We Who Teach Will Be Judged

Scripture: 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

Observation: James tells us that those who teach God’s word regularly have a greater responsibility at the judgment. This probably refers to the content of the teaching, making sure it is accurate. But it may also refer to the lifestyle of the teacher. If you are in a position of spiritual authority, then you must be extra aware of your words and actions. This does not seem fair. Shouldn’t everyone, teacher or not, strive to be pure in their life? It almost seems unfair to expect something different from teachers. It seems like it creates an artificial wall between teachers and “everybody else.” However, it does make sense—those who more publically proclaim the word have greater opportunity for harm, and need to be extra careful.

Application: Recently I was out with friends and said some things I regret. While I asked those who were with me for forgiveness, one thought nagged at me. What if one of the other people there that day happened to visit our church and hear me teaching? What would their impression be of the difference between my words that night and my words from the pulpit? I actually thought, “I hope they never come to our church.” God corrected this thought pronto! I guess sometimes I want to be able to take off the pastor hat and just be me. This is fine if it is an attempt to be genuine and not hypocritical. However, this verse tells me that I do need to be extra careful about how I live, because as a teacher, I will be judged with greater strictness.

Prayer: God, let me strive to follow you. May I trust in you, Holy Spirit, to produce the fruit of self-control in my life. And while I do not want to create an artificial fishbowl, I do need to be sensitive to the position you have placed me in, and how I need to be extra aware of my words and deeds.