Balancing Contemporary Examples with Biblical Truth in Preaching
The Preacher in Ecclesiastes sought "to find out acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth" [4]. This ancient standard captures an enduring tension in Christian proclamation: how to make divine truth accessible without diluting its authority. The question of balancing contemporary examples with biblical truth addresses the preacher's dual responsibility to communicate clearly while maintaining fidelity to Scripture's content and character.
The Apostolic Standard for Teaching
Paul's self-description establishes the foundational priority: "I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity" [2]. The repetition—"truth," "lie not," "verity"—underscores that truthfulness is not one virtue among many but the defining characteristic of Christian proclamation. The warning in 1 Timothy 6:3 sharpens this: "If any man gives different teaching, not in agreement with the true words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the teaching which is in agreement with true religion" [1], he deviates from the apostolic standard. The phrase "true words of our Lord Jesus Christ" anchors all teaching to Christ's own speech, making him the measure of doctrinal fidelity.
This standard does not prohibit illustration or contextualization. Scripture itself employs comparison extensively. The parable, as Smith's Bible Dictionary notes, is "a placing beside, a comparison, a similitude, an illustration of one subject by another" [3], and the term's application ranges from brief proverbs to extended prophetic utterances. Jesus' teaching method demonstrates that truth can be conveyed through earthly images—seeds, coins, sheep—without compromising its divine origin. The issue is not whether to use contemporary examples but how to subordinate them to the biblical message rather than allowing them to displace it.
The Preacher's Character and Method
Sincerity in preaching, according to Torrey's Topical Textbook, should characterize "the preaching of the gospel" [6], standing opposed to "fleshly wisdom" [6]. This distinction matters for the use of contemporary examples. When illustrations arise from genuine pastoral concern and biblical reflection, they serve the text. When they function as rhetorical ornaments designed to display the preacher's cultural fluency or intellectual sophistication, they become expressions of "fleshly wisdom." The difference lies not in the illustration's modernity but in its motive and function.
Adam Clarke's commentary on 1 Corinthians 2:1 addresses this directly. Paul declared "the testimony, the Gospel, of God, not with excellency of speech, not with arts of rhetoric, used by your own philosophers, where the excellence of the speech recommends the matter, and compensates for the want of solidity and truth" [8]. Clarke observes that "the testimony concerning Christ and his salvation is so supremely excellent, as to dignify any kind of language by which it may be conveyed" [8]. The implication is clear: the gospel's inherent power makes rhetorical embellishment unnecessary. Contemporary examples should clarify biblical truth, not compensate for its perceived inadequacy or make it palatable to modern sensibilities.
Speaking Truth in Love
The instruction to speak "the truth in love" [9] provides a crucial qualifier. Clarke explains that "the truth recommended by the apostle is the whole system of Gospel doctrine" and that "this truth, as it is the doctrine of God's eternal love to mankind, must be preached in love" [9]. He adds pointedly: "Scolding and abuse from the pulpit or press, in matters of religion, are truly monstrous. He who has the truth of God has no need of any means to defend or propagate it, but those which love to God and man provides" [9]. This principle governs the selection and deployment of contemporary examples. Illustrations that mock cultural trends, caricature opponents, or pander to congregational prejudices violate the love-requirement even if they are doctrinally accurate.
The balance, then, is not between truth and relevance but between truth spoken lovingly and truth spoken harshly. Contemporary examples can demonstrate love by meeting hearers where they are, addressing real questions, and showing Scripture's applicability to present circumstances. They fail when they substitute cultural commentary for biblical exposition or when they use current events as occasions for venting rather than teaching.
The Prophetic Office and Divine Words
John Gill's commentary on Isaiah 51:16 identifies the passage with Christ's prophetic office: "I have put my words in thy mouth" refers to Christ "by whom grace and truth are come, and by whom God has spoken all his mind and will" [10]. The phrase "my words" emphasizes divine ownership. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown note that in Psalm 40:9, Christ "preached" and "announced good tidings," teaching "the great truths of God's government of sinners" [11]. The preacher's task is to echo these divine words, not to generate novel content. Contemporary examples serve this task when they function as modern parables—earthly stories that illuminate heavenly truth—but betray it when they become the substance rather than the vehicle of the message.
The mediatorial role of Christ, described in Hebrews 8:6 as establishing a covenant "enacted as a law" and "founded on the law, in the spirit and essence of the latter" [12], suggests that gospel preaching maintains continuity with the entire biblical revelation. Contemporary examples that sever this continuity—treating the Bible as a collection of timeless principles detachable from their narrative and covenantal context—misrepresent the gospel's character. Effective illustration connects present experience to the biblical storyline rather than extracting abstract lessons.
Practical Wisdom and Perpetual Use
John Gill's observation on Hebrews 3:15 notes that the repetition of an Old Testament citation "shows, that the words belong to the present times of the Gospel, and contain in them matter of moment, and great concern; and that Scripture instructions and exhortations are of perpetual use" [7]. This principle of "perpetual use" means that Scripture's own examples and exhortations remain relevant across centuries. The preacher's first recourse should be to biblical illustrations, which carry divine authority and model how God himself communicates truth. Contemporary examples supplement but do not replace these.
Proverbs 22:21 states the goal: "To teach you truth, reliable words, to give sound answers to the ones who sent you" [5]. The emphasis on "reliable words" and "sound answers" suggests that effective teaching equips hearers to respond faithfully in their own contexts. Contemporary examples achieve this when they demonstrate how biblical principles apply to present dilemmas, not by offering the preacher's opinions on current events but by showing the text's own logic at work in recognizable situations.
The balance, finally, is less a matter of proportion—how many contemporary examples per sermon—than of priority and function. Biblical truth must govern the selection, interpretation, and application of all illustrative material. Examples drawn from contemporary life serve the text when they clarify its meaning, demonstrate its relevance, and invite obedience. They undermine the text when they become the message's center, when they flatter cultural assumptions, or when they substitute the preacher's wisdom for divine revelation.
Sources
- I Timothy “I Timothy 6:3 (BBE) — If any man gives different teaching, not in agreement with the true words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the teaching which is in agreement with true religion,”
- King James Version “[KJV] 1 Timothy 2:7 — Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Parable — (The word parable is in Greek parable (parabole) which signifies placing beside or together, a comparison, a parable is therefore literally a placing beside, a comparison, a similitude, an illustration of one subject by another.--McClintock and Strong. As used in the New Testament it had a very wide application, being applied sometimes to the shortest proverbs, (1 Samuel 10:12; 24:13; 2 Chronicles 7:20) sometimes to dark prophetic utterances, (Numbers 23:7,18; 24:3; Ezekiel 20:49) sometimes to enigmatic maxims, (Psalms 78:2; Proverbs 1:6) or metaphors expand”
- Ecclesiastes “Ecclesiastes 12:10 (ASV) — The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth.”
- Proverbs “To teach you truth, reliable words, to give sound answers to the ones who sent you? -- Proverbs 22:21”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Sincerity — Christ was an example of -- 1Pe 2:22. Ministers should be examples of -- Tit 2:7. Opposed to fleshly wisdom -- 2Co 1:12. Should characterise Our love to God. -- 2Co 8:8,24. Our love to Christ. -- Eph 6:24. Our service to God. -- Jos 24:14; Joh 4:23,24. Our faith. -- 1Ti 1:5. Our love to one another. -- Ro 12:9; 1Pe 1:22; 1Jo 3:18. Our whole conduct. -- 2Co 1:12. The preaching of the gospel. -- 2Co 2:17; 1Th 2:3-5. A characteristic of the doctrines of the gospel -- 1Pe 2:2. The gospel sometimes preached without -- Php 1:16. The wicked devoid of -- Ps 5:9; ”
- Hebrews (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Hebrews 3:15: While it is said today,.... Exhort one another, and hold fast Christ and his Gospel, and faith and confidence therein; what follows is a repetition of the citation in Heb 3:7 in order to make a further improvement of it; which shows, that the words belong to the present times of the Gospel, and contain in them matter of moment, and great concern; and that Scripture instructions and exhortations are of perpetual use. in order to make a further improvement of it; which shows, that the words belong to the present times of the Gospel, and contain in them matter of momen”
- 1 Corinthians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 2:1: When I came to you - Acting suitably to my mission, which was to preach the Gospel, but not with human eloquence, Co1 1:17. I declared to you the testimony, the Gospel, of God, not with excellency of speech, not with arts of rhetoric, used by your own philosophers, where the excellence of the speech recommends the matter, and compensates for the want of solidity and truth: on the contrary, the testimony concerning Christ and his salvation is so supremely excellent, as to dignify any kind of language by which it may be conveyed. See the Introduction, Section 2.”
- Ephesians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Ephesians 4:15: But, speaking the truth in love - The truth recommended by the apostle is the whole system of Gospel doctrine; this they are to teach and preach, and this is opposed to the deceit mentioned above. This truth, as it is the doctrine of God's eternal love to mankind, must be preached in love. Scolding and abuse from the pulpit or press, in matters of religion, are truly monstrous. He who has the truth of God has no need of any means to defend or propagate it, but those which love to God and man provides. Grow up into him - This is a continuance of the metaphor taken”
- Isaiah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Isaiah 51:16: And I have put my words in thy mouth,.... His promises and his truths, either in the mouth of his church, and people for them, both to preserve and transmit to future generations, and to publish and declare to the comfort of each other, Isa 59:21 or to the Prophet Isaiah, to make known to the people of Israel; or to Christ himself, the great Prophet in Israel, by whom grace and truth are come, and by whom God has spoken all his mind and will, and in whom all the promises are yea and amen. The doctrines of God, and not men, as appears by their truth, purity, harmony a”
- Psalms (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Psalms 40:9: I have preached--literally, "announced good tidings." Christ's prophetical office is taught. He "preached" the great truths of God's government of sinners.”
- Hebrews (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Hebrews 8:6: now--not time; but "as it is." more excellent ministry--than any earthly ministry. by how much--in proportion as. mediator--coming between us and God, to carry into effect God's covenant with us. "The messenger (angel) of the covenant." which--Greek, "one which" [ALFORD]: inasmuch as being one which. established--Greek, "enacted as a law." So Rom 3:27, "law of faith"; and Rom 8:2; Rom 9:31, apply "law" to the Gospel covenant. It is implied hereby, the Gospel is founded on the law, in the spirit and essence of the latter. upon--resting upon.”