Teach Me Your Way!
Whenever I reflect upon my education and upbringing, I am thankful for all those who shared their knowledge, insight and experiences with me. And I am grateful that those who taught me at every level in the formal setting did so according to the text books and by their own understanding and experience of both the subject and life. That approach has proved invaluable to me down the years and relates to what James is saying in this first verse of Chapter 3. It is a reminder that all who teach have a responsibility to those they are teaching but also, in the matter of the Scriptures, to the One who teaches the teacher.
James 3v1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
In the early years of the Church, the Christian message was taught by word of mouth and personal accounts of faith. This was so important in the conversion of Jews and Gentiles that those emboldened and equipped by Christ shared a living testimony so that others might come to believe. Thus Paul writes in Romans 10v17 “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ”. However, what James is reminding us here is that those who teach are accountable for what they share. Whether in the pulpit, in bible study groups, in organisations, in our own family or through personal testimony, we will be judged according to what we share - alongside how we live.
This statement, coupled with the words of Jesus in other verses of Scripture, reminds us that sharing God’s Word in any setting is more than having been blessed with natural gifts and experience or even having been gifted spiritually. We will also be judged on an appropriate character and proper living - we cannot teach or share properly if it is a case of do as I say but not as I do! Yet there is also encouragement for all who study the Scriptures daily, that we might do so to show ourselves approved by God, be equipped to tell others the good news of the gospel of grace and be prepared to give an answer for the wonderful hope we have in Christ Jesus. Let us pray:
Father, as we thank You for the truth of Your Word and for those who shared it with us, may we grow in grace and live by Your truth so that we might be faithful in everything we say and do as we tell others about Jesus and the joy of soul salvation. In Christ’s name, amen.
…Rev John Noble