Warning to Bible Teachers - 02/18/2024

Teaching is a wonderful thing. Helping other people learn information or a skill brings great satisfaction. However, James gives a warning to teachers, especially Bible teachers, in James 3:1.

James says, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.” Notice he includes himself, as well as fellow Christians teaching in whatever capacity.

When considering the “stricter judgment,” one may say teachers will be held to a higher standard, and that may well be. In a similar aspect, teachers will be judged “harsher” than the learner simply because the teacher should “know better.”

Teachers have the responsibility to teach what is correct. Their information must be right. Students depend upon teachers to impart trustworthy information.

Bible teachers should recognize the importance of their position as a teacher. People expect them to tell them what God’s word says and how to apply it to their lives. The student’s eternal destiny, to a large extent, is dependent upon what the teacher tells them.

Whether we think of God holding the teacher to a “higher standard” or “there will be a harsher judgment,” the result is the same. Teachers are going to be judged differently from those who are not teachers.

Therefore, James gives the warning for “not many of you [should] become teachers.” Teachers are not just standing before a group of people “leading a discussion.” They are not in front of a crowd to “facilitate a conversation.” They are not “monitors” of a class. They are there to teach, to impart knowledge.

When a person performs the action of “teaching” they are either “showing” someone how to do something or they are “explaining” to someone some information or how to do a skill. The actions of a Bible teacher is to impart the word of God, explain the word of God, and motivate the student to take action based upon the information found in the Bible. Besides Jesus, Paul is a great example of a fantastic Bible teacher. Luke summarizes how Paul taught the Thessalonians when he said Paul “reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence” (Acts 17:2, 3). The results of Paul’s teaching in Thessalonica was that “some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas” (Acts 17:4).

Bible teachers should take their responsibilities seriously when they get the opportunity to teach. They need to use their Bibles as the text, reason with their students, give them explanations and evidence, and be persuasive when it comes to motivating their students to act upon what they have been taught. The goal of the teacher is to help people to be living God’s way. - cgm

Scriptural quotations from the NASB1995.