“The awesome responsibility of teaching”

Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Thursday, February 16, 2023

1 Timothy 4:1-16 (Forward, p. 18) CEV p. 1246

Well did James warn teachers that they have a particularly weighty responsibility and that they will be held accountable for how they exercise this gift (see James 3:1). The apostle Paul seems to echo these warnings here in this letter to his beloved protégé Timothy. The subject of teaching comes up repeatedly—six times in fact—just in this short passage. And, interestingly, he mentions it in two contexts.

The first context has to do with false teachers, human and otherwise. He says that in the last days ‘many people will turn from their faith. They will be fooled by evil spirits and by teachings that come from demons. They will also be fooled by the false claims of liars whose consciences have lost all feeling” (verses 1-2a). This sounds like terribly scary stuff. Indeed, it makes me wonder, for one, just how people might hear and get sucked into the teachings or advice of evil spirits or demons. From reading elsewhere in Paul’s writings we get a partial answer to this: this insidious and destructive influence comes via human teachers, teachers that have allowed themselves to become the servants of Satan, whether knowingly or not. Furthermore, from reading Paul words elsewhere, it becomes apparent that there are two things that have facilitated this moral slide. They have lost their rootedness in the purity and truth of the straightforward gospel message and have substituted a kind of ‘works righteousness.’ In addition to this, their personal lives have slipped/ degenerated, such that their consciences become seared to the point that they have lost all feeling. Now, a bit later, he explicitly mentioned that these ‘liars’ have forbidden marriage or certain foods, but one has to wonder if there isn’t more to this than just that. Indeed, as Paul mentions in his other letters, such slavish adherence to such do’s and don’ts, even if sanctioned or mentioned in the Jewish Law, can become obstacles to the freedom that we should have in Christ Jesus and be used by Satan to entrap us again into a kind of slavery. As Paul puts it here, those that teach that such things are necessary for salvation are hypocritical liars, claiming to be real Christians, to have placed their trust and faith in Jesus Christ, whereas in reality they have not.

The second context, by way of contrast, has to do with Timothy himself. Instead of listening to and acting upon the questionable and iffy sources mentioned above, he is to stick with the teachings about the faith that he grew up with and with the good instructions that he has hitherto obeyed. He is to disassociate himself from worthless, senseless stories and to dedicate himself to the public reading of the Scriptures and to his preaching and teaching. Indeed, he is to remember these Scriptures and ponder them in his heart. He is to be careful in the way that he lives, not being in the least way intimidated because he is young. His life should be such that he can provide an example to other followers in his love, faith and purity, so that they can see how well he is doing and come to imitate it. His faithfulness in both teaching the faith and living it are of such crucial importance, that by doing so, he saves not just himself, but also those who hear him as well.

What this says to me is that what Paul’s words apply to us as well as to Timothy. In other words, what we say and do is likewise rather crucial, for they unduly influence other people, whether we are conscious or not. We are God’s living, loving ambassadors.

Forward notes: “Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders” (verse 14)..

“Every time I tried to quit teaching, another opportunity came up. I had decided to be a stay-at-home mom with my daughter. I called her learning center to tell them she wasn’t coming, and the assistant director said, ‘We would love a Spanish program. Would you like to teach here?’ I had a new job the same day I resigned from my old one.

“By no fault of my own, I was laid off from another position. As I lost that job, I received an email that a local high school wanted to interview me. I prayed and cried and prepared. In the end, I was laid off on Monday, interviewed on Tuesday, taught a sample class on Wednesday, and hired on Friday.

“Teaching languages is a gift the Lord expects me to use. I even use it in the summer when I lead a Bible school in the Dominican Republic. When it’s a gift, you don’t have a choice.”

MOVING FORWARD: “What gift is in you? Are you using it wisely and to the glory of God?”