I was deliberating this morning about a particular theological topic. In the process I was reminded of a couple of critical points about which all of us must be aware and transparent when it comes to teaching.
First, every Christian is to be a teacher. It is clear that some have the spiritual gift of teaching, and for those there is a unique calling and responsibility. But if we are to be consistent in our interpretation of the Great Commission, every Christian has been commanded to teach.
We will often hear the same exact argument for evangelism: there are some who are gifted as evangelists, but all are called to evangelize, to preach (κηρύσσω) the gospel (εὐαγγέλιον) as Jesus commanded in Mark's record of the Commission (16:15). Luke, in Lk 27:46 uses a different form of this same term for preaching, usually translated here to "proclaim." In v.48, Jesus marries the activity of proclaiming or heralding the good news to our identity as witnesses (μάρτυς).
But why should we think Jesus is commanding all of his disciples to proclaim the gospel as witnesses? Isn't he speaking only to the Eleven? Plenty of reasons to see the Great Commission as a universal mandate are built into the collection of NT church letters that follow. But I think Matthew's account gives us one clear reason to understand that the Great Commission bears on all disciples.
In Mt 28:19-20, we get a vivid picture of the disciple maker as one who transfers disciple-making "DNA" in others. The command to "make disciples" has imbedded in it the modifier "teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you." This means that making disciples means teaching those disciples to make disciples. So, whether Jesus is speaking to only the Eleven here, or whether to more (Paul mentions 500 witnesses to the resurrection, and Luke records in Acts 1:15 that about 120 were present when Matthias was chosen to replace Judas), the Great Commission clearly extends to each one of us disciples of Jesus.
And that establishes that we are all to teach. We are to make disciples, and that means teaching them to observe everything Christ commanded. Doctrine drives practice. Teaching leads to obedient, godly living. So, every Christian is called not only to proclaim the gospel but to make disciples by teaching. Further, we learn from Paul that we all carry on this teaching activity when we gather for worship and mutual admonishment (Col 3:15).
Second, having established that we are called to teach, let me offer this charge: we must teach from a position of humility. This is true not only because that attitude glorifies Christ, but also because teachers must never cease to be learners. One's understanding of a doctrine will naturally develop over time, and we should proactively seek that development. This is why even when Paul instructs young Timothy to "command and teach" the "words of the faith and the good teaching that [he has] followed" (1 Tm 4:6,11) he also instructs him to "train [himself] in godliness" (v.7) and to make his "progress...be evident to all" (v.15). Since the training is set opposite "silly myths" it seems that Paul is not just talking about training in godly behavior but in godly teaching.
In many cases, we will grow deeper and more nuanced in our understanding, seeing a truth in greater detail or refinement. But sometimes, we will come to realize our understanding was imprecise, something like Apollos did in Acts 18:24-26, or perhaps even to the degree that our previous view was dead wrong. Sometimes, learning requires a shift to a stronger position, to a more solid ground. Other times it requires an outright rejection of a previously held position.
And this is true of the teacher in the classroom, the small group or even in the pulpit as much as it is for the layman who never thought of himself as a teacher.
And this development is healthy, so long as the learning is sound and the shift, to whatever degree, is toward biblical fidelity rather than from it. The community of the church and biblical scholarship - both everywhere and throughout the last 2000 years or so - is indispensable to helping us ensure the right direction in our theological growth. Embrace this wealth. This is why we teach in classes, over coffee and from the pulpit. It is why we read, and the more the better, most of all pouring over the Scriptures themselves.
It also helps to understand that for each of us our understanding of a doctrine is tensed in a couple of ways. First, I simply mean that it is temporal, moving from a past understanding through our current understanding and likely to a future, even more developed and mature one. Even on core and clear doctrines, like those related to salvation, we grow in understanding and appreciation of the truth, though hopefully we have been blessed early on with an essentially accurate understanding. But with other less essential and less clear doctrines - for example, those related to charismatic gifts or the end times - for those we may well come to new conclusions over time.
And those new conclusions, those shifts, come through another other sense in which our understanding is tensed. The term also refers to stretching. Our understanding of a doctrine is stretched by a differing view. If we are wise, we seek to be stretched by those we have good reason to believe are diligent and skilled in understanding the Scriptures. The tension seeks resolution. We wrestle with the new possibility to see if it merits a tweaking of our own position. Again, this is healthy.
But be cautious. This tension is much like that of the spring coils in a mechanical clock like sits on our mantle at home. The tensed coils tend to drive the pendulum the opposite side of center. It swings back and forth until the tension spends itself. Understand that you might be prone to overcorrect your view when it is challenged by a reasonable and coherent alternative. Take your time wrestling with the tension, and give it opportunity to moderate the swings and counter-swings. And don't be overly dogmatic (especially as a teacher) until you are convinced you are at least near the point of rest, where overcorrection has given way to the center of orthodoxy on the matter.
Ironically, we can and should learn to relax in relation to some doctrines that hold inherent tension, whether due to lack of information or incomprehensible mystery. My, how our springs can coil up or recoil over dispensationalism or egalitarianism or charismata or worship liturgies! About some things we should not yet be too sure of ourselves. And for some points of doctrine knowledge will be forever beyond the exhausting our discovery, or our God would not be worthy of worship! But in pursuit of all sound doctrine, let us be diligent and humble.
And from that diligence and humility, let us teach!
