Who do we see teaching in the Bible?
Deuteronomy 6:6-9“You must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Psalm 78:5-6He [the Lord] issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, so the next generation might know them—even the children not yet born—and they in turn will teach their own children.
By God’s design, parents are teachers whether trained or not. Children are trained, for better or worse, by their parents’ constant example.
1 Timothy 4:11-12Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.
Even a young believer can be a teacher, not only by sharing their knowledge but by setting a good example.
Ezra 7:6, 10This Ezra was a scribe who was well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given to the people of Israel. . . . Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the Lord and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel.
Trained scholars are teachers. Good teaching requires knowing and obeying God’s Word. Teachers should commit themselves to studying it regularly. After all, there is always more for God to teach us!
Matthew 23:23“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.”
1 Corinthians 8:1Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church.
1 Corinthians 13:2If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.
We also see hypocritical and self-serving teachers in the Bible—the opposite of what God wants. Knowledge without love and wisdom can be destructive. For example, the Pharisees were very knowledgeable about Scripture, but they were far from God and their teaching led others astray.
Matthew 22:37-40Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Matthew 28:18-20Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
In his earthly ministry, Jesus taught and commissioned his disciples to teach.
Luke 12:42-43The Lord replied, “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.”
1 Corinthians 9:27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
James 3:1Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.
Teachers have a great responsibility. Their words and actions affect the lives of many others. Raising children, teaching a class, training employees, running a small group, leading a church, or any number of other teaching roles can be time-consuming and stressful. However, if we neglect our own spiritual health in our busyness or lower our own spiritual standards in our weariness, we will have shirked our most important responsibility.
