Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture: The Application of Biblical Theology to Expository Preaching

by Graeme Goldsworthy

While strong, gospel-centered preaching abounds, many Christian pastors and lay preachers find it difficult to preach meaningfully from the Old Testament. This practical handbook offers help. Graeme Goldsworthy teaches the basics of preaching the whole Bible in a consistently Christ-centered way.

Goldsworthy first examines the Bible, biblical theology, and preaching and shows how they relate in the preparation of Christ-centered sermons. He then applies the biblical-theological method to the various types of literature found in the Bible, drawing out their contributions to expository preaching focused on the person and work of Christ.

Clear, complete, and immediately applicable, this volume will become a fundamental text for teachers, pastors, and students preparing for ministry.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction, School, Ecclesiology, Religion

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 26, 2000

About the author

Graeme Goldsworthy is an Australian Anglican and Old Testament scholar. Now retired, Goldsworthy was formerly lecturer in Old Testament, biblical theology and hermeneutics at Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia. He is the author of "According to Plan" (IVP, 1991), "Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture" (Eerdmans, 2000) and "Proverbs: The Tree of Life" (CEP, 1993). Goldsworthy has an MA from Cambridge University and a ThM and PhD from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia.

Reviews

[Peter Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not think I have ever read a book that weaves together theology, specifically biblical theology, with preaching in such an excellent way. Goldsworthy's book challenged me on numerous levels. I am not sure I agree with everything he says, but his diagrams, clarity of writing and love for Christ make this an excellent antidote to much of the shallow preaching that fills the pulpits of America. I felt it was far superior to Brian Chapell's Christ-Centered Preaching. This book is meat and will push a pastor to look closely at his theology, as well as his preaching.

In the first section he examines the relationship between preaching and biblical theology. In the second section he goes through the various genres and gives examples of how to preach Christ from all of Scripture.

My main question is one of application. If Christ is the central point of all of Scripture, which cannot be denied, how do we bridge from what Christ did to how we are supposed to live? Goldsworthy is right to say that all of our action as Christians must flow out of the Gospel. But how does this translate to application in preaching? Again Goldsworthy does a good job of showing how the point of the Old Testament is not primarily to give us character studies, but to show the progress of God's redemptive work in history. So the point of Daniel is not primarily to show us Daniel's character, but God's ruling over the nations and his delivering his people. But again, how do I apply books like Daniel without sinking into moralism? I wish he had answered these questions more clearly.

Still, it is a great book and one I will be referring to often.

[Coalición por el Evangelio]

«Cómo predicar a Cristo usando toda la Biblia» es un libro muy importante. Desafiará las suposiciones del predicador y lo alentará a profundizar en el texto bíblico, lo cual es la única manera de crecer como predicador de Cristo. Creo que alentará a muchos a predicar a Jesús y su evangelio de diversas maneras, ya que imparte ideas sobre las inescrutables riquezas de Cristo desde varias partes de la Biblia.

Lee la reseña completa en Coalición por el Evangelio.

[Brenden Wentworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal. Bar none, best preaching book I’ve read.
Took this one slower alongside other books as well and it was awesome.

In the first half of the book, Goldsworthy aptly proves the biblical contention and case for understanding and preaching Christ in all the scriptures. He convincingly shows how and why this matters for the Christian to truly read and preach the Bible as explicitly “Christian”.
In the second half, he helpfully and in-depthly shows how this would look in principle and practice from every genre of the Biblical story.

Long story short…read this book in order to both understand and teach the Bible in light of the Bible’s main focus: the redemption accomplished through Jesus Christ

[Laurent Dv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Titre en français : Christ au coeur de la prédication
Excellent livre qui comme la majorité des livres pour les prédicateurs n'est pas seulement utile pour les prédicateurs mais pour tout le monde. Il explique pourquoi il faut prêcher Christ dans tous les passages (même l'Ancien Testament) et sa méthode précise pour le faire. Pour chaque partie du canon (le pentateuque, les psaumes, les récits historiques etc), il donne des conseils particuliers, mais le contenu reste léger. La meilleure introduction pour une lecture de la Bible centrée sur Christ et le meilleur résumé de la pensée de Goldsworthy.

[Nicholas Abraham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just plain good. Wish I could go back and make my younger self read this. The application of Biblical Theology is the real gift of this book.

[Rick Dugan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graeme Goldsworthy's book "Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture: The Application of Biblical Theology to Expository Preaching" is excellent for helping preachers locate any text of Scripture within the big picture of the gospel and the kingdom. Three simple questions will help anyone teaching God's word: What was the theological significance of this text for the original audience? What is the theological significance of this text in redemptive history? What is the theological significance of this text for us?

The three epochs of redemptive history are also useful interpretive tools: The Kingdom in Israel's history (Creation to Temple - prototype of the Kingdom), the Kingdom in prophecy (judgement and the promise of a future salvation), and the Kingdom fulfilled in Christ (what was foreshadowed in salvation history and promised by the prophets is fulfilled in Christ). Goldsworthy makes a strong case for viewing scripture as the process of God's self-revelation (biblical as opposed to systematic theology). God's message and self-revelation are revealed in history and written down in Scripture. Scripture, therefore, provides us with a coherent and trustworthy vision of reality.

Goldsworthy also does an excellent job in the opening chapters of placing preaching itself within the life and mission of the local church. This is an excellent book for revitalizing preaching in the local church and realigning preaching with the gospel.

Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture: The Application of Biblical Theology to Expository Preaching

[Daniel Alvers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goldsworthy does not disappoint in this work. I have far to much good to say and only a few things to detract from. So I will say little of either and simply say this is a book for preachers. If you haven't read this you should and take your time with it. The gold here is rich. I found it hard to stay connected through the genre section. It's where the book necessarily bogs down. So it's long but necessary, well at least I hope it was. I have heard far to many make the objection that the Christ-centered paradigm doesn't honor Biblical genre. If you think so try to match wits with Goldsworthy here and at least you will come away understanding something far different. So many objections to Christ-centered preaching are well handled here by Goldsworthy that it is too important to miss in the overall conversation. So preachers, go get it!

[Micah Wehrle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has had a tremendous impact on my understanding of the “Christocentricity” of preaching. If you think you understand preaching because you know you have to “talk about Jesus in every sermon” like I did, you will find you have an underwhelmingly shallow understanding of Biblical Theology. I have read several books on preaching, and maybe I just didn’t connect with other books as well as this one, but I feel Goldsworthy says with a sledgehammer what all the other authors were trying to say with spitballs.

Admittedly, however, Goldsworthy isn’t always the easiest to follow and the book can be a bit dense at times. But if mining for gold was easy then everyone would be rich. (Though if mining for gold was easy then the price of gold would plummet but information doesn’t lose its value because of supply and demand)

[Joshua Reichard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book will aid and encourage any pastor who is struggling thinking through how to preach the Bible as a whole. Goldsworthy knows his bible and knows how to communicate biblical theology clearly. As I read this book I found part two to be more helpful then part one. Part one seems to jump around too much and I found myself lost in all the jumbledness of Goldsworthy trying to fit books worth of material into one chapter. If you know I a little of biblical theology skip part one and read part two. If you have never read a preaching book in your life read the whole thing. But if you have read multiple preaching books save yourself some time and only read part two.

[Jason Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the concept and the goal, but found the presentation/writing thick and difficult. Also, the author seems to be unselfconsciously Covenantal, which is a bit off-putting if you're not sold on that approach to Scripture. If you're committed to broader Reformed Theology (not just Reformed Soteriology), you'll probably find this more appealing than I did.

[Lucas Bragança · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tem muita coisa boa aqui. Pretendo voltar a ele de vez em quando, especialmente na segunda parte do livro, a parte mais prática, pra pegar alguns auxílios e dicas para as futuras pregações. Mas achei a leitura extremamente cansativa. Só consegui concluir lendo em doses homeopáticas.

[Benjamin Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical and solid interpretation principles to get to Jesus and his cross- "the gospel" from wherever you are in Scripture, be it law, narrative, prophets etc.,

[Annie]

So far so good! Goldsworthy really draws us away from legalism and works, and helps us re-focus on Jesus Christ, our Salvation!!

[George Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

If more pastors preached like Graeme Goldsworthy advocates in this book, the church would be far less anemic and far more Gospel-centered than it is today.

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one book did more to help me understand Biblical Theology than any I have previously read.

[Willy Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Livro excelente, amplia muito a nossa percepção sobre a importância da Teologia Bíblica. Orientações indispensáveis pra quem quer pregar expositivamente. Recomendo.

[Joshua Bremerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book engaging and helpful. His approach (Christocentric preaching by use of biblical theology) is solid and biblical. I will say, though, that his emphasis on the person and work of Christ as the exclusive interpretive key for Old Testament texts at points seems to flatten certain OT passages. I would add Christ's teachings (even so far as they are expounded in the letters) and example as interpretive lenses for OT texts.

I also think his approach to preaching as being intended for the follow-up question "How did the sermon testify to Christ and his gospel as the power of God for salvation?" a little bit silly. Yes, preaching should filter through this lens, but there is nothing wrong with the first question after a sermon being "Was it relevant?" or "Was it helpful?" If preaching should explain, delight, and move (cf. Augustine, On Christian Teaching), then the first question could certainly be about getting to move, even if biblical theology is crucial for explaining and delighting.

Overall, though, the foundational assumptions in the first half of the book, along with detailed genre analysis in the latter half, were helpful and insightful (though at times not quite as engaging).

[Garry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a love/hate relationship with the book. I show much loved the author's development of biblical theology and his stress on the redemptive arch found all through Scripture. He did a great job in avoiding moralism or atomizing texts. I did disagree with his central premise though that all Scripture (Old and New Testament) was centered on Christ. We see Christ in the OT because of the NT, and the OT helps us understand the necessity of the NT. Yet, I believe the larger narrative concerns God's glory, and the Gospel is part of that.

I plan to read through a few more times, a great resource.

[Kingsley Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This should become more of a reference book than just a book to read.

It deals with the 'how to' that Clowney omits from his writings, and should be a point of reference before embarking on any sermon - it's that good.

Where it falls down is that Goldsworthy does not believe in the Rapture, the Tribulation, or the Second Coming. As a result, he hints at dismissing it, and doesn't properly address the texts that involve it.

Like most who deny this eschatology, he has no answer to the texts which confront him. Chapter 15, as a result, is shoddy.

For this, I must deduct a star, but it does not detract from the rest of the book.

[Not-A-Linguist · Rating 3 out of 5]

A helpful guide to bringing the main story of the Bible into preaching, especially where it might be difficult in the Old Testament. I appreciated how practical it was, although sometimes I felt like Goldsworthy wasn't sure whether this was an academic textbook or a pastoral guide, and would get a bit lost in the academia of it all. Biblical theology is definitely a very important tool in the toolbox.
I did feel that sometimes Goldsworthy would assume application after connecting a passage to Jesus, rather than bringing these truths down to an individual's life

[Simon O'Mahony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent work on "the application of Biblical Theology to expository preaching."

I only have one criticism of the book. While the author frequently warns against the error of moralizing by disconnecting imperative from indicative, he never actually illustrates what proper application of a biblical imperative should look like in practice.

[Matt Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always have mixed feelings when reading Goldsworthy. I love how he makes much of Christ - and that alone is worth it - but I have to keep overlooking his redemptive-historical hermeneutic and undying commitment typological interpretation. Too subjective. Grateful for biblical theology in many ways, but it’s not without its challenges.

[Kevin Halloran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mi reseña por Coalición por el Evangelio.

[Guillermo Jiménez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un gran libro para aquellos que quieren aprender a predicar toda la escritura desde la unidad que emerge en Cristo. Ayuda mucho a evitar errores que comúnmente se cometen al abordar el AT.

[Sergio Tapia · Rating 5 out of 5]

muy bueno

[Martin Maquivar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro morado da las pautas sobre cómo hacer teología bíblica y después llevarla a la práctica en un sermón. No es poca cosa la lectura de este manual.

[Jelte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book on how to preach Biblically, I especially liked the synagoge test. If we preach a sermon that could also be preached in a synagoge, we're missing something, namely: Jesus!

[Josiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biblical theological gold with lots of helpful advice for preaching. Only critique is that it could benefit from more structure.

[Daniel Aldea · Rating 5 out of 5]

excelente libro. tiene mucha doctrina pero, a la vez, muchos ejemplos prácticos. Un libro imperdible para conocer o ampliar el concepto de Teología Bíblica.

Por otro lado, enseña cómo ver y predicar de Cristo en el A.T. sin alegorizar, sino viendo las sombras o tipos, las conexiones con el Evangelio y el Reino de Dios.

Un libro algo denso, pero que vale la pena leer!

[Jeff Fuller]

I really like Goldsworthy as an author. He writes in a style that is easy for me to read an understand. This one is on my bookshelf but I've been studying other topics. It is definitely a "to read" though!