Tag Archives: Teaching God's Word

The Spiritual Gift of Teaching

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A Man TeachingThe New Testament references the gift of teaching in several passages (Rom 12:6-8; 1 Cor 12:28; Eph 4:11). This gift involves the ability to clearly explain and communicate biblical truths so that others can understand and apply them. A teacher, in the biblical sense, is responsible for instructing others in the doctrines of the faith, helping believers grow in their knowledge of God and in their spiritual maturity. The pastor-teacher is tasked with providing consistent, in-depth doctrinal teaching to equip believers for spiritual growth and effective Christian living. This gift requires a high level of dedication to study and a deep understanding of Scripture, as the teacher’s role is to communicate biblical truths with accuracy and authority. The ideal form of teaching is expository teaching—explaining Scripture verse by verse. It is from exegetical study and expositional teaching that Christian doctrines are formulated. This gift is vital for the building up of the church, as it equips believers to live out their faith more fully (Eph 4:12-13).

God has given me the gift of teaching (Rom 12:7). I received my spiritual gift from the Lord at age eight when I was saved and became aware of it near the age 25 when I was walking in obedience to Him. Once God gives a spiritual gift to one of His children, He expects us to develop and exercise it. When the spiritual gift of teaching is properly employed and bearing fruit, it brings glory to God and edifies others in their walk with Him, as do all God’s gifts. The teacher must be a lifelong learner, constantly deepening his understanding and application of Scripture. This relentless pursuit of biblical truth shapes his character, molds his teaching, and impacts those he ministers to.

Developing a spiritual gift requires commitment, sacrifice, personal investment, and much time. My education, which includes a Bachelor of Science, Master of Divinity, and Doctorate, cost about $105,000, not including an additional $40,000 for books and electronics. Coming from a poor family, I worked various jobs—waiter, welder, trash truck driver—to pay for school. Thankfully, God provided employment and blessed me with a few scholarships along the way. My education spanned 17 years because I worked during the day and took classes in the evening. Periodic breaks due to financial shortfalls or burnout also extended this time.

Since 1991, my ministry efforts have been largely voluntary, with occasional gifts from gracious givers. I continue to serve in a voluntary capacity, dedicating the early morning hours to studying and writing before heading to work. Currently, I work full-time as a Case Manager for a local nonprofit that helps the infirm and elderly in my community, earning about a teacher’s salary. I devote several hours each morning (starting around 2:30 AM) to studying God’s Word, preparing to teach on weekends, writing articles for my blog, or creating Bible study videos. With my student loan debt paid off as of November 2020 and few major expenses aside from my mortgage, I am content to serve the Lord where I am until He opens new opportunities. The Lord always provides.

A Man Studying the Bible 2Becoming a good Bible teacher requires significant time and study. A good expositor of God’s Word is the product of many wise choices and sacrifices. Responding to the call of ministry often means forfeiting a more lucrative career for that of a Bible teacher, a role that typically offers modest compensation, if any at all. A good Bible teacher usually spends years in seminary, studying God’s Word, learning the original languages of Hebrew and Greek, and delving into ancient history, philosophy, hermeneutics, and theology. He invests significant personal time and money in his academic training and in building his library. Perhaps one in a hundred Bible teachers excel at their craft, and even fewer graciously share their material without charge, making free Bible resources rare.

An effective Bible teacher will face constant attacks and criticisms from both believers and unbelievers. Throughout his ministry, few will rally to encourage and support him, but those few who do can be crucial to his success, much like Aaron and Hur supported Moses (Ex 17:8-13). The ministry of teaching is often a solitary and introspective journey, with long hours of study and preparation spent in quiet places, away from public view. Furthermore, the life of a Bible teacher is characterized by a profound sense of accountability to God, as James 3:1 warns that teachers will be judged more strictly. This awareness compels the teacher to approach his task with humility, knowing that he is ultimately accountable to the Lord for the accuracy and faithfulness of his teaching.

A Man Studying the BibleA Christian minister operates with the confidence that God’s Word is alive and powerful (Heb 4:12) and accomplishes what the Lord intends (Isa 55:11). The Bible teacher understands that he is merely a messenger, a conduit of grace to a needy world. He knows that the effectiveness of his ministry does not rest on his abilities but on the Holy Spirit’s work in the hearts of others and the inherent power of Scripture to change lives. The teacher’s role is to “preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (2 Tim 4:2). He understands that the ultimate goal of his teaching is not just knowledge but transformation, bringing people into a deeper relationship with God and equipping them to live out their faith in practical ways.

Personally, my challenges as a Bible teacher include maintaining my spiritual growth with God, developing Christian integrity, continuing daily study in His Word, and being faithful in teaching Scripture through the various platforms God has provided. Honoring God and edifying others until the very end is the ideal goal. Ezra serves as a model for what it means to be a good teacher, as Scripture reveals: “Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD, to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel” (Ezra 7:10). That’s a good paradigm for any teacher.

Dr. Steven R. Cook

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A Role Model for Believers

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There’s a wonderful passage in the book of Ezra that tells us something about this righteous man that God used to bless others. We learn, “Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel” (Ezra 7:10). The Hebrew verb כּוּן kun, translated set, means “to prepare, make ready…to erect, set up…determine, to fix something.”[1] Other translations render the verb as determined (CSB), dedicated (NET), and devoted (NIV). This determination speaks of an inward decision by Ezra to do three things: 1) to study the law of the LORD, 2) to practice it, and 3) to teach it to others. Laney states, “The order is significant. A person cannot practice what he has not thoroughly studied; and he should not teach principles he has not carefully applied.”[2]

As a priest, Ezra was modeling God’s intention for him, “For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts” (Mal 2:7). There is direct relevance for us as Christians, for Jesus “has made us to be a kingdom, to serve as priests to His God and Father” (Rev 1:6). Righteousness is a choice to learn God’s Word, to live God’s Word, and to instruct others to do the same.

Learn God’s Word. First, “Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD.” To study the law of the LORD is simply to study His written Word. This kind of devotion and study lasts a lifetime, for one cannot adequately grasp God’s Word in a few lessons. A devoted life of studying God’s Word was held by others in the Old Testament. David writes of the godly person, whose “delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law, he meditates day and night” (Psa 1:2). And the benefit of such activity is that the dedicated person “will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers” (Psa 1:3). Another psalmist wrote, “O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psa 119:97). Paul told Timothy, “Study to shew yourself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15 KJV). A little further on in his letter, Paul said, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17).

Live God’s Word. Second, Ezra sought “to practice” what he’d learned from God’s Word. There’s an axiom that we cannot live what we do not know, and learning God’s Word necessarily precedes living His will. Of course, it is possible to study God’s Word and never apply it. This is why James wrote, saying, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (Jam 1:22). Biblical wisdom is the application of God’s Word to everyday life. Jesus communicated this, saying, “everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matt 7:24). Learning and doing. That’s the order. Warren Wiersbe writes, “If our knowledge of the truth doesn’t result in obedience, then we end up with a big head instead of a burning heart (1 Cor 8:1; Luke 24:32); and truth becomes a toy to play with, not a tool to build with. Instead of building our Christian character, we only deceive ourselves and try to deceive others (1 John 1:5–10).”[3]

Share God’s Word. Ezra went a third step, as he sought “to teach” other believers how to live the truth of God’s Word. If the next generation of believers are to be effective, they need to know God’s Word and how to live it. This was true in Ezra’s day, and it’s certainly true in ours. But such biblical communication should not be limited to the church pulpit or seminary classroom. Sharing God’s Word should be something practiced by all growing Christians. What’s interesting is that that apostle Paul built on what Timothy’s mother and grandmother had taught him in the home. Paul said to Timothy, “I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well…and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 1:5; 3:15).

In closing, may we all model this simple formula for godliness and success, diligently studying the Scriptures, applying what we learn as we grow, and sharing that knowledge with others. This is what Paul hoped Timothy would do, as he encouraged him to “Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you” (2 Tim 1:13-14). Not only was Timothy to retain and guard the treasure of God’s Word in his heart, but he was to pass it on to others, as Paul stated, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim 2:2).

Dr. Steven R. Cook

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[1] Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 465.

[2] Robert B. Hughes and J. Carl Laney, Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary, The Tyndale Reference Library (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), 169.

[3] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Heroic, “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub., 1997), 38–39.