Finding the Timeless Truth...Continued from page 3

If you find yourself either too paralyzed to move out of the ancient room of the original context or if there is no apparent connection between Room Exegesis and Room Application, you, too, have made the gulf between these natural neighbors too expansive. On the contrary, not departing from the original room should bring pain. How can we take in the great truths of God and not be bursting to share it and apply it?

It wasn’t until later that I discovered that I didn’t need to crawl over the wall between the two rooms but that the key to the door that connected the compartments was the “Timeless Truth.” The timeless truth is the underlying principle that is based upon the Character of God and the truths of Scripture and can be applied just as readily today as several thousand years ago.

Sometimes we use terms like the “Big Idea,” the “Proposition,” or the “Textual Thrust” to identify the core idea of the text and, ultimately, the sermon. The timeless truth, however, is actually a further distillation of the core idea into its most basic structure, or the underlying principle that is driving the ancient passage. Its value and wonder for today is in knowing the simple truth also worked for the ancients.

A loyal environmentalist may discover oil in Alaska, but for fear of staining the pristine surroundings, would prefer to leave it buried under the ground in its original setting. A zealous capitalist, on the other hand, may be willing to trample over whatever is necessary to get the crude to the pump. Where is the individual who can deliver the genuine goods without destroying what God established?

You can be that individual! When you arrive at a passage, take a good, hard look without attempting to rewrite the story. Like an experienced detective, leave no stone unturned and stay as long as you need to in that room, but also leave the original scene undisturbed by you. Your seminary professors will be proud and your congregation will be blessed if you, as John MacArthur admonishes, “stay in your seat” and do the hard job of biblical exegesis.

Now before you leave, find the key that is in every passage. The key is the “timeless truth.” It is the underlying principle that unlocks the connecting door from either side. It is the truth that is driving the passage as originally told and it is the truth that can be applied today. Once you have used the key to open the door to application, the “timeless truth” will keep you from straying from the original context.