{
  "id": "dict_001849",
  "term": "Expository Preaching",
  "slug": "expository-preaching",
  "letter": "E",
  "entry_type": "homiletics_term",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Preaching that explains the meaning of a biblical passage and applies that meaning faithfully to hearers.",
  "simple_one_line": "Expository preaching lets the text govern the sermon’s message and application.",
  "tooltip_text": "A text-driven method of preaching in which the sermon arises from careful explanation of a biblical passage and presses its meaning into the lives of hearers.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Hermeneutics",
    "Exegesis",
    "Homiletics",
    "Preaching",
    "Teaching",
    "Scripture",
    "Word of God"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Nehemiah 8:8",
    "Ezra 7:10",
    "Preaching",
    "Exegesis",
    "Hermeneutics"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Expository preaching is the practice of preaching Scripture in a way that explains its meaning in context and applies that meaning to the congregation. In its fullest sense, it seeks to let the Bible set the agenda for the sermon.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A sermon method that draws its main point from a specific biblical text, explains that text in context, and applies it faithfully.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "The sermon is governed by the meaning of the passage.",
    "Sound exposition includes both interpretation and application.",
    "It aims to communicate what the text says, not merely what the preacher prefers.",
    "It may be verse-by-verse or broader, as long as the message remains text-shaped."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Expository preaching unfolds the meaning of a biblical passage in its literary and historical context and applies that meaning clearly to hearers. In conservative evangelical use, it emphasizes that the sermon should be shaped by the text itself rather than by the preacher’s preferences. Faithful expository preaching therefore includes both sound interpretation and appropriate application.",
  "description_academic_full": "Expository preaching is the practice of preaching in which the sermon is governed by the meaning of a biblical text. The preacher explains the passage in context, identifies its intended sense, and then applies that meaning to the hearers with clarity and pastoral force. In conservative evangelical theology, expository preaching reflects the conviction that Scripture is God’s authoritative Word, so preaching should derive its content and thrust from the text rather than from the preacher’s agenda. Christians differ on whether the term should be reserved for strict verse-by-verse preaching or used more broadly for any sermon that remains text-controlled, but the central concern is the same: faithful proclamation that brings out what the passage says and presses it upon the church.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Scripture presents examples of public reading and explanation of God’s Word. In Nehemiah 8, the Law is read and given the sense so the people understand. Ezra is also described as devoted to study, practice, and teaching. In the New Testament, Jesus and the apostles proclaim, explain, and apply the Scriptures as part of their ministry.",
  "background_historical_context": "The term itself is a modern homiletics label, but the practice has deep roots in Jewish synagogue reading and Christian preaching. It has been especially emphasized in Reformation and evangelical traditions that stress the authority, clarity, and sufficiency of Scripture.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Second Temple and synagogue settings included public reading of Scripture and explanation for the hearers. Nehemiah 8 is the clearest biblical picture of reading followed by interpretation so that the people understand the sense of the text.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Nehemiah 8:8",
    "Ezra 7:10",
    "2 Timothy 4:1-2",
    "Acts 20:27"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Luke 24:27",
    "Luke 24:45",
    "2 Timothy 2:15",
    "1 Timothy 4:13",
    "Colossians 1:28"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "No single biblical word corresponds exactly to the modern phrase. The idea is expressed through biblical patterns of reading, explaining, teaching, proclaiming, and exhorting God’s Word.",
  "theological_significance": "Expository preaching serves the doctrine of Scripture by treating the biblical text as the controlling authority for proclamation. It supports the church’s confidence that God addresses his people through his written Word and that sound preaching should make the meaning of that Word plain.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "The method assumes that meaning is found in the text as intended by the author in context, not in the preacher’s imagination or the hearer’s preferences. It therefore prioritizes grammatical-historical interpretation and aims to move from meaning to application without bypassing either step.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Expository preaching is not merely reading a passage and then talking about a preferred topic. Nor does it require a rigid verse-by-verse format in every sermon. The key issue is whether the sermon’s main thrust is controlled by the passage’s meaning and whether application remains faithful to that meaning.",
  "major_views_note": "Some define expository preaching narrowly as sequential exposition of a book or passage; others use it more broadly for any sermon that is text-driven and text-governed. The broader and narrower uses overlap in their shared commitment to letting Scripture shape the sermon.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This term concerns method of preaching, not a separate doctrine of salvation or church order. It should not be used to imply that every non-expository sermon is invalid, but it does affirm the norm that preaching ought to be rooted in Scripture’s meaning and not in human novelty.",
  "practical_significance": "Expository preaching helps congregations hear the whole counsel of God, understand difficult texts in context, and receive application that is tied to Scripture rather than to trends or personalities. It also trains listeners to read the Bible carefully and biblically.",
  "meta_description": "Expository preaching is preaching that explains a biblical text in context and applies its meaning faithfully to hearers.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/expository-preaching/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/expository-preaching.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}