(Part 1)

JBTM Jeffrey G. Audirsch
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progression of the Old Testament to the Christ event. With the Christotelic approach
the key word is “progressing.” Before Christians can properly understand the redemptive
work of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, we must have a working knowledge and
understanding of the themes and theologies of the individual books and the Old Testament
as a whole. This task, unfortunately, is no small task and, I suspect, the main culprit
for many interpreters/preachers avoiding or mishandling Old Testament texts from the
pulpit. Like many—if not most—students of the Old Testament, I prefer the Christotelic
hermeneutic over and against the Christocentric hermeneutic. 87 Thus, the guiding principles
for preaching biblical poetry will be approached from the Christotelic hermeneutic. 88
Guiding Principles for Preaching Biblical Poetry
The principles for preaching biblical poetry will overlap several of the elements in the
“Key Approaches for Interpreting the Psalter” and “Guiding Principles for Interpreting
Poetry” above. It should go without saying that the guiding principles below are presented
from the Christotelic approach. Special attention will be given to the Psalter since other
essays deal with preaching prophetic and wisdom texts—both of which contain biblical
poetry.
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Due to the scope of this essay, the supporting reasons for using a Christotelic approach are
not discussed in the main body of the essay. That being said, I do feel it is necessary to briefly
elaborate on reasons why I believe the Christotelic approach is the correct approach for reading,
interpreting, and preaching the Old Testament. Like the redemptive-historical Christocentric
approach, the Christotelic approach recognizes the importance of Christ as the fulfillment of the
Old Testament; however, the Christotelic approach begins by interpreting the Old Testament in its
original historical-cultural context. Furthermore, such an approach protects Christians from the
dangers of allegorization and lackadaisical typological readings of the Old Testament. In doing so, the
Christotelic approach allows Christians to successfully: (1) draw out the text’s theological principles
in its original context; (2) demonstrates the biblical text’s application to the modern believer; (3)
and help identify and highlight the ways in which the Old Testament text points forward to Christ. In
sum, the redemptive-historical Christocentric approach uses the New Testament to interpret the Old
whereas the Christotelic approach reads the Old into the New.
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Obviously, not all readers will agree with my use of the Christotelic approach. Other resources
are available for those interested in preaching the Old Testament from a redemptive-historical
Christocentric approach. For example, see Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville:
Broadman & Holman, 2012–present); David Murray, Jesus on Every Page: 10 Simple Ways to Seek and Find
Christ in the Old Testament (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2013); Graeme Goldsworthy, Christ-Centered
Biblical Theology: Hermeneutical Foundations and Principles (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2012);
idem, Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics: Foundations and Principles of Evangelical Biblical Interpretation
(Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006); Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the
Expository Sermon, 2nd edition (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005); Edmund P. Clowney, Preaching
Christ in All of Scripture (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2003); and Sidney Greidanus, Preaching Christ
from the Old Testament: A Contemporary Hermeneutical Method (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999).