A Special Warning

“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”

James 3:1

Few verses scare me as much as this one does. James will go on to say more about the power and danger of the tongue for all believers, but he gives a special warning to those who are in the place of teaching. This includes preaching on Sunday morning, teaching Sunday school, leading a small group, or one-on-one conversations. James is clear, God will give more scrutiny and there is a higher level of accountability to those who are teachers. Why is important for teachers to remember this truth?
 
1. God is a God of truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Jesus is the very embodiment of truth. Further, the writer to Hebrews reminds us that God cannot lie (Heb 6:18). God’s word is truth (John 17:17). There is no place for teachers of his truth to be lazy, sloppy, or to just “wing it.”
 
2. People’s eternal destiny is at stake. Notice what Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” It is paramount that we get it right because for a person to go to heaven he must knowingly, willingly, and accurately believe in the true God and know what Jesus provided for sin on the cross. One cannot go to heaven with a wrong view of the Trinity, the deity of Christ, his substitutionary atonement, or his bodily resurrection.
 
3. Ideas have consequences and false ideas lead people astray. Even if people get the gospel right there are a lot of other things that they can get wrong. An overemphasis on the Holy Spirit can unintentionally push people inward for some intuitive leading that may well be their own emotional desires. Without the clear guidance and direction of Scripture people can get caught up in all kinds of problems. A wrong view of God can lead to a mistaken “disappointment” with God when in reality God is always faithful and true, it was their beliefs or understanding of what he is doing that is off.
 
4. People’s lives can be ruined by false ideas. Taking it a step further, people who have poor or mistaken teaching can make life choices based on those ideas. I met one gentleman who sold everything and took his wife and children across the country because that is what “God told me.” He said his pastor, the elders, his parents, and all his close friends were against it. Destitute and homeless in Florida, he was calling churches for help. Parents sometimes do not take their children to the emergency room or withhold life-saving medicine because they think that if they have enough faith God will always provide healing.
 
5. False beliefs are hard to dislodge. Everyone has their beliefs, and they are surprisingly hard to dislodge even with overwhelming evidence. I have had conversations where I have asked the person to read the passage aloud that contradicts their belief. They read it, look up, and continue to believe the exact opposite of what the passage they read said. We tend to not want to admit we are wrong even when we are clearly shown this is the case.
 
6. Religion is a powerful motivator. We can look at the cults for people who have given their lives to go door to door telling others about their beliefs or those who even have committed suicide or been killed by the very group that they wholeheartedly follow. Consider as well committed Muslims who believe that murdering infidels and wage bloody jihad in the name of their God. When it is based on the truth, religion is a powerful force for good. But when based on a lie it can lead people to do all kinds of horrible acts.
 
Anyone who teaches the Bible ought to do so with fear and trembling recognizing the awesome responsibility that it is and the incredible consequences their teaching will have on others. If this reality does not put the fear of God in you when you teach, I recommend you step down and find something else to do.