aBeLOG
Welcome to the aBeLOG, a series of (hopefully!) fortnightly posts on all matters homiletical. I intend to touch on whatever grabs my attention regarding preaching—issues contemporary and ancient, ideas hermeneutical and rhetorical, personalities conservative and liberal, publications antiquarian and avant-garde. Essentially, I’m going to follow my own homiletical olfactory instincts up rabbit trails and after red herrings. Comments are always invited and appreciated.
1 Timothy 5:1–16
God’s people care for the needy both personally within their own households, and also corporately within the divine household, focusing upon those deserving ones who are believers, who have lived godly lives with a reputation for good works, and who are engaging in the community’s worship.
That God’s people shout treat one another as family members, as befitting their joint membership in the divine household, is established at the start (5:1–2).
The discourse on
Long-Term Preaching!
Folks, here’s a recent article published in Southern Seminary’s journal, Southern Equip, discussing long-term preaching: “Preaching for the Long Haul.” (For more details, see my A Manual for Preaching: The Journey from Text to Sermon, Baker, 2019.)
Coming soon …!
FYI, for those looking for a commentary on the Psalter—three volumes, dealing with all 150 psalms, a little over 1,000 pages—that aids preaching!
Coming soon … (i.e., should be available for order/purchase the next 3–4 months).
More info (and endorsements) here.
Spread the word … and let me retire!
1 Timothy 4:1–16
God’s people nourished on scriptural teaching engage intensely in spiritual discipline, persevering in modeling Spirit-directed, Scripture-based godliness, ensuring future reward for themselves.
After providing requirements for godly leaders in: 1 Tim 3:1–16, this section contains both negative and positive exhortations to a leader: broadly, advice regarding false teaching (4:1–7a; how to avoid the negative) and advice for personal ministry (4:7b–16; how to follow
1 Timothy 3:1–16
Corporate conduct in the divine household is to be guided by leaders characterized by virtue, modeling exemplary traits for the faith and praxis of every member of the divine household.
This pericope moves from the Epistle’s most recent concern: who should not teach in the corporate context (2:12–15), to its current issue: who should (3:1–7).
It is notable that the elder list commences and concludes with the demand that an elder be “irreproachable” (3:2) and one
1 Timothy 2:8–15
The critical roles of men and women in the serious activity of corporate worship involve: men, being godly, leading prayer in the corporate assembly; women, being godly, learning with deference, at the same time embracing domestic roles and responsibilities.
This section continues what was begun earlier, regarding conduct in a corporate context.
Purity on the part of men praying is what is called for in 2:8. Paul assumes it will be men praying in the corporate context. While
1 Timothy 2:1–7
Corporate prayer for all people is critically important so that all may be redeemed; such prayers please God by furthering his economy, facilitated by the proclamation and teaching for which his people have been appointed.
First Timothy 2, in general, details how Timothy (and other readers) must execute the command Paul had entrusted to him in 1:18–19. First in importance was to be prayer for all people. Indeed, coming after the redeemability of a Paul (1:12–14), of
Abe Kuruvilla is the Carl E. Bates Professor of Christian Preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY), and a dermatologist in private practice. His passion is to explore, explain, and exemplify preaching.