Expository Preaching: More Than Verse-by-Verse

Many people claim to believe in expository preaching, but they often have different interpretations of what it means.

Some people think that expository preaching means going verse-by-verse through a passage and explaining the details of the text. Some people call this the continuous exposition or the running commentary method. To be sure, this is a form of expository preaching, but it's not the only way.

This method of preaching has its strengths. “Verse-by-verse preaching possesses a long, storied tradition,” writes Steve Mathewson. Preachers like Nehemiah, Origen, John Chrysostom, Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Harry A. Ironside, and Martyn Lloyd-Jones have used it throughout the centuries.

Mathewson lists the strengths of this approach:

• It digs deeply into the text.
• It leads the preacher to follow the contours of the text rather than an artificial outline.
• It tends to reveal the author's intent rather than to impose an idea upon the text.

But this method faces some challenges too, according to Mathewson. Verse-by-verse preaching can miss the bigger picture by concentrating too much on individual verses, which can confuse listeners about the overall message. It can sometimes overload their sermons with technical details and linguistic information while neglecting practical application for modern life. It’s slow, causing preachers to focus on one Bible book for years, which may limit the congregation's exposure to other Scriptures.

Verse-by-verse preaching can be helpful, but it’s not the only way. “Perhaps it has failed as much in the hands of its friends as at the hands of an enemy,” writes Haddon Robinson. “Verse-by-verse preaching resembles playing a saxophone—it is easy to do poorly.”

Verse-by-verse preaching is a method of expository preaching, but it’s not the only one. Expository preaching exposes the meaning of a particular Scripture passage, and then applies the meaning to the listeners’ lives. It allows the main message of the text to also be the main message of the sermon.

You know you’ve listened to a good expository message when the preacher has allowed the text to shape the sermon. Effective expository preaching clearly presents the main idea of the text, explains its development, and shows its relevance to our lives today. This preaching approach emphasizes that the text should guide everything, but it doesn’t always go through each verse in order.

Expository preaching is the parent; verse-by-verse preaching is one of its children, but it’s not the only one. You can begin at verse 1 and explain it, then move to the next verse, and then apply it as you go or at the end. But you can also analyze the entire text to identify its main idea and discuss how the argument is presented. Explain its significance, why it holds true, and its implications for our lives.

I wholeheartedly support expository preaching, including verse-by-verse preaching when appropriate. Rejoice when the message is faithfully preached, explained, proven, and applied, guiding people to our Savior. There are various methods for expository preaching, and verse-by-verse preaching is just one option.