Likewise, teach the older women … to teach what is good.
Summary: Paul introduces a simple but profound concept: teach what is good. As easy as it may sound, the successful teacher needs to master the material first.
Paul introduces his next thoughts with this simple instruction: Teach what is good. Some phrases shine with truth, clarity, and light. This passage is one of those phrases: Teach what is good.
Sounds easy, doesn’t it? It is sort of like saying you should do what is good. Of course, it turns out that “doing what is good” is not as easy as it sounds. Neither is teaching what is good.
The first step in being a teacher is knowing your material.
When I was in high school, there was only one math teacher. (It was a small school!) His name was Mr. Sherman. Mr. Sherman was an icon at our school. He always looked the same. He wore a suit and tie to class and sat at his desk in the front of the room. He had been teaching so long that he had worked out the percentages of students that would pass and fail. At the beginning of every school year, he would give a speech about what it meant to “do good” in his class.
Anybody could get an A grade if they did three simple things. They had to show up to class, listen to Mr. Sherman explain the work, and do the exercises. That was it. Anyone who did all three of these things was almost guaranteed an A. Mr. Sherman was so good at what he did it was hard not to understand the simple steps he outlined.
At the end of my junior year, Mr. Sherman retired, and the school hired a young guy. His primary job was to be a coach. They gave him the math class so he would have something to do between practices and games. He did not understand the material he was supposed to teach, and it showed.
When it comes to knowing what God thinks is “good,” the topic is way bigger than high school math, and no one has ever gotten an A. (Yes, I know. Jesus did, but he is God. He wrote the book!) That makes it hard to be a teacher.
Paul points us in the right direction with instructions on how to live. Be reverent, avoid lies and slander, go easy on the wine. The better we are at living our faith, the more we demonstrate that we understand what we are trying to teach.
Application: Strive to be what you want others to learn to be.
Food for Thought: What characteristics would you expect to see in a godly teacher?
Someone who is “punny”.
Hmmm…
Thank you. I’m not sure that is scriptural, but for some reason I really like it! 🙂
A prerequisite for a godly teacher is that they must know God, love God, seek God and know His word. Their teaching can then reflect their knowledge of God. Proverbs 2: 2 – 5.
Amen!
Yo!
Yo Back! 🙂
For me, the first characteristic that comes to mind is integrity – someone who walks the talk they proclaim, both in public and in private. They are the same person whether or not people are watching. The next are faith (Hebrews 11:1), discernment (Proverbs 22:3), patience (Romans 5:3–4), gratefulness (I Corinthians 4:7), and joyfulness (Psalm 16:11). Most importantly though, the characteristic of love (I Corinthians 13:3).
Character is mental AND moral qualities of a person and the bible provides great examples of these qualities that Jesus not only portrayed but outlined for how we are to live and be. It’s not just a golden rule to treat others as we want to be treated, but we should leave others better than we found them while trusting in Him through the blessings and the storms of our life.
People are watching Christians even more now than ever before. How we respond, react, behave – our characteristics speak to who we are and those watching us. It’s a lot of pressure and Lord knows, we are not perfect, but thankfully, perfection is not a characteristic. It’s a lie that comes from Satan.
Darla,
GREAT comment! Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
What characteristics would you expect to see in a godly teacher?
1 Timothy 4:11-16
To boldly, confidently teach by example, be a pattern for the believers in speech, conduct, love, faith and moral purity. Devoted to public reading of Scripture, preaching and teaching the sound doctrine of God’s word, by the Holy Spirit. Practice, work hard, be absorbed, completely occupied in your ministry. Concentrate on your personal development, your teaching and successfully
live by them. By doing this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
To me, spending every morning with God, in His word is the critical element is to submitting to God and allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us in everything we do. The unlovable become lovable, hardships will become a pleasure as we ignore the pain, look to serve others. Our life in Christ becomes real as we submit and walk in the Spirit. The appeal of this world is seen for what it is, an illusion. Oh it’s real enough, but it brings no lasting peace or happiness. Dying to self and living in Christ is totally true and brings peace irregardless of our circumstances. I have not been able to get to 100% for God yet, I know I won’t in this life. BUT I do know I am still here and there is lots of room for growth, so I am going to keep trying to allow Christ to put all others before me in everything I do.
First would be that they are a disciple of Christ,..second they don’t hold their knowledge as a status to be above another,..because as you well know it’s the cross that levels the playing field when it comes to status,..noe can hold the position of Jesus Christ,..we may conform to be more like Him but never can we hold His position.
That’s about all I got,..
👍🏻