What Are We Teaching?

School’s underway, and people are fitting into their busy schedules once again. Since our time is so precious, it seems we place a high value on efficiency. Efficiency is usually a good thing, and it even has a place in worship. However, saving time isn’t the goal when it comes to honoring our Heavenly Father for providing a way to spend eternity with Him in His home that is not bound by time. But we see these steps for easier worship in how we reduce the number of songs or verses, or encouraging shorter sermons, or even the statement often made during the time of offering, “This is separate and apart from the Lord’s Supper, but as a matter of convenience, we’re taking up an offering now.”

While these may be important, another issue is what to expect out of a Bible class teacher. James addresses the fact that “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1). Knowing that what we teach, or even how we teach may impact how someone else receives (or rejects) the gospel of Christ, should help us to put a heavy emphasis on examining our efforts and motives as teachers.

This was something that Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their reckless attitude towards teaching God’s will. He said in Matthew 23:13-15, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to… You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are” (Luke 11:46). “Woe to you lawyers as well, for you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.”

To fulfill the Great Commission, we must be people that “teach others to observe all that God commands” (Matthew 28:20). Which reveals the importance of teachers in the process of bringing people to Christ. In James’ situation, showing partiality and demonstrating jealousy was teaching a different lesson to people that was not part of God’s will. Instead, James reminds them of the lessons taught by Abraham and Rahab, where they taught others about their faith in God by modeling sacrifice and kindness.

What motivates our teaching? What message do we send to the world who is watching us? Do we model wisdom or selfish ambition? He says in James 3:13-18, “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”