The text-driven preaching model provides an exceptional foundation for preaching the text as re-presenting the author’s intent. The theological foundation of the text-driven preaching model is that God has spoken; the substance elucidates the critical role of exegesis; the structure expounds the linguistic meaning; and the spirit explicates the meaning associated with the feel of the text through genre sensitivity. Nevertheless, the reproof, rebuke, and exhortation (hereafter referred to as the summons) remain neglected from his preaching model.
The lack of emphasis on the summons has left preachers
conflating the ideas of application and summons. J. Josh Smith addressed the
concept of exhortation in his book Preaching for a Verdict: “The
role of exhortation appears to have been overlooked in the past twenty-five
years; however, this has not always been the case in the history of the
pedagogy of homiletics.”[1] The
difficulty in defining the distinction between the two is subtle and discreet
but vitally important.
Paul commanded Timothy to reproof, rebuke, and exhort in
connection with preaching the Word. The appeal of the summons is to the
trivium—mind, emotions, and will—that must be anchored to the Word of God. The
reproof of the text establishes the convincing of the mind, the rebuke of the
text convicts the emotions, and the exhortation of the text demands the hearer
to respond in the action of the will. The summons, then, is the call to adjust
one’s view of God, deepen affections against sin and toward Christ, and resolve
towards holiness. Preaching the Word of God leads to life transformation of the
whole person—mind, emotions, and will.
The summons within the text is the truth about God that the
author is commending his hearers. Scripture is the divine revelation of who God
is and what he has done. From that understanding, the exhortation of the text
commands readers to respond—either walking in obedience or transforming how
they see God. That is to say, the passage’s main idea should dictate the call
to respond. Given that the whole of Scripture reveals Christ, the call to
respond should also flow from the substance, the structure, and the spirit of
the text. Therefore, the summons of the text naturally draws from the
redemptive nature of the cross. The gospel must be present in the expositor’s
mind while exegeting the text.
The “Whatness” of the Text
The summons stands apart from application as the “what”
truth about God within the text. The application delves into the
contextualization of that truth in the “howness” of living out that truth. This
“whatness” about God is what the author has anchored to the main idea and is
commending his hearers to respond. Scripture is the divine revelation of who
God is and what he has done. From that understanding, the summons of the text
commands the reader to respond to the truth proclamations about God—either through
walking in obedience or through transformation of how they see God. Therefore,
the summons of the text naturally draws from the redemptive nature of the
cross—salvation and sanctification. Bryan Chapell wrote, “Accurate expositors
use a magnifying glass and a fish-eye lens, knowing that a magnifying glass can
unravel mysteries in a raindrop but fail to expose a storm gathering on the
horizon.”[2] The
summons must align first with the pericope of the passage preached as well as
with a more excellent canonical view. This is to ensure biblical consistency
with the whole of Scripture. Therefore, the conviction of the centrality of the
gospel in preaching must be unmistakable. Paul commends preaching the Word—the
message of Christ—and in preaching, the Word must reprove, rebuke, and exhort.
Specifically, the summons of the text is the truth statement
revealed in Scripture exhorting the hearer to respond.[3] As
elucidated in Scripture, the truth statement about the person and work of
Christ commands the hearer to respond. Connected to the text’s main idea is
what the Holy Spirit commands of the hearer—change in mind, heart, and will.
Foundationally, the truth of Christ compels the hearer to either (1) respond in
faith to Christ for salvation or (2) respond in deeper commitment to Christ
through sanctification.[4] The
summons should stand upon the passionate persuasion of the preacher grounded
in the ethos, logos, and pathos of the
text-driven exposition. The effect is to stay faithful to the text to
allow the Holy Spirit to call draw upon the hearer’s mind, emotions, and will
(through reproof, rebuke, and exhortation). The key focus of the summons is to
fully capture the text-driven sermon so that the natural conclusion rests upon
the Holy Spirit-inspired summons of the text.
The “Howness” of the Text
Furthermore, the application involves moving from the
summons—the what to do—to the practical application of the hearer—the how to do
it. It is taking truths outlined in Scripture and applying them to the daily
life of the hearer. The main idea of the text-driven sermon strives to address
the meaning of the text. That main idea revealed that Christ calls the hearer
to change through salvation or greater sanctification. Capturing the summons of
the text leads to application for the hearer. The application is the part where
the preacher connects the theological and biblical truths presented in the
message to the everyday lives of the congregation, offering concrete steps and
insights on how to live out these truths.
A point of caution is warranted. When the application comes
apart from capturing the summons, the audience’s felt needs circumvent the
priority of Scripture. Every summons leads to an application as its outcome,
but not all applications are directly tied back to the original summons. While
application seeks to inspire and urge action within the hearer’s lives, only
the text’s summons offers the universal, Holy Spirit-inspired power through
which lasting change occurs.
Conclusion
At the heart of the summons lies the whole counsel of
Scripture—reproof, rebuke, and exhortation. The summons calls for clarity in
understanding the nuanced distinction between the summons and the application.
The summons is what the text commands of the hearer—what to do. The application
contrasts how the hearer applies the summons to their lives—how to do it.
Proper understanding of the summons simply reinforces the meaning of the text
derived from the work of the substance, structure, and spirit of the text. In
the same manner that the substance, structure, and spirit inform the meaning,
the summons serves to illuminate the truth of God therein. Thus, textually
faithful interpretations must embody the transformative nature of the text. The
hearers must become the doers thereby bearing fruitfulness as a witness of the
Holy Spirit actively living in their life.
[1] J.
Josh Smith, Preaching for a Verdict: Recovering the Role of Exhortation
(Nashville: B & H, 2019), 11.
[2]
Bryan Chapell, "Introduction," in Homiletics and Hermeneutics: Four Views on
Preaching Today, ed. Scott M. Gibson and Matthew D. Kim (Grand Rapids:
Baker, 2018), 5.
[3]
Peter Adam, Speaking God’s Words: A Practical Theology of Preaching
(Vancouver: Regent College, 1996), 24–25.
[4] Smith,
Preaching for a Verdict, 26–28.
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