What resources can help young pastors preach Christ from all of Scripture?

FERGUSON: I will answer with two words: the Gospels. Be mastered by the Gospels, and learn to preach Christ from them.

People want to know how to preach Christ from the Old Testament. You will learn that by knowing how to preach Christ from the Gospels and the Epistles. The Christ of the Epistles is the Christ of the Gospels. However, my observation for young preachers is that the Gospels are the most difficult part of the Bible to preach. Paul is much easier, and we prefer to preach Paul because we can preach his logic. But preaching Jesus Christ, that’s really something. So, soak yourself in the testimony of the Gospels to the Lord Jesus.

THOMAS: I think it was at a Desiring God conference that Dr. Ferguson gave ten points on preaching Christ from the Scriptures. I am pretty sure that is on the internet somewhere. These days, there is an entire spectrum of preaching Christ. On one end, there seems to be an advocacy of seeing Christ in every text so that it almost becomes an allegory rather than a historical narrative. On the other end of the spectrum are the accusations made against John Calvin, that his preaching of the Old Testament was sometimes like a Jewish rabbi. I think that is entirely unfair, and it was made by a disgruntled Lutheran. I would urge anyone to look for Dr. Ferguson’s ten points because that was marvelously insightful for me.

PARSONS: Those studying for vocational ministry need to be well-grounded in hermeneutics. We are not nearly as well-grounded in our methods of interpretation as we need to be. So, ground yourself well in hermeneutics. Spend time studying interpretation and the science of that interpretation. There are many helpful books, both new and old, whether it’s Geerhardus Vos’ Biblical Theology or books by G.K. Beale.

I think the most important thing is getting good commentaries, which are not as easy to come by as some might suggest. Good commentaries do not just allegorize the text and put Christ behind every bush but help show you where the Old Testament fulfillment is made plain in the New Testament. Good commentaries carefully weave the beautiful thread of Scripture’s theology in every passage. So, find good commentaries, and read them diligently.

This is a transcript of Sinclair Ferguson’s, Derek Thomas’, and Burk Parsons’ answers during our Made in the Image of God event and has been lightly edited for readability. To ask Ligonier a biblical or theological question, email ask@ligonier.org or message us on Facebook or Twitter.