After the wall around Jerusalem had been rebuilt, the people gathered to hear the law read to them. Ezra and the Levites “read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading” (Nehemiah 8:8). What they did was very simple – they read the law and explained it so that the people understood what it meant.
This is the same thing we must do in our preaching today. We want people to understand what God’s word means, but how can we help them do that? We sometimes hear brethren use the phrase “book, chapter, and verse” preaching. This is the kind of preaching that is necessary to accomplish the goal of explaining the Scriptures so that people will understand them. In this article, we will consider why “book, chapter, and verse” preaching is the method we need to use in our preaching.
What Is “Book, Chapter, and Verse” Preaching?
If we are to talk about it, we first need to define our terms. What is “book, chapter, and verse” preaching?
- It is preaching that attempts to accurately represent the truth of God’s word.
- It is preaching that seeks to prove its truthfulness by citing specific passages (book, chapter, and verse) and explaining those passages.
- It is preaching that allows the hearers to locate the passages under consideration and see them for themselves.
Understanding what “book, chapter, and verse” preaching is about, let us now consider why it is necessary.
The Bible Is the Truth
“The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting” (Psalm 119:160).
The psalmist declared that all of God’s word is truth. Jesus said the same in His prayer to the Father: “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:17). If we want to know the truth, we must go to the Bible. God cannot lie (Titus 1:2) and the Bible contains His words (2 Timothy 3:16); therefore, it is true.
The truth contained in the Bible is an unchanging standard. The psalmist said, “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89). Peter also wrote, “‘But the word of the Lord endures forever.’ And this is the word which was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:25). This is in contrast with human opinions that are always changing. We do not want people to follow what we say just because it sounds good. Paul warned of those who would “not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires” (2 Timothy 4:3). The wise man said, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). Our standard is not what sounds good or what seems right to us. Our standard is the word of God. If we want to point people to the truth, we must point them to the Scriptures.
We Have a Divinely-Given Obligation
“Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God” (1 Peter 4:11).
To “speak as the oracles of God” (KJV) is not just to claim to speak for God; it means to speak His words. How is it possible for us to speak the words of God? We cannot know His will unless He reveals it. Paul made this point to the Corinthians: “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:10-12). Therefore, we cannot claim to speak for God if we are not appealing to the Scriptures.
Those who do not “speak as the oracles of God” will be punished. This warning was given regarding false prophets in the old law: “But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die” (Deuteronomy 18:20). Also under the new law, proclaiming a different message will cause one to be accursed. Paul told the Galatians, “As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!” (Galatians 1:9). If we want to fulfill our divinely-given obligation, we must limit ourselves to speaking from the revealed word of God.
We Want to Appeal to Those Who Are Honest
“The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great” (Luke 8:5-8).
“Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. […] But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance” (Luke 8:11, 15).
In the parable of the sower, Jesus described the word being preached to several different types of people. In the end, only one would be fruitful – the one with the “honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15). Once these individuals heard the word, they would hold fast to it. This was what Paul told Timothy to do: “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me” (2 Timothy 1:13; NKJV). However, in order to hold fast to the word of God, these individuals would have to hear it first. This is why preaching is so important (Romans 10:14).
There are people out there with “an honest and good heart.” However, this alone will not do them any good if they do not also hear the word. Paul wrote, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Without hearing the word of God, there will be no faith produced. The Hebrew writer said, “Without faith it is impossible to please [God]” (Hebrews 11:6). Therefore, we must be sowing the seed and do so “as the oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11, KJV). Many will reject this, but those who are honest will accept it. They will be like the Bereans who were “examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). If we do not point these individuals to the Scriptures, we cannot expect them to develop the faith that leads to salvation.
Bibles Are Readily Available
“Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: ‘He was led as a sheep to slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so He does not open His mouth. In humiliation His judgment was taken away; who will relate His generation? For His life is removed from the earth.’
“The eunuch answered Philip and said, ‘Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?’ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him” (Acts 8:30-35).
In our discussion on “book, chapter, and verse” preaching, we should recognize that the Bible does not contain “book, chapter, and verse” preaching. Yet there is a reason for this – chapter and verse divisions were made later and were not in the original writings. This is why inspired men made statements like, “For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: ‘And God rested on the seventh day from all His works’” (Hebrews 4:4; cf. Genesis 2:2). The audience had to be familiar with the word of God to locate the passage under consideration.
However, there is an important principle contained in the account of Philip teaching the eunuch – whenever possible, the one being taught should have the passage under consideration before them. When Philip taught this man, he started with the Scripture that was before him. Today, the Scriptures are widely accessible (in print and digitally). By citing “book, chapter, and verse,” the listener can have the passage in front of them which allows them to test it immediately (cf. Acts 17:11). This means there will be less of an opportunity for the devil to come and take away the word (Luke 8:12) before the hearer can see for himself what the word of God teaches.
Conclusion
Why do we emphasize “book, chapter, and verse” preaching? It is because the Bible is the truth and we have an obligation to accurately represent it when we teach. It is also because we are trying to reach those who are honest and we want them to see the truth for themselves.
Different men have different preaching “styles.” However, this is not a matter of “style.” We do not employ “book, chapter, and verse” preaching because we prefer it. Rather, we use it because this is the type of preaching that needs to be done. If we cannot cite “book, chapter, and verse” for what we believe, teach, and practice, we cannot expect anyone else to accept what we teach.
