Journal: Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Volume: SBJT 22:3 (Fall 2018)
Article: How Do We Preach Christ from the Old Testament? A Response to Daniel Block, Elliott Johnson, and Vern Poythress
Author: Graeme Goldsworthy

SBJT 22:3 (Fall 2018) p. 117

How Do We Preach Christ from the Old Testament? A Response to Daniel Block, Elliott Johnson, and Vern Poythress

Graeme Goldsworthy

Graeme Goldsworthy served for many years as Lecturer in Biblical Theology, Old Testament, and Hermeneutics at Moore Theological College, Sydney, Australia. He earned his PhD from Union Theological Seminary. Dr. Goldsworthy has written numerous books including The Goldsworthy Trilogy (Paternoster, 2001); Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics (IVP Academic, 2010); Christ-Centered Biblical Theology (IVP Academic, 2012); and The Son of God and the New Creation (Crossway, 2016). Dr. Goldsworthy lives in Brisbane, Australia, with his wife, Miriam. They have four adult children.

In responding to essays by three well-known evangelical preachers, each presenting its author’s perspective on preaching, the question arises “How do they differ from one another?” At the outset I would like to say that, while I have read each essay several times and summarized their arguments, it is possible I have at times misunderstood the authorial intent. If so, I apologize in advance. I can only respond to what I perceive the arguments to be, and to do so in a way that reflects my own views on preaching.

Vern Poythress heads his essay, “Christocentric Preaching,” while Elliott Johnson’s is entitled “Expository Preaching and Christo-Promise.” Finally, we have Daniel Block’s essay “Christotelic Preaching.” At first sight, none of these alternative descriptions excludes the others; I see them as different aspects of what I would consider to be an adequate sermon. First, I want

SBJT 22:3 (Fall 2018) p. 118

to present some of my own convictions that will largely determine how I view these essays.

I believe the most basic principle that determines our preaching method is our attitude to the inspiration and authority of the Bible. This will be reflected in our Christian theistic worldview, and it has ramifications for all the variables that will affect how we read, understand, and preach biblical texts. The second principle is the unity within the diversity of both the theology and the literature of the Bible. Holy Scripture contains a collection of books that we include under the one cover because the Christian Church has, since the acceptance of the canon, always recognized the underlying important unifying factors that make the canon what it is.

The unity of the Bible involves our attitude to the Old Testament (OT) and how it relates to the New (NT). The doctrinal confession of my own (Anglican) denomination asserts: “The Old Testament is not contrary to the New: for both in the Old and New Testament everlasting life is offered ...