As a divinity student in 1980 I came across the term 'exegesis' in reference to the exegesis of Scripture. It means 'drawing out' the meaning of a written text and Scripture in particular. I became aware of the opposite process – people reading into Scripture their own opinion and thus putting into Scripture something that …
Category: Bible Exegesis
Sermon preparation
Some bullet points on sermon preparation. 1. Have an interesting introduction. In Lectures to My Students, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, 'the prince of 19th-century preachers', says that every notice should have the word “Attention!” at the top; and so every sermon should call attention to the topic of the sermon. It should be composed last, when …
Titles in the book of Psalms
Are the Titles in the first verse of many of the Psalms part of Scripture? Frequently one finds people omitting the titles when reading the Psalms publicly. Presumably they do not think that these titles are part of Scripture. This arises because the title in some popular versions of the Bible is made a separate …
What is the leaven of Herod?
Jesus warned His disciples: 'Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod' Mk 8:15. What does Jesus' mean by the leaven of Herod? The leaven of Herod is conjoined to and contrasted with the leaven of the Pharisees (which is hypocrisy Lk 12:1, a rigorous religious legalism, which …
New pope of Rome answers questions
I used to say that the Roman Catholic pope in Rome never answers questions, and is not accountable to others. At least, he now answers questions. During the resignation of Ratzinger from the Roman papacy, a discussion on BBC Scotland asked the question whether the job was too much for one man. A papal advisor, …
Husbands are to study
1Cor 14:34-35: "Let your women keep silence in the churches: and let them ask their husbands at home." Application: this is not so much a restriction on the wife, as a requirement on the husband to study. John Knox on asking questions after sermons: “Everie week once, the Congregation assemble to heare som place of the …
Discerning the Lord’s body
"He that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." The apostle Paul's epistle to the Corinthians 1Cor 11:29 There are various interpretations of this text and its neighbouring context. Christian exegesis There is a difference between exegesis and Christian exegesis because there are specific biblical principles employed …
Wise preaching
The wise king Solomon's advice on preaching: Ecc 12:10“the preacher sought”: a good preacher studies how to put across his teaching in an acceptable and memorable manner. “acceptable words”: to speak in a manner which will be well received by his hearers. This does not mean pleasing words, which will not upset people, but it …
Vain worship of God and a mark of effective Christianity
Jesus teaches about worshipping God in vain: 'in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men' Mk 7:7. Vain worship is empty worship, devoid of proper content, but this is not the emphasis of the Greek word used here, which points to the 'fruitless activity' of such worship. It points to …
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The kingdom of heaven
The kingdom of heaven is not the same as the kingdom of God, as some preachers and commentators erronously assert. The kingdom of heaven is that kingdom on God’s earth in which heaven is interested, which heaven promotes, with Christ as its King. It is that spiritual kingdom on earth which acts as the portal …
Donald's Thoughts 