Balancing Non-Biblical Examples with Biblical Preaching Emphasis
Paul's missionary strategy prioritized preaching the gospel where Christ had not yet been named, explicitly stating his aim "not to build upon another man's foundation" [1, 7]. This principle of pioneering evangelism reflects a broader apostolic pattern: the message itself held primacy, while the method of delivery remained deliberately unadorned. When Paul arrived in Corinth—a city steeped in rhetorical sophistication—he consciously rejected "excellency of speech" and the "arts of rhetoric" employed by Greek philosophers [6]. The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown commentary notes that Paul, despite his education in Tarsus (a learning center rivaling Athens and Alexandria), chose not to employ ornate style [9]. The gospel's inherent excellence dignified whatever language conveyed it, rather than requiring rhetorical embellishment to compensate for lack of substance [6].
This apostolic restraint establishes a pattern for balancing illustration with proclamation. The testimony of God possesses "supremacy" that renders human eloquence secondary [6]. Paul's approach in 1 Corinthians 2 frames his preaching as that of one among the "foolish, weak, and despised" instruments God employs, glorying in the Lord rather than human wisdom [9]. The contrast is not between using examples and avoiding them, but between centering the message on Christ crucified versus centering it on rhetorical display.
The new covenant itself models this balance. Hebrews 8:9 distinguishes the new covenant from the old precisely in its mechanism: the Spirit's inward impulse produces obedience through love born of forgiveness, not through external pedagogy alone [8]. This suggests that while the old covenant required extensive object lessons and ceremonial instruction, the new covenant's power resides in the proclaimed reality of Christ's work. Illustrations serve this proclamation but cannot substitute for it.
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge's extensive cross-referencing demonstrates how biblical preaching naturally draws connections within Scripture itself [2, 3, 4, 5]. The text interprets text, with Revelation's worship scenes echoing Genesis, Exodus, Psalms, and Daniel [2, 3]. This intertextual density suggests that the richest "examples" in Christian preaching may be the biblical narratives themselves, which carry divine authority that extra-biblical illustrations cannot claim. The question is not whether to use examples, but whether those examples illuminate or eclipse the scriptural testimony they purport to serve.
Sources
- Romans “Romans 15:20 (ASV) — yea, making it my aim so to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, that I might not build upon another man’s foundation;”
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge “Revelation 15:3 cross-references: Genesis 17:1, Exodus 15:1, Deuteronomy 31:30, Deuteronomy 34:5, 1 Chronicles 6:49, 2 Chronicles 24:6, Nehemiah 9:14, Job 5:9, Psalms 78:12, Psalms 85:10, Psalms 99:4, Psalms 100:5, Psalms 105:5, Psalms 111:2, Psalms 118:22, Psalms 139:14, Psalms 145:6, Psalms 145:17, Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah 32:1, Isaiah 33:22, Isaiah 45:21, Daniel 4:2, Daniel 6:20, Daniel 9:11, Hosea 14:9, Micah 7:20, Zephaniah 3:5, Zechariah 9:9, John 1:17, Hebrews 3:5, Revelation 4:8, Revelation 5:9, Revelation 7:10, Revelation 11:17, Revelation 14:3, Revelation 14:8, Revelation 16:5, Revelation ”
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge “Revelation 14:7 cross-references: Genesis 22:12, Exodus 20:11, Joshua 7:19, 1 Samuel 6:5, Nehemiah 9:6, Psalms 33:6, Psalms 36:1, Psalms 89:7, Psalms 95:5, Psalms 124:8, Psalms 146:5, Proverbs 8:22, Ecclesiastes 12:13, Isaiah 40:3, Isaiah 40:6, Isaiah 40:9, Isaiah 42:12, Isaiah 44:23, Isaiah 52:7, Isaiah 58:1, Jeremiah 10:10, Ezekiel 7:2, Ezekiel 7:6, Daniel 8:19, Hosea 8:1, Malachi 2:2, Matthew 25:13, Luke 17:18, John 5:25, Acts 14:15, Acts 17:23, 1 Peter 4:7, Revelation 4:9, Revelation 4:11, Revelation 8:10, Revelation 11:13, Revelation 11:18, Revelation 15:4, Revelation 16:9, Revelation 18:”
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge “James 5:11 cross-references: Exodus 34:6, Numbers 14:18, 1 Chronicles 21:13, 2 Chronicles 30:9, Nehemiah 9:17, Nehemiah 9:31, Job 1:2, Job 1:21, Job 2:10, Job 13:15, Job 23:10, Job 42:10, Psalms 25:6, Psalms 37:37, Psalms 51:1, Psalms 78:38, Psalms 86:5, Psalms 86:15, Psalms 94:12, Psalms 103:8, Psalms 103:13, Psalms 116:5, Psalms 119:132, Psalms 136:1, Psalms 145:8, Ecclesiastes 7:8, Isaiah 55:6, Isaiah 63:7, Isaiah 63:9, Lamentations 3:22, Daniel 9:9, Daniel 9:18, Joel 2:13, Jonah 4:2, Micah 7:18, Matthew 5:10, Matthew 10:22, Luke 1:50, Luke 6:36, Luke 11:10, Romans 2:4, Ephesians 1:6, Ephes”
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge “Ephesians 1:17 cross-references: Genesis 41:38, 1 Chronicles 29:11, Psalms 24:7, Psalms 24:10, Psalms 29:3, Proverbs 2:5, Isaiah 11:2, Jeremiah 2:11, Jeremiah 9:24, Jeremiah 24:7, Jeremiah 31:34, Daniel 2:28, Daniel 5:11, Daniel 10:1, Matthew 6:13, Matthew 11:25, Matthew 11:27, Matthew 16:17, Matthew 20:33, Luke 2:14, Luke 12:12, Luke 21:15, John 8:54, John 14:17, John 14:26, John 16:3, John 17:3, John 17:25, John 20:17, Acts 6:10, Acts 7:2, Romans 1:28, Romans 15:6, 1 Corinthians 2:8, 1 Corinthians 2:10, 1 Corinthians 12:8, 1 Corinthians 14:6, 2 Corinthians 12:1, Ephesians 1:3, Ephesians 3:5,”
- 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.”
- Romans (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Romans 15:20: Yea, &c.--rather, "Yet making it my study (compare Co2 5:9; Th1 4:11, Greek) so to preach the Gospel, not where Christ was [already] named, that I might not build upon another man's foundation: but (might act) as it is written, To whom no tidings of Him came, they shall see," &c.”
- Hebrews (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Hebrews 8:9: Not according to, &c.--very different from, and far superior to, the old covenant, which only "worked wrath" (Rom 4:15) through man's "not regarding" it. The new covenant enables us to obey by the Spirit's inward impulse producing love because of the forgiveness of our sins. made with--rather as Greek, "made to": the Israelites being only recipients, not coagents [ALFORD] with God. I took them by the hand--as a father takes his child by the hand to support and guide his steps. "There are three periods: (1) that of the promise; (2) that of the pedag”
- 1 Corinthians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Corinthians 2 (introduction): PAUL'S SUBJECT OF PREACHING, CHRIST CRUCIFIED, NOT IN WORLDLY, BUT IN HEAVENLY, WISDOM AMONG THE PERFECT. (1Co. 2:1-16) And I--"So I" [CONYBEARE] as one of the "foolish, weak, and despised" instruments employed by God (Co1 1:27-28); "glorying in the Lord," not in man's wisdom (Co1 1:31). Compare Co1 1:23, "We." when I came-- (Act 18:1, &c.). Paul might, had he pleased, have used an ornate style, having studied secular learning at Tarsus of Cilicia, which STRABO preferred as a school of learning to Athens or Alexandria; here, doubt”