The great Princeton theologian B. B. Warfield once said, “The systematic theologian is pre-eminently a preacher of the gospel.” The preacher’s task is the theologian’s task. The theologian’s task is the preacher’s task.

Paul commented on the relationship between preaching and systematic theology when he made a final report to the Ephesian elders, recorded in Acts 20. In his daily ministration and regular instruction, Paul presented to them the whole counsel of God. The Westminster divines properly defined that labor when they wrote, “The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture” (WCF, 1.6). That definition is a basic summary of systematic theology.

Each week, a preacher faces the challenge to prepare at least one, if not two, sermons. There are a number of approaches he can employ to fulfill his task. In an effort to help his people, he might preach through a series of biblical topics, which he knows would encounter pressing needs. Often, he will select a book of the Bible and expound it verse by verse. No matter the approach a preacher decides is best for his congregation, systematic theology is essential. So, how ought the preacher to go about this weekly task in a manner that satisfies his responsibilities as a theologian?

Biblical Theology

The preacher faces a number of complexities when he sets out to present the whole counsel of God from a book of the Bible. The issues are similar whether he is preparing a sermon on Old Testament historical narrative, wisdom literature, a minor prophet, a New Testament historical narrative, the complex teaching of Hebrews, or even John’s Apocalypse.

Each book of the Bible is written by a human author situated in a historical milieu. The preacher’s first task is to take the congregation by the hand and help them trace the unfolding development of God’s Word up until that epoch of special revelation. If the preacher finds himself in an OT text, his task is to explain to the congregation how the Israelites thus far have (or have not) grasped God’s character, their marred and fallen human nature, and God’s call to walk on the earth and worship Him.

If the preacher is in the NT, the entirety of OT revelation must be noticed looming just beneath the surface. The preacher must also bear in mind that there is development even within the few decades it took for the writing of the NT. Each of the Gospel writers, for example, yearned to detail Christ’s story from a distinct perspective for a different audience. Likewise, each NT letter stands in unique beauty. The NT epistles were written into specific ecclesiastical situations, with all the weight of previous revelation brought to bear upon practical dilemmas such as divisions within the church body, the travails of young and inexperienced ministers, and even dietary matters, to name only several.

The task of the preacher as theologian is first to zoom out and understand where this passage falls in the drama of redemption, then to zoom in and see how the weight of revelation falls upon this moment in redemptive history, and then to lift his eyes and see the revelational ripples of what is to come. This is the biblical-theological aspect to the preacher’s task as he begins any series of sermons. From this foundation, he moves to exegesis.

Exegesis

In the next step, the preacher performs the exegetical work of determining the best original text, producing a translation from that language, and studying the lexicographical nuances of the words in the chosen passage. In his lexicographical study, the pastor is attempting to grasp the shades of meaning for significant words in the passage. He wants to understand the grammatical movements in the original language of the text, drawing the meaning of the author out from the text.

With the foundation now laid in biblical theology and exegesis, the preacher is ready to open the fragrant flower of the passage systematically.

Systematic Theology

Systematic theology is the thread that holds a competent preacher’s sermon together. The first caution, especially for (but not limited to) younger preachers, is that the preacher does not need to unfold all the layers of systematic theology in every sermon. A bouquet of flowers arranged with care, simplicity, and discernment exudes more beauty than a mountainous heap of every flower available. Many earnest theologians in their often well-founded excitement leave the congregation staring at a heap of flowers. Let me provide an example of how systematic theology might be used in a sermon.

In John 10:30, Jesus says that “I and the Father are one.” If the preacher has that statement in his biblical text, then he needs to explain that the Father and the Son are not one person. It took the church a number of centuries to determine the precise relationship between the first two persons of the Trinity. Many Christians truly may wrestle with the relationship between the Father and Son. To misunderstand that relationship could lead a believer into Sabellianism and then out of the church. For the preacher to explain the nature of the relationship between the Father and the Son is not a superfluous exercise of an ivory-tower theologian. It is integral to comprehending that part of God’s holy Word and also protects the flock from grave danger.

Application

The last aspect of the theologian preacher’s task is the application of these truths to the congregation. This is where the artistry of preaching comes to the fore. The preacher’s delightful burden is to aid the congregation to know, and thus to live, the truth of God’s revelation. The NT teaches that right knowing and right living are intimately connected. Peter teaches that the more one advances in the knowledge of God, the more one is blessed by God. Second Peter 1:2 says, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” There is a connection between receiving God’s grace, the believer’s peace, and the believer’s knowing God.

First, we know God with our head. When it comes to knowing God with the mind, a congregation cannot have too many sermons or Bible studies. We study His names, titles, and attributes. The preacher has much academic work to do properly to expound a part of God’s Word, yet the goal is never simply to produce a scholastic lecture. On top of our intellectual knowledge, we also know God with our hearts. The two go together like a hand in a glove. In the next chapter (2 Pet. 2:20), Peter combines knowing Christ with specific actions—it is to escape worldly defilements. To know Christ is to love Christ and also to obey Christ.

Conclusion

The theologian’s/preacher’s task is to move the hearts and minds of men and women more deeply to love God through Christ. This is a work of the Holy Spirit, but it is accomplished through the means of words—words preached from the pulpit, taught in Bible studies, and prayed for in public and private worship.

As mentioned, there is a delightful burden that this task carries with it. The systematician must fully comprehend the vast riches of the divine revelation that is the source of his exhortation. But native intellectual ability is far from enough. He must have the truths of Scripture sweep through the hidden cobwebs of his own heart and mind. They must thrill him before he can speak of their sweetness to others. God’s people need to know that the preacher lives close to the Revealer who has opened Himself to us in the Word. God’s people need to know that their preacher is like the Apostle John—truly a beloved disciple.

Since the Scriptures are God’s oracles, unfold His incomprehensible majesty, unveil the mystery of His deep will, and articulate the unmerited mercy of His grace, then systematic theology cannot be a cold academic subject. While systematic theology helps the reader to grow in theological under-standing, its primary purpose is a means to growing in love and the knowledge of God. It must first transform the theologian and then his hearers. It will use all the wealth of knowledge from the other theological disciplines to present to God’s people nothing short of the whole counsel of God.