When a preacher preaches, they must preach the text. In preaching the text, they wish to apply the text. And to apply the text, they move through theology. But that is not always the case. It may often be the case that theology informs transformation, which is to say theory leads to practice, or a cognitive understanding leads to action grounded in that knowledge. But that is not the only way. It’s more nuanced than that, biblically speaking. Scripture also shows that faithful action, obedience, and a transforming life deepen our knowledge of God.
On the one hand, there will be people who want to get down to the nuts and bolts and do something or change something in their lives, but what they must first realise is that knowledge and affection (awe or fear etc.) are a basis for action. So the person who wants to go away changed from church may feel shortchanged if they receive teaching on the doctrine of the Trinity, or the attributes of God, or the identity and nature of the Son, or an exposition of justification. ‘What do I do with such information?’ they may ask. And the response is that a knowledge of God and an affection such as awe are strong grounds for action.
Alternatively, if someone were to preach or teach about changed lives and the actions that are required—say, for example, that someone were to preach on the Ten Commandments and, during this series, they didn’t always repeat something to the effect that the commandments come after salvation in the narrative—I can so easily see (because I have experienced it) godly and mature Christians not responding appropriately to such a message because, in their minds, the only framework for action is in fact a knowledge of salvation, which must always and only come before and be the grounds for action. To say that it can be the other way around is akin to heresy in some people’s minds—easily confused with some sort of works-based salvation theology, which many Reformed people are extremely sensitive to. This is not a bad instinct because the human compass is pointed toward moralism. But this reflex of the Reformed can mean they miss out or hesitate in the more interdependent nature of knowledge and action in the Christian life.
Moral transformation and action can lead, and do lead, to growing knowledge of God. That’s to say that the more one walks with the Lord, the more one knows and learns about the Lord. And the more one learns about the Lord, the more closely one walks with the Lord. To be sure, salvation is always grounded in Christ; but obedience is one of the means by which believers grow in the knowledge of God. Consider the relationship of knowledge, affections, and actions in 2 Peter chapter 1.
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.” (2 Peter 1:5-9)
This verse is famously difficult to parse out the exact relationship between, and dependence of, knowledge and action. Which comes first? It’s not so easy to answer, which is exactly the point. There is an interdependence. Knowledge of God leads to transformation, all the while transformation leads to deeper knowledge of God.
We see this in Colossians as well.
“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God…” (Colossians 1:9-10)
These passages should shape our preaching, especially if we are rigidly sticking to a preaching framework that insists we must start with theology to then inform practice. That is true and good, but it is not the only true and good way. The passages above can give the preacher opportunity to talk about a transformed life, which would then lead to greater knowledge and awe of God as the application. That might seem backwards, but it’s not alien to the Scriptures. Better still, it may lead to greater maturity in the body of Christ if a more robust framework is used.
Just recently, a minister was talking to me about their church’s financial situation. The church members were not contributing generously to the church financially (as had historically been the case until recently in the church). And he said that he wanted to make sure that their hearts were in the right place before they financially contributed to the church. This position of his led to him not taking up a physical offering until he was more convinced of their heart posture. But I challenged this man and said to him that perhaps the very act of giving financially, and providing that opportunity to do so even before you know their heart posture, will in fact transform their heart. That the action of giving can be a means of the Spirit in changing the heart of the giver– the two need not be at odds. I don’t think I got very far in convincing him. To me, it seemed as though he was creating his own problem, when in fact there was so much more freedom that could have helped if a certain framework of affection before action were not kept so rigidly.
The Bible, for its part, can be systematised, and should be, in order to understand it better. But its genres hint at the variety that should be reflected in our own preaching and teaching and in the styles therein. We see this in the storytelling of the Old Testament, which housed the commandments, and in the gospel narratives, which housed the parables. This one collection of many books, with a single driving narrative and author, is perhaps a good analogy for the preacher and his preaching.
The Bible is not an impersonal to-do list but the very words of the living God through the voices of his people in all their diversity. The Bible itself shows us the very personal nature of God (his word through his people). To this end, in the journey of someone coming to know the Lord, it is often a combination of knowledge and action (in community), of learning about God and ‘trying it out’. It includes sitting under the word in church or Bible study, plus walking alongside other Christians and ‘doing’ the Christian thing. This is not so far from the words of Psalm 34:8, “Taste and see that the LORD is good,” or, in the words of Jesus, “Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” (John 7:17)
Reflections on Simon Gillham’s chapter, “Theological Formation Through the Preached Word: A Biblical-Theological Account,” in the book by Kuhn, C. R. (with Grimmond, P.) (2021), Theology Is for Preaching: Biblical Foundations, Method, and Practice.
Bigvai and Shiphrah 