A Question on 1 Corinthians 14:26 and the Qualifications of a Teacher

[Steven Yeadon]

1 Corinthians 14:26
What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.

This verse in mind, I want to ask you guys and gals if I am interpreting it right to say that: "every once in a while someone may have a solid word of instruction on an issue that they may want to share and teach. However, these people obviously do not have the experience or bible study to be a regular Teacher." Whether that interpretation of 1 Corinthians 14:26 is correct is my question.

My biblical debate is "what are the qualifications of a Sunday School Teacher?" Is teaching the act of elders exclusively, or is it for those in the church who choose to be teachers and take on the responsibility of a harsher judgment (James 3:1).

This question is important to me, because in many ways debating theology on the BB seems to be a teaching act. Something I don't know if I am qualified to do from an ecclesiastical perspective.

 

[Reynolds]

1 Corinthians 14:26
What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.

This verse in mind, I want to ask you guys and gals if I am interpreting it right to say that: "every once in a while someone may have a solid word of instruction on an issue that they may want to share and teach. However, these people obviously do not have the experience or bible study to be a regular Teacher." Whether that interpretation of 1 Corinthians 14:26 is correct is my question.

My biblical debate is "what are the qualifications of a Sunday School Teacher?" Is teaching the act of elders exclusively, or is it for those in the church who choose to be teachers and take on the responsibility of a harsher judgment (James 3:1).

This question is important to me, because in many ways debating theology on the BB seems to be a teaching act. Something I don't know if I am qualified to do from an ecclesiastical perspective.

Teaching in the Biblical sense denotes a degree of authority. This is more like interactive learning. It Is discussion, not formal teaching.

 

[Darrell C]

1 Corinthians 14:26
What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.

This verse in mind, I want to ask you guys and gals if I am interpreting it right to say that: "every once in a while someone may have a solid word of instruction on an issue that they may want to share and teach. However, these people obviously do not have the experience or bible study to be a regular Teacher." Whether that interpretation of 1 Corinthians 14:26 is correct is my question.

From one perspective all believers are called to teach, in the sense that we are all called to share Christ, and to teach men about Him. But teaching as a teacher is a gift from God, and one He develops, and I think based on the obedience of the believer to allow His to work in their/our lives. So not everyone is called to be a teacher in that sense.

"...a word of instruction" is not a bad translation, because in view is a revelation of truth, which again, is something that can be applied to everyone. Doesn't matter what level of growth or knowledge a believer is at, he/she can still open the understanding of another believer on a subject. The above is specifically in a fellowship context, and Paul's point is that there not be disorder. The point being that we come together for the purpose of being edified. That the Church herself be edified. There is much rebuke in this chapter for the behavior of the Corinthians.

My biblical debate is "what are the qualifications of a Sunday School Teacher?" Is teaching the act of elders exclusively, or is it for those in the church who choose to be teachers and take on the responsibility of a harsher judgment (James 3:1).

Depends on the fellowship. Some may only allow Elders to teach, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

But, the qualifications for being a teacher are not limited to what men decide, but what God decides. While the best way to learn is to teach, being a teacher, or taking the role of teacher is a serious matter, because teachers will be judged to a higher degree than those they teach (James 3:1).

I will say this, if you suspect God has called you to teach then you should be about the things which allow Him to groom you for that.

And guess what...that's what you are doing. Those who love the Word enough to spend time on a forum discussing and debating the Word of God, in my view, display evidence that their gifts are probably in areas dealing with the Word of God.

This question is important to me, because in many ways debating theology on the BB seems to be a teaching act.

It is. There is no question.

When you assert "this is true" you are teaching. That applies to those who teach both sound and false doctrine, and both will be held to that higher degree of judgment, so as I said, it is not something to take lightly. And I do not view throwing in "IMHO" or "I don't want to sound dogmatic" as lessening the fact one is teaching. When a small child watches mom and dad smoke and grows up to smoke they have been "taught" by mom and dad, who had no explicit instruction for the child. So too, when we present Doctrinal matters in a public forum we are all...teaching.

Something I don't know if I am qualified to do from an ecclesiastical perspective.

So test it. And this is the best place to do so. Learning is accelerated tenfold over the average Christian's exposure to the Word of God, which is "here a little, there a little," lol. Meaning most people get a snippet every Sunday, a few more get more on Sunday night, and even fewer get more including Wednesday nights. But if you are driven to the Word of God apart from your fellowship experience, there's a good chance God is leading you in that desire to know more, and most likely He is readying you to be ready to give an answer to every man the reason of the hope that is within you.

So test it. Give it time. It may be He has called you to be an Evangelist. You won't know unless you exercise your senses, my friend.


God bless.

 

[Yeshua1]

1 Corinthians 14:26
What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.

This verse in mind, I want to ask you guys and gals if I am interpreting it right to say that: "every once in a while someone may have a solid word of instruction on an issue that they may want to share and teach. However, these people obviously do not have the experience or bible study to be a regular Teacher." Whether that interpretation of 1 Corinthians 14:26 is correct is my question.

My biblical debate is "what are the qualifications of a Sunday School Teacher?" Is teaching the act of elders exclusively, or is it for those in the church who choose to be teachers and take on the responsibility of a harsher judgment (James 3:1).

This question is important to me, because in many ways debating theology on the BB seems to be a teaching act. Something I don't know if I am qualified to do from an ecclesiastical perspective.

The one gifted to teach as a demand on them to model in practice what they are teaching.