Next Thursday I will be leading a webinar on “Preaching the Tone of the Bible” with a special focus on epistles. The details are to be found here.
New Testament
Book Review: How to Like Paul Again, by Conrad Gempf
The front cover of this book (published by Authentic, 2013) has a snippet of an endorsement that states, “The best thing on Paul written for non-academics I have ever read.” I agree, although I can’t list a whole lot of other books on Paul written for non-academics, to be honest.
Gempf is engaging and witty, his style draws you in and keeps you hooked. His concern is that Paul has gotten a bad rap and so people judge him without knowing him. I don’t have a negative view of Paul at all, but by the end of this book I liked him and his letters even more than when I started.
This book is like a crash course in hermeneutics, but a genuinely enjoyable course . . . the kind taught by a master teacher who so captures your attention that you don’t realise it is a course in hermeneutics. Each chapter builds on what has gone before and Gempf seems to enjoy a Paul-like rhetorical conversation with his readers.
His method is to select three epistles and work with each one for a few chapters. He starts with Galatians, then moves onto 1 Corinthians. He contrasts the two. Different audiences, different letters. A church in need of 1 Corinthians could be harmed by a slap-dash misapplication of Galatians, and vice versa. I loved the letter to the Galatians from the other side – a helpful feature of a section that gives a clear sense of the danger churches today face in respect to the Law and Christian spirituality.
Throughout the author is convincing the reader of the importance of understanding what it meant back then before pondering what it might mean for us today. A wonderful dose of healthy hermeneutical teaching in a book that reads more like a good novel or biography than a biblical studies text book.
After Galatians and 1 Corinthians, I did put the book down. Busy schedule and a family Christmas. And, to be honest, I thought Philemon might be a weak end to a great book. I was wrong. Philemon was a great place to add another set of dimensions to Paul and his apostolic writing.
This is a great book for new Christians and long-term preachers alike. Maybe you went to Bible school and have preached through Paul’s letters many times. I still think you should read this book. It is refreshing and it will stir your appreciation for the epistles again.
Perhaps your Christmas presents were wonderful, but lacked a gripping book. Why not buy yourself a late gift. In fact, buy two or three because you will be thinking of people to whom you must give a copy. Thanks Conrad, a wonderful book!
To order this book in the UK, click here.
Letter Frame – Preacher’s Treasure 7
In this series I have looked at letter openings and closings. Lots of treasure that is often overlooked and ignored despite being fully inspired and massively preachable! Here are a few closing ideas to pull the series together:
1. Preach a whole book through the lens of a key element in the letter frame. By taking an opening greeting, a doxology, or whatever, it is possible to introduce and preach the big message of an entire epistle. This could function as a stand-alone message.
2. Introduce or conclude a series in a book using opening or closing elements. Instead of sounding like an introductory page in a study Bible (i.e. just giving a bland author, recipients, date, occasion, map, etc.), diving into the body of an epistle and ignoring the opening or finishing a series abruptly, consider the value of an overview intro or conclusion that is a legitimate exposition of an inspired text.
3. Consider a series of doxologies, closing prayers, or whatever, with whole epistles reinforcing each message in the series. This would be a challenge for the preacher, and might require some awareness from the listeners, but it could be highly effective. It would help us break out of a “standard section length for every sermon” approach. Whole books have big ideas that transform lives. Letter frames offer summaries that root those ideas in shorter texts.
What other ideas would you add? How have you heard a letter frame preached effectively?
Letter Frame – Preacher’s Treasure 6
There are some stunning doxologies in the epistles. They are a potential treasure for preachers:
1. Doxologies tend to offer a succinct overview of the content of a letter. What the writer was pondering as he wrote or dictated tends to come out in this late point of praise. As preachers we can tap into that to review or overview the epistle as a whole.
2. Doxologies offer the preacher an opportunity to preach a different genre within the epistle. Just as introductory and closing materials can offer a more narrative type of content (i.e. accessing the narrative behind the letter), so the doxology allows the preacher to preach something akin to poetry. Preaching poetry offers something different to the discourse that predominates in the epistles.
Here are some doxologies to ponder:
* Hebrews 13:20-21 . . . The preacher (remember that Hebrews is not an epistle, but rather a sermon with an epistolary postscript) points to God’s raising Jesus from the dead, and to the blood of the eternal covenant, as the one who will equip the hearers to live lives pleasing to Him. The Jesus-focused encouragement throughout the “letter” is seen even here.
* Jude 24-25 . . . One of the more famous doxologies pointing to God’s ability to guard and protect believers in an antagonistic world.
* 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 . . . An easy one to miss, this is effectively a doxology within the body of the letter (similar to Paul’s explosions of delight at the end of Romans 8 and Romans 11:33-36).
* 2 Corinthians 13:14 . . . Is Paul offering three elements of God’s goodness within a trinitarian framework, or is he actually referring to the One who is the grace and love of the Son and Father, that is, the Holy Spirit? Jonathan Edwards understood this doxology as being entirely about the Spirit, which would fit a letter gripped by the New Covenant ministry theme.
* 1 Corinthians 16:22-24 . . . A striking and often ignored conclusion to a letter. Perhaps verse 22 is key to the complexities of church life in Corinth? I have never heard anybody preach from this section, have you?
* Revelation 2-3 . . . Don’t miss the treasure in Jesus’ seven epistles to the churches of Asia Minor. Recognizing the consistent themes within and throughout each individual letter is key to making sense of the details. The promise to the overcomer always makes sense in light of the description of Christ and the commendation/complaint within the letter.
Seems like there is plenty of scope for a series of messages based purely on the doxologies. After all, pondering the truth and life-changing relevance of the gospel should lead us to praise God!
Letter Frame – Preacher’s Treasure 5
Yesterday we saw that there are a host of ingredients that could go into an epistle closing section. One way to use the closing is to select an element and preach an overview of the whole epistle using that text. Some examples:
1. Preaching Final Personal Remarks – Galatians 6:14-15
Paul keeps on reinforcing the big themes of Galatians: it is all about Christ crucified, the promised deliverer, and the work of the Spirit in making us new creatures in relationship with our Abba. Here Paul gives a Christ and Spirit (New Covenant shorthand term) summation, just to reinforce the point already made in chapters 3-4, in the summary of 5:5-6, etc. From these two verses you could effectively preach the whole letter.
2. Preaching Concluding Exhortations – Romans 16:17-20
Paul addressed the issue of a disunited Roman church from the beginning of the letter. The applicational climax in 15:7-13 is brought back here in the final verses of the letter. Romans could be preached or reviewed with this text, as it could with the doxology to follow in 16:25-27.
3. Preaching Closing Prayer – 1 Thessalonians 5:23
Again, the big themes of the body of the letter are clearly evident in this single verse: sanctification and anticipation of the Lord’s return.
4. Preaching Prayer Request – Colossians 4:2-4
Not only does Paul offer a “practical” prayer request, but it is focused on the key issue of the whole epistle – the person and mystery of Christ.
5. Preaching Greetings – Romans 16:3-16, 21-23
Paul’s list of connections in Rome gives an insight into the constitution of the church in Rome – several Jewish names among a predominantly Gentile group. This is tricky, but if handled well, this could be a gateway into the issue that Paul has been addressing theologically throughout the letter.
Tomorrow I will almost wrap up the series by looking at doxologies, and then will offer a final post with some big letter-frame preaching suggestions.
Letter Frame – Preacher’s Treasure 4
I have been looking at “standard” openings in New Testament epistles. Let’s look at “standard” closings and ponder some of the value to be found:
“Standard” Closings – We should be especially hesitant to hold any letter to a standard closing since there is much variety to be found among the epistles. However, seeing the kind of content that may be found might spur our thinking a bit, then next time I will probe the possibilities further.
1. Travel plans and personal situation – Never forget that epistles are not data-dumps, they are a glimpse into a gripping narrative. These sections sit up to be preached effectively when we know the power of narrative.
2. Prayer – Often brief, but a glimpse into the writer’s thinking and often a summary of what has occupied him throughout.
3. Commendation of fellow workers – A meaningless list of names? Not so fast, they are there on purpose and can reveal much of the situation and connections.
4. Prayer requests – This could be a personal and vulnerable glimpse, or an applicational grounding of what has come before. Either way . . . useful.
5. Greetings – Typically a personal touch to reinforce the narrative force of the letter.
6. Final instructions and exhortations – Almost always a helpful summary of the main teaching re-applied in the closing inches of the papyrus.
7. Holy kiss – Not sure what to say about this bit, but maybe because I’m English.
8. Autographed greeting – Helps you realize that an amanuensis was writing, and importantly, that the author wanted to be identified. Why?
9. A “grace” benediction – Perhaps Paul was just polite, or maybe he was happy to be known for preaching grace at every opportunity, including the final line of his letters?
Some combination of these elements will appear at the end of an epistle. How to preach them is worth pondering because they are both inspired and sadly too often ignored. I’ll probe some examples next time.
Letter Frame – Preacher’s Treasure 3
So you can take the whole introduction and preach it to show the themes that will follow, as I suggested from 1 Corinthians 1:1-9. But there are some other possibilities too:
2. Strategic Teaching Point – eg. Galatians 1:3-5
This is not the whole of Paul’s opening, it is just the grace and peace greeting. But it could be preached as a gateway into Galatians. If the point he is underlining here is made strongly, it sets up questions over his authority (go back to verse 1, or leave until next time and connect that with the biographical sections that follow at the end of chapter 1 and start of chapter 2), and questions over their move from this gospel (move on into verse 6 and following, or leave that until next time). Interestingly, with the explosive content that follows, I suspect many readers miss the greeting, but notice what Paul says and doesn’t say:
He builds on the giving grace of the God with a Trinitarian reference to God the Father and Jesus Christ. But don’t miss that this God is referred to as “our Father.” Christ is the self-giving solution to our sin problem and Christ delivers, rescues, saves us from an evil world (Paul is not going light on sin!) This rescue mission of Jesus is the plan and desire of the God who is now our Father, and it is all about Him, He gets the glory as we respond to this truth.
But notice what is missing. The gospel is surveyed and it is all about God and the work of Christ. There is no reference to our commitment, our diligence, our law-keeping, our fleshly efforts to be godly, etc. Yet how easily we will corrupt the glorious grace of the gospel into something about us. And that is the issue Paul will chase from verse 6 . . .
3. Biographical Instruction
Following the greeting and gratitude, many epistles will include a biographical section setting the scene for the letter. Again, Paul tends to use this as an instructional opportunity. As preachers let’s not skim this section either. These sections allow us to establish epistles in a narrative setting, which has numerous benefits for a series of messages. Here are a couple of examples:
* Galatians – After the explosive opening, Paul addresses the two critiques against his ministry by using biographical instruction. First, that he is not a full Apostle (Galatians 1:11-24) Second, that his is not the full Gospel, he is not preaching the whole truth (2:1-10).
* Philippians – Paul really takes advantage of his situational info to teach some key truths in 1:12-26, which then leads into the main proposition of the epistle for the final verses of chapter 1.
* 1 Thessalonians – Notice that Paul’s biographical section extends to the end of chapter 3! The main body of the letter doesn’t arrive until the fourth chapter . . .
Letter Frame – Preacher’s Treasure 2
Last time I looked at the “standard” opening of New Testament epistles. I suggested we should look at what is added to the bare bones and where the bare bones structure is changed. One other thought is to notice where the opening is entirely missing and ponder why that may be the case. For instance, Hebrews is minimal when it comes to its letter frame (just an epistolary postscript added at the end) – many scholars would now agree that this is because Hebrews is really a sermon rather than an epistle.
Let’s ponder a couple of possibilities when it comes to preaching an epistle opening:
1. Preaching the Opening as Thematic Overview – eg. 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Paul gives the normal sender, recipients, greetings and gratitude opening. But what he adds at every point points the reader to themes that will follow in the letter itself. After gently highlighting his apostolic authority and connection in verse 1, notice the following pointed material:
* Holiness – He identifies an apparently unholy church as sanctified and called to be saints. (v2a)
* Unity – To a church acting in arrogant isolation, he points out the unity of the global church. (v2b)
* Spiritual Gifts – He writes of the grace-gifts of God to them for their enriching when they were misusing spiritual gifts in a way that did not honour Christ. (v3-7a)
* Final State – To a church convinced they were already living in some sort of final state of “spiritual resurrection” and heavenly party, Paul mentions Christ’s future return. (v7b-8)
* Trinitarian Fellowship – He writes to a church that has misunderstood the role of the Spirit to be a marker of their spiritual arrival, rather than the One who is sent by God to bond them in fellowship to Christ the Son.
Preaching this opening with attention to content can offer a great introduction to the letter as a whole, and a sense of cohesion to a letter often treated as disconnected blocks of material.
Next time I’ll offer a couple of other examples of how a letter opening can offer more than a section to skim in order to get into the meat of the letter.
Letter Frame – Preacher’s Treasure
The “letter-frame” is a jargon-laden way of referring to the opening and closing of the New Testament epistles. I’d like to ponder these sections for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because they are fully inspired text. The words are worth just as much as the more familiar content of the epistles. Secondly, because they are so often ignored.
Inspired and ignored. Two words that should not be introduced!
“Standard” Openings – it is wise to be slightly wary of “standards” in biblical literature, as if the author was consulting a writer’s guide whenever he wrote. A lot of research has been done on the nature of letters and epistles, and I don’t want to review that here. But let me offer the normal view of the “standard” opening:
Sender, to the recipients, greetings, I thank God . . .
This probably sounds familiar: Paul, to the saints at…, grace and peace, I thank God every time I think of you . . . here are a few introductory preaching thoughts on preaching the introductory thoughts, or at least an introduction to the subject:
1. Notice what is added. Paul could just write “Paul” at the start of each epistle, but typically he adds more. In Galatians he dives in, third word, to address the critique against him. He is an apostle! And he gives details on how that is the case and that he is not alone in what he writes! However, in Philippians, Paul sounds a different note – he and Timothy are servants. To the Corinthians he adds a very generous saintly description of a profoundly unholy group of believers, and then drives straight into another theme by associating them with all believers (something they weren’t clear on!)
2. Notice when the pattern is changed. On all but two occasions Paul is careful to use his opening prayer graciously and significantly. But in Titus he presses into the heart of the matter, perhaps because the epistle is a brief reminder to close friend Titus, rather than a fully developed epistle to less connected friends? And then there is Galatians. Hold on tight! Instead of thanking God on every remembrance of them, Paul is astonished that they are deserting the gospel. They aren’t going to another religion, or giving up on being Christians, or going all worldly. No, they are taking onboard a law-heavy entrance and development plan that is totally against the gospel he preached to them. Result? They are turning from God by their “greater” commitment to godliness (in the flesh).
It is one thing to recognize what is there, but what difference does it make to our preaching? More ideas next time…
Repentance Word Study in Acts
Here is a post looking at a key word in the book of Acts – repent/repentance. We have to be so careful not to import our meanings to a word, but to instead be diligent to see what the author intended to communicate by using the term as he did. Click here to go to the post.
