BIBLE TEACHERS

The Word of God indicates that the Holy Spirit endows every believer with at least one spiritual gift (1 Cor. 12:1-7). These are the supernatural graces which individual Christians need to fulfill the mission of the Church. They are described in the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4.

The spiritual gift of teaching is listed in all three. In the Ephesians passage, the Apostle Paul lists the offices of the Church: "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers" (Eph. 12:11). Because of the sentence structure does not include the word "some" before the word "teachers," most scholars see the word "teacher" sort of like a hyphenated word connected with the office of Pastor. However, it is quite possible that the word "some" missing between them is because Pastors and Teachers are members of a specific assembly, whereas Apostles, Prophets, and Evangelists tend to be "traveling ministers." The Bible presents some clear guidelines on how those with the spiritual gift of teaching should behave:

First and foremost, Bible teachers should be appointed by those in authority (2 Tim. 1:11).

Second, Bible teachers must not be hypocrites; what they teach, they should do (Ezra 7:10; Rom. 2:21).

Third, Bible teachers should only teach what they have received from the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:13).

Fourth, Bible teachers should use their gift to build maturity and unity in the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:12-13: Col. 1:28).

Fifth, Bible teachers should not waste their time teaching those who will not faithfully pass on what they learned to other faithful men (2 Tim. 2:2).

Sixth, Bible teachers should teach the flock through as many ways as possible; through psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, etc. (Col. 3:16).

Seventh, Bible teachers should realize there will come a time when they are no longer needed (Heb. 8:11; 1 Jn. 2:27; 3:2).

And perhaps the most important thing a Bible teacher should remember is that he is nothing special. His ability is a gift from God. His source, the Word of God, is a gift from God. His students are a gift from God. And his calling is a gift from God. "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith" (Rom. 12:3).