of God, captivated by the holiness, grace, kingship, wisdom, and beauty of God. Preaching is all about and all for God.
A proper hermeneutical approach to Scripture serves to center the sermon on God.
A sermon centered on God is a sermon that continues to bridge the gap between the text, the original meaning, and its meaning for today, all while anchoring itself in God and in His Kingdom.
Thus, the biblical text is not only meant to be interpreted.
It’s meant to be lived and experienced. It’s meant to lead us deeper in our relationship with God. It’s meant to open our eyes wider to the reality of God and His Kingdom.
And approaching the Scriptures with a proper hermeneutic is foundational to all of this.
One of the best ways to develop a proper hermeneutic when preaching a passage of Scripture is to ask the right questions of the text.
Some key questions to ask when it comes to preaching are:
Why is the context of this passage crucial to understanding its message?
How does the grammar in this verse affect its interpretation?
What deeper meaning do the key words in this passage hold?
How do the words in this verse relate to one another to reveal God’s truth?
What can the historical and cultural background of this passage teach us today?
Asking these questions empowers pastors and teachers to correctly and effectively interpret the Scriptures.
When the Scriptures are interpreted correctly, they are taught correctly. Which then leads to our churches and congregations deepening their understanding of God’s Word and learning how to walk in God’s ways.
This is why hermeneutics is important for preaching.
A proper hermeneutic is one of the primary tools for preachers and teachers of the Scriptures.
A Relational Approach to Preaching
While properly approaching and interpreting the Scriptures is important, it must be done with the end goal in mind.
That goal is relational in nature.
David E. Briones writes in his article Hermeneutics: Knowing and Living the Text for Tabletalk:
Hermeneutics is fundamentally relational. It is simultaneously an act of interpretation and an act of relating—relating to our Lord by the Spirit, relating to those beside us in the pew, and relating to those brilliant pastoral theologians, such as Augustine, who came before us to help guide our reading and living.
Preaching should never be done apart from a deep relationship with the Lord.
It’s relational in nature, as the preacher’s heart is cultivated by communion with the Spirit of God.
It’s this communion with the Spirit of God that forms the relationship between pastor and congregation.
It’s the relationship between pastor, congregant, and the Spirit of God that requires a faithful hermeneutical approach to teaching the Scriptures.
If we want to cultivate a proper hermeneutical approach in preaching, we must understand that preaching is relational in nature. Preaching cannot be separated from a deep relationship with God and with His people.
The goal is not just to approach the Scriptures with proper hermeneutics.
A proper hermeneutic is a means to an end.
That end is to cultivate a deep relationship with God, His Word, and His people.
A Hermeneutical Approach to the New Testament
In our course, Jewish and Greco-Roman Backgrounds of the New Testament, Dr. Matthew Halsted gives you a first-class ticket from the twenty-first century to the era of Jesus and the first Christians as he introduces you to the historical, theological, and social environment surrounding the New Testament period.
This course is packed with valuable information that will help you learn the backgrounds of the New Testament and empower you with the proper hermeneutics for preaching and teaching.
If you’re interested in taking this free online course, click here.
Become a Monthly Vision Partner
At AWKNG, we are committed to awakening people to a deeper understanding of the Bible.
That’s why we’ve created a library of online courses taught by doctoral-level instructors. Each course is designed to deepen your knowledge and understanding of the Bible, from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
And, all of our courses are 100% free, thanks to the generosity of our monthly Vision Partners.
If you’re interested in how you can join us on this mission to awaken people to a deeper understanding of the Bible, click here.