One month ago, the evangelical preaching world lost a giant when Dr. Haddon Robinson finished his earthly race. I don’t know of a single preacher in my generation who finished seminary without being exposed to Robinson’s influence. His emphases on faithful Biblical exposition, respect for authorial intent, and a commitment to text-driven sermons have been a blessing to churches across the country, most filled with people who have never heard his name.
One of Robinson’s more well-known claims was that “most heresy tends to take place at the point of application.” By this he meant that many preachers make the mistake of preaching true and useful things which may not be grounded in the authority of the text they are using to teach those principles. At that point, the preacher presumes to anchor an otherwise helpful principle in a way that usurps the authority of the divinely inspired author. Simply put, a subversive sort of heresy has taken place.
These and other principles from Haddon Robinson have helped a generation of preachers avoid the error of wrongful application in their pulpits. But in my own life, I’ve found I don’t make this mistake so much when standing in front of my people as I do in my own heart. I forget that as shepherd to a congregation of God’s people, His desire is that His Word transform me before it begins to touch my people.
For my part, I’ve discovered that the three biggest barriers to more powerful and transformative preaching all relate to how I have personally applied God’s Word in my own soul. It’s a subversive sort of heresy that creeps into my own relationship with God. Out of that experience, I want to issue three challenges—three things I think we should all stop doing immediately. Read More
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