Here at GBS, we are firmly and unapologetically committed to expository preaching. That is, we are committed to preaching the Bible book-by-book and verse-by-verse. Our aim in preaching is to reveal the mind of God—his truth and wisdom—as it is laid out in the Bible. This means that we take a literal-historical-grammatical approach to the text of Scripture, seeking to expose the authorial intent of the passage, so that we can make wise and practical use of its wisdom in our lives.

Why expository preaching?

We preach expositonally because we believe that the source and purpose of Bible demand it. We believe the Bible is—in all its parts—the very words of God. Therefore, it is infallible and inerrant in what it says. Listen to what the Bible says of itself in 2 Timothy 3:16:

“All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.”

Because the words of the Bible are sourced in God

The truth of this passage is at the heart of our conviction for why we are committed to expositional preaching. Note what this verse says about the Scriptures (Old and New Testaments). It says it is “God breathed.” That means the words in our Bible are sourced in God. Contrary to what many believe, the Bible is not the product of man’s thought and imaginations (Exodus 4:10-12; Ezekiel 2:7; 2 Pet 1:19-21). It is the word of God. The term “God-breathed” literally means that the words of the Bible are breathed out from God, they are the very words that proceed from His mouth. This means, unequivocally, that God is the source of the Bible, not man. And, since God is holy, righteous, pure, and without error, His words must also reflect these same characteristics.

Because the words of the Bible are for the benefit of man

In addition to the Bible being sourced in God, this verse also tells us that Bible is for the benefit of man. Note it is “profitable.” This word literally means beneficial or useful. In His mercy and kindness, God has revealed His truth and will to man to aid him in all of life. The greatest help he receives from the Bible is God’s wisdom for salvation, life, and godliness. Notice what Paul says in verse 15 prior to our verse: “the sacred writings (the Bible, the Scriptures) which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” There it is. God has given us His word to reveal to us knowledge and wisdom that is most essential and consequential to our lives. Note what the psalmist says in Psalm 19:7-11:

“The law of Yahweh is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of Yahweh is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of Yahweh are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of Yahweh is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of Yahweh is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of Yahweh are true; they are righteous altogether.            They are more desirable than gold, even more than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your slave is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.” (LSB)

The truth revealed about the word of God by the psalmist in the OT is the same truth being revealed by the apostle Paul in our passage. The Bible is for the essential benefit of man. It is man’s access to the wisdom and knowledge of God.

Teaching

This is what Paul means when he says that the Scriptures are “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” The word “teaching” refers to truth. Truth about God, man, sin, salvation, judgment, creation, etc. The Bible is truth. Jesus said in John 17:17, “Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.”

Reproof

Not only does the Bible reveal truth to us, but it also exposes error in us. To reprove someone is to show them their error, their wrong. In the case of the Bible, it reveals to us our greatest error—sin. Sin against a holy God. So, think about this: God has revealed His word to man to reveal to him that he is wrong. Why? Because man is blindly and ignorantly lives with the assumption that he is right. But, as Proverbs 14:12 says: “There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end is the way of death.” Man, in his sin is ignorant of this reality. He is simple in this most crucial regard and must be made wise about the wrongness and destructive end of his way. The Bible can do that. Psalm 19:7, “The testimony of the Yahweh is sure, making wise the simple.”

Correction

Thankfully, not only does the Bible tell man that he is going in the wrong direction, but it also points Him in the right direction—the way of salvation and rescue from eternal destruction through faith in Jesus Christ. Initially, God’s word is corrective to sinners in this way. It exposes His wrong and reveals what is the right way—the way of salvation. This way begins with faith in Jesus Christ. Again, 2 Timothy 3:15: “the sacred writings (the Bible, the Scriptures) which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

Training in righteousness

The benefit of the word is not merely an initial one, but an ongoing kind. All along life’s way the follower of Christ needs to the truth of Gods word to train him or her in righteousness, a holy life. This is sanctification. Having come to a saving knowledge of Christ, a person is indwelt and sealed by the Holy Spirit and the journey of progressive sanctification begins. The primary tool the Holy Spirit uses to accomplish this is the word of God—God’s truth. John 17:17, “Sanctify them by the truth.” Followers of Christ need the unvarnished truth of God’s word for their sanctification, their ongoing training in righteousness. They need truth, reproof, correction, and training ongoingly. This is the ongoing work God does in the life of His people by His Spirit. (See Rom 12:1-2).

So What?

What does all this information have to do with expository preaching? Everything! You see, what this passage teaches is that the word of God is vital for salvation and sanctification. In other words, an essential component of the Christian life is the word of God. Believers need to feed on it regularly. Jesus said in Matt 4:4, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” There it is. Life is sustained by more than just bread and water; we need God’s truth. Before breathing his last, in 2 Timothy 4:2, the apostle Paul commissioned Timothy with these words: “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and teaching.”

Think About It

It is very interesting to note that Paul tells Timothy to do in his preaching what the word of God is profitable for. In other words, Tiomthy is commanded to preach and teach in such a way that profitability of the word is realized. The point here is not that Timothy does not have the license to call people to submit to whatever he wishes. No, he is to preach “the word.” Not His mind, the Sunday newspaper, culturally relevant articles from the New York Times. He is under divine obligation, accountability, and scrutiny to preach God’s truth. Thus, his preaching of any passage must reflect the text. If the text is reproving, Timothy must reprove. If it is rebuking, he must rebuke. The only way this can possibly be accomplished is expository preaching. The kind of study (2 Tim 2:15) and preaching that seeks to expose the original meaning of the text, in order to wisely apply it to the life. This is our aim and goal at GBS, as we preach book-by-book and verse-by-verse.