One of my very favorite preachers, Dr. Liam Goligher of Tenth Presbyterian (PCA) in Philadelphia, recently shared an article written by Dr. Craig Carter of Tyndale University, Toronto. I mentioned this article in my Midweek class, “Listening to sermons, skillfully,” as we were discussing whether or not a sermon should have a single theme/idea. I regularly state a Big Idea in my sermons, drawn from the theme of the Scripture text itself. 

Gwilym Davies (who may be Welsh!), delivered a talk called, “Reflections on the Theological Interpretation of Scripture (TIS).” It’s a very good talk. Gwilym is an excellent preacher and teacher, and he’s also a member of staff at St. Helen’s Bishopsgate, London, one of my favorite churches. In his talk, he argues that a Scripture text, properly understood, has a single clear meaning. Take a listen. 

A pastor at East London Tabernacle Baptist Church, Graham Shearer, heard Gwilym’s talk, liked it, but wondered what Craig Carter would think. He knew that Craig Carter would have a reaction. After all, he has recently published a book on the subject of biblical interpretation which Gwilym does not especially like. 

Gwilym Davies believes that it is appropriate for a preacher to recognize that there is a single meaning of a text. To him, this is an appropriate function of a “theological interpretation” that takes into account the original setting of the text, the literariness of the text, the way in which the text relates to other parts of the Bible, as well as the Christ-centered purpose of the text for every era.  

Davies says that there is a divine intent of Scripture that tells us how to properly read the human author, without any incompatibility between the divine and human author. Similarly, there is no separation between a literal and spiritual interpretation as if God intends mutually independent meanings. So, for instance, should our understanding of Isaiah 53 have anything to do with Jesus and the cross? An Evangelical preacher ought to echo John (Jn. 12.38) and Peter (1 Pet. 2.22-25) and Philip (Ac. 8.32-35) and say, “yes!” 

In this regard, it does seem that Gwilym Davies has a stronger claim than Craig Carter to interpret Scripture the way Calvin and the Reformers did. In the Midweek discussion in “Listening to sermons, skillfully,” I deferred again to Haddon Robinson’s case for preaching biblical sermons that have a single Big Idea (see Biblical Preaching, 17ff). A single theme for the sermon, drawn from a single theme of the text, still seems the proper application of a theological interpretation of Scripture.