The Danger Of Biblical Preaching & Teaching

The Apostle James gives a sober warning to all aspiring preachers and teachers of the Bible:

My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.

James 3:1-2

We may ask why teachers will receive a “stricter judgment” than others.  Surely it stands to reason that teachers of the Bible will receive a stricter judgment because they are handling the very Word of God.  With great privilege comes great responsibility.  Jesus says in Luke’s Gospel, “Everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required (Luke 12:48).”

The teacher opens the Bible, God’s Word, and endeavors to teach what God says.  This is a sobering task.  To misrepresent God or to add to the Word something God has not said is a scary prospect.

On a personal note, this is one reason I am committed to expository preaching, especially verse-by-verse preaching through books of the Bible.  Aside from its many practical benefits, verse-by-verse expository teaching is the method least likely to stray from the plain meaning of Scripture.  

The preacher opens the Bible and merely “exposes” what is in the open Bible before the people.  He expounds upon the Scriptures, and all the hearers may follow along and judge the accuracy of the exposition.

John Newton is known by many as the author of the hymn “Amazing Grace.”  But Newton was also a pastor for a number of years.  Indeed, he was a Bible-teaching pastor who challenged his hearers to compare his teaching with what they read in their open Bibles:

I count it my honor and happiness that I preach to a free people who have the Bible in their hands. To your Bibles I appeal. I entreat, I charge you to receive nothing upon my word any farther than I can prove it from the Word of God. And bring every preacher and every sermon that you hear to the same standard.

The Works Of John Newton, Vol. 1

Handling Scripture is a tremendous responsibility of Bible teachers and preachers.  We must use the Word of God accurately and with integrity.  It is the pastor’s greatest responsibility.  In the periodical Reformation & Revival, Pastor Phil Newton agrees:

The preacher must expound the Word of God or else he has failed in his calling.  He may be a wonderful administrator, a winsome personal worker, and effective leader.  But if he fails to expound the Word of God, he is a failure to his calling to preach the Word.

Reformation & Revival Vol.9, Winter 2000, 19.

Indeed, preaching and teaching the Word of God is an enormous responsibility.  This is to say nothing of the responsibility of those who hear the Word of God.  If God places great stress on the teaching of the Word, what of the responsibility of those who hear it and listen to its teachings?  

James has already cautioned that Christians are to be “doers of the Word and not hearers only (James 1:22).”  He takes for granted that Christians are actually in a position to “hear” the Word.  This is a reasonable assumption.  Christians are those who are interested in hearing from God by listening to the teaching of His Word.  Once they have heard it, James argues, they must “do” it, living out its truths.

Teachers are Likely to Stumble 

James is talking here about the likelihood of a Bible teacher’s stumbling in speech, making a slip of the tongue.  He says, “For we all stumble in many things.  If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.”

Stumbling is a metaphor for sin.  To stumble is to fall or slip up.  James’ honesty is refreshing: “For we all stumble in many things.”  We all sin.  Then he adds: “If anyone does not stumble in word (or speech), he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.”

The word “perfect” is best understood in this context as “mature.”  The one who does not stumble as much as others in word–by what he says–is the one who has control over his tongue.  He has control over his words.  He or she is careful when speaking.  This is a mature person who thinks before speaking and chooses words carefully, considering how his or her words will be heard.  

Teachers and preachers are in the business of using words to expound the Word.  We teach God’s Word by using our words, so it just stands to reason that the more words we use, the more likely we are to “stumble,” to slip up, or to say something erroneous or untrue.  This is precisely what Solomon seems to suggest in Proverbs 10:19: “Where words are many, sin is not absent (NIV).”

If you are teaching the Bible, you may say things you didn’t even realize you were saying.  You can sin accidentally by saying something without thinking it through.  

Mark Twain famously noted: “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.”

What James issues as a warning to teachers and preachers is applicable to all Christians.  We are all likely to stumble in speech.  More about that in the next chapter.

**Excerpt from You’re Either Walking The Walk Or Just Running Your Mouth (Preaching Truth: 2020) available in all formats here.