A Moratorium on Moralism, Part 2

Leaving Christ Out of His Story

Read Part 1.

Antidote of Moralism

I feel that I have spent enough time pointing out the dangers of moralistic preaching. Now let us consider the antidote. Jesus Christ is the only solution to this epidemic that is sweeping our churches, camps, conferences, retreats, and evangelistic crusades. In an article about the need for Christ-centered preaching, Phil Johnson writes, “The only remedy, and (I believe) the best recipe for revival in the church, is a powerful wave of biblical preaching and biblical theology in which we recognize and proclaim Christ as the center and focus of everything God’s word has to say.”[24] But this statement is where things get a little sticky. Many leaders in our circles are very hesitant to say that Jesus is “the center and focus of everything God’s Word has to say.” Either you believe that statement and you preach like you believe it, or you preach moralism. There is no middle ground. The only solution to ridding your messages of moralism is to make sure that Jesus is at the center of every one of them.

One of the most helpful books on this topic has been Bryan Chapell’s Christ-Centered Preaching. However, I have been hesitant to quote from it here because when I have done so in the past, I have been accused of just jumping on the latest homiletical bandwagon. I have had men say to me, “I know you read a book on this, but it just isn’t that easy.” Chapell’s book has not been my only resource in coming to this conclusion, but I will gladly admit that he probably had the first and greatest impact on my thinking about preaching. After reading his book years ago, I found that the things he said were being said by many others as well.

Not a Passing Fad

Furthermore, it is not just covenant theologians who are saying that Jesus Christ is at the center of everything the Bible has to say. Michael Barrett, a former professor at Bob Jones University, wrote the book Beginning at Moses. He said, “Understanding the Old Testament is also impossible without reference to Christ. He is the key that unlocks all the mysteries of the Old Testament. This is not speculation; this is the teaching of the New Testament, both by direct statement and by example.”[25] When I say what Barrett wrote, I usually get accused of wanting to spiritualize everything. That’s not at all what I am after. I have no desire to twist and contort the text of Scripture. But neither am I satisfied to simply talk about what Gideon did right and not say a word about Christ. Toward the end of his book, Barrett seems to agree:

If we are going to understand the Bible, it helps, as it does regarding any book, to know its central theme and primary purpose. On the authority of the words of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (Luke 24:25-47), I suggest that Christ is the central theme and message of all Scripture, including the Old Testament. This does not mean that He is the only theme, but it does mean that in one way or another every other theme and topic addressed in Scripture relates in some way to Christ. It means that every other theme can be interpreted, understood and applied properly only in the light of Christ. That’s what being a central theme means.[26]

Every theme can only be interpreted properly in light of Christ! That is a bold statement. But I am deeply convinced of its truth and the unmatched power that it offers our preaching when applied. And many other preachers are convinced as well. C.J. Mahaney writes, “Only the person who understands that the cross is the center of all human history can understand the Old Testament… . To be a true student of the ancient books of Scripture, we never move on from the gospel. Everything in the Old Testament points toward Jesus Christ and enriches our understanding of the cross, just as Jesus Himself explained.”[27]

Not only is a Christ-centered approach the only way to make sense of the Scriptures. It is the only way for our hearers to progress in their sanctification. As Chapell puts it, “The distinctive of the Christian faith is that God provides the way to himself because we cannot make our way to him. This is just as true for progressive sanctification as it is for original justification.”[28] You only help sinners as much as you point them to Christ—not Samson, David, Daniel, or Paul. Moralism will only lead them into more failure. The law will just remind them that they sin. Only Christ can make them victorious over sin. Owen writes, “Mortification is based particularly upon the death of Christ. This is one of the main purposes of the death of Christ and shall assuredly be accomplished by it. He died to destroy the works of the devil. Both our fallen nature, as a result of Satan’s temptation in the Garden of Eden, and the strength of his continued suggestions in daily life, were destroyed by the works of Christ! He died to destroy it all.”[29] In other words, if you want to help your men gain victory over lust, don’t point them to Samson and say, “Don’t be like this guy.” Point them to Christ who “died to destroy the works of the devil.” If you want to help your teens resist the urge to do whatever it takes to be accepted by their peers, don’t point them to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and say, “Be like these guys.” Point them to Christ who died to destroy Satan’s “continued suggestions in daily life.” Christ is their only hope, and we must believe that truth with every fiber of our being. Or we should not be preaching.

A Call to Christ-Centered Preaching

So this is my plea. To all who would preach the Word of God, do not stand before God’s sheep until you are fully prepared to commend their Shepherd and to urge them to follow Him. Your sermon is not complete until it finds its center in the risen Christ. After engaging a group of Christian leaders in this discussion recently, I heard a pastor remark, “I don’t believe you need the word ‘Jesus’ in every message you preach to Christians. He is implied.” I could not disagree more vehemently. First, if our idea of correcting our moralistic sermons is to tack on the word “Jesus,” we would be better off not doing anything at all. At least then we would not be taking His name in vain. But even more importantly, if we think it is sufficient to “imply” Jesus in our sermons, we will destroy the work of faith in our congregations. They will resort to what every human being has ever resorted to throughout history: themselves. And they will try harder and harder until they find themselves in hell. Our sermons have the potential to deliver or to damn, and Jesus Christ is the only one who will make the difference. There are plenty of voices out there preaching morals. “But we preach Christ.”[30]

Josh Larsen graduated from Northland Baptist Bible College (Dunbar, WI) in 2001 with a degree in youth ministries. He has spent the last seven years in both vocational and lay ministry. Currently a realtor in the Denver area, he plans to serve wherever his gifts allow as a member of Providence Bible Church. He lives in Lakewood, Colorado with his wife, Katie, and two boys, Jason and Braedon.