A Few Thoughts on Teaching

On Sunday, we will look at James 3 in the Sunday Sermon. And in the first verse, we find these sobering words: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” Now, hold on to that verse and compare it to the ministry training event coming next Sunday (August 23)—an open invitation for all members at OBC who are teaching or interested in teaching—to join me for an hour of teacher training.

Is there a contradiction between these two things—between James words of caution and our church’s words of open invitation? Should few of your be teachers? Or, should all of you come join us for forty-five minutes of instruction on teaching? The answer to both questions is, Yes. But far from being a contradiction, this is a balanced understanding of what it means to be a priesthood of believers “able to instruct one another,” with a smaller number of qualified men “able to teach” the whole congregation. Let me explain.

Reading Scripture Rightly
To read Scripture rightly means more than finding a proof text to support your preferred position. For often, one verse is complemented by another. Sometimes, the passage in question is only unlocked by comparison to another part of the Bible. And other times, it even appears that when two verses contradict themselves, their apparent tension is an invitation to go deeper.

For instance, Proverbs 26:4 says, “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.” On this verse, the application is clear: Don’t answer a fool. Simple. Only, the next verse, Proverbs 26:5, says the opposite, “Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.”
 
So, which is it? Do you answer a fool? Or do you ignore the fool? Well, it depends.

Answering a fool is lawful. But so is ignoring him. Thus, it takes wisdom to decide the appropriate response. And that wisdom can be gleaned from other truths in Scripture, or from the counsel of others, or even personal experience with this given person or personality type.

Long story short, Scripture has been inspired by God to do more than give us neat and tidy answers to stock questions. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Word of God is written in such a way that it requires you to think (2 Tim. 2:7), to work (Prov. 2:1–4), to ask for wisdom (James 1:5), and to compare and contrast what other parts of Scripture say. Likewise, when different events in life occur, the Lord in his providence calls us to go back to Scripture, beseeching his Spirit to assist us in the endeavor. For truly, we cannot understand the truth of Scripture without the Spirit of Truth.

So What About Teachers?
In addition to inspiring Scripture, the Holy Spirit also gives teachers to the church. This is a point Paul makes in Ephesians 4:11–12, when he writes, “And [Christ] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” In this passage, we have the clear teaching that God has always given preachers of the Word to the church. In the days of Paul, this included Apostles, Prophets, and Evangelists—three offices that founded the church but don’t continue today. What does continue today is the office of pastor/elder/overseer.

In the New Testament, there is one office that goes by three names. And the critical skill of that office is the ability to teach (see 1 Tim. 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9). Yes, the character qualities are what set these men apart for service. But it is the right handling of God’s Word that informs the church that this man should be a pastor/elder/overseer. For truly, the church of Jesus Christ is founded on God’s Word. And so, it is imperative that faithful teachers are called to proclaim that word.

And in James 3:1, it is best to understand the admonition “that not many of you should be teachers” relates primarily to those who would teach the congregation. Such a reading is confirmed by a comparison to the biblical qualifications for that office, but it is also confirms by the way that James appears to be addressing some kind of false teaching that faith without works is genuine. Of all people, James understands the importance of living faith. For as the brother of Jesus, he did not believe him to be the Christ (John 7:5), until after his resurrection (1 Cor. 15:7). And more, as James writes to the twelve tribes of the dispersion (James 1:1), he knows that many in Israel were false teachers (Matt. 7:15–19), even if they sat on Moses seat (see Matt. 23:2).
 
For these reasons and more, James offers his stern warning: Not many of you should be teachers. And today, we who read these words would do well to consider their import before volunteering to teach. Nevertheless, James 3:1 is not the only word about teaching. And its relevance cannot be confined to pastors alone. Therefore, as we invite all members to come and learn about teaching next week, I want to turn your attention to Romans 15:14, and to balance one Scripture with another.

Instruct One Another with the Word
Coming to the end of his letter to the Romans, Paul concludes with a few reflections on ministry—a few reflections for himself and a few for his audience. In this setting, he remarks, “I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another” (Romans 15:14).

In this verse, we find a wonderful counter-balance to his earlier statements in Romans 3. In that chapter, Paul reflects on the spiritual deadness of Jews and Gentiles before coming to faith in Christ, and he writes in Romans 3:10–14.

 
These words from Paul are actually a collection of Old Testament texts that make one profound point: You are not good! And specifically, your words are not good. Coming from the overflow of your unbelieving heart, your throat, tongues, lips, and mouth are a cauldron of wickedness. This is the condition in which all men and women find themselves before God grants them saving faith.

Yet now, in Romans 15:14, Paul can say to the church in Rome: You are good!
 
Or more fully, “I am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness.” And beyond that, he even says that their mouths, which were once venomous pits, are now filled with wisdom and instruction. Listening to Paul we are left to wonder, did Paul forget what he said earlier in the letter? Or did something else happen?

The answer is clearly the latter—something else happened. And that happening was the justification and sanctification that Paul describes in Romans 4–8. In those chapters, the Apostle explains how men and women who offer nothing to God but sin are justified and sanctified by the grace of God and faith in Jesus Christ. And now, as Paul prepares to send his letter to this church, he reminds them of their spiritual goodness and ability to speak truth to one another. In a word, he addresses the saints in Rome as his “brethren” and more specifically, they are a priesthood of believers.

In the Old Testament, it was the priests who had knowledge on their lips (Mal. 2:1-9). And thus, when Paul says of these saints that they are full of goodness and able to instruct one another, he is effectively calling them a priestly people. Yes, they still need teachers, pastors, and overseers to instruct them. But equipped by those workers of the word, Paul can say they are full of goodness, and ready for every good work. And one of those good works is instructing one another in the local church.

The Vital Power of the One-Another Word
A few years ago I heard Tony Payne, pastor and author from Australian, discuss the importance of one-anothering in the church. Specifically, he described the way that a healthy pulpit only produces a healthy church if and when the members of the church continue to instruct one another with the Word. Hence, the church needs to, as Paul says, instruct one another with the Word.

Importantly, this one-anothering is not the same thing as preaching or heralding the good news tothe congregation. And it is not denying the real and vital role that pastors play to teach the congregation. But it is an affirmation of the priesthood of believers and the vital power of speaking the Word to one another. Truly, a genuine Bible Church is not simply a church that preaches the Bible on Sunday, although it begins there. More completely, a Bible Church is filled with Bible people—people who have the words of Christ on their lips, just like the priests of old. And this biblical way of speaking comes in informal conversations, semi-formal counseling, and formal teaching.

Think about it: On any given Sunday, when we are not pausing in August, we have countless members teaching children and explaining God’s Word to others. Add to this the discipleship ministry of Tuesday nights, the men’s and women’s Bible studies, the community groups, the college and career ministries, and other counseling and educational ministries, and we have dozens of members who are explaining parts of the Bible to others. Following the words of Paul in Romans 15:14, therefore, we really do have a priesthood of believers who instructing one another in the Word. And this is exactly how it should be.

Still, if you are involved in explaining the Bible to anyone else—whether in your home, your home school, your Sunday School, or your public school—then you would do well to learn a few things about teaching. And to that end, I will be offering a training session on teaching next Sunday (August 23). This training session is for all OBC members and anyone who is interested in learning more about teaching. In 45 minutes, it won’t make anyone a teacher. But it might help those who are teaching to do so with greater wisdom, skill, and self-awareness.

And so, come join me in the sanctuary next Sunday morning at 9:00am to consider what it means to teach God’s Word. Whether you are new to teaching or have been doing it for decades, it will be good to sharpen your tools. For as James 3:1 urges teachers to take seriously their task, I hope to help you better fulfill your calling—wherever that may be and wherever the Lord may lead.

For His Glory and your joy,
Pastor David