Category Archives: Teaching Topics

The letters to early churches contain much instruction for believers today. Tips for teaching New Testament Epistles must lead to application of these guidelines to reap the benefit to church life and everyday living. Of course, that begins with a perspective that views God’s Word as supreme (2 Tim. 3:16-17), our standard. It also requires an attitude of humility, recognizing that we aren’t the ones who determine truth and what matters. We aim for God’s intent and purposes, not what we think.

Promote the Right Perspective and Attitudes by Using These Tips for Teaching New Testament Epistles

To gain the most benefit from these books of the Bible, we need to follow these tips for teaching New Testament Epistles:

1) Don’t shy away from teaching the doctrine in these books but do present it in a way that isn’t stuffy and dry.

… in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. (Titus 2:10)

2) Accurately present doctrine.

… must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. (Titus 2:1)

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (2 Tim. 2:15)

3) Stress why it’s important to stay true to God’s Word.

Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Tim. 4:16)

4) Guard against divisive quarreling over doctrine.

Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. (2 Tim. 2:23-26)

Check out the Teaching the Real Message of the Bible Teacher Training Resource for some added input to these tips.

For Curriculum, Go To: New Testament Epistles Bible Lessons

We have a Sovereign and Holy God, righteous and perfect in all His ways. As the Supreme One, He declared, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:9). These character traits earn Him the right to establish commands for those He created.

To learn more, check out the Our Great God from A to Z Discipleship Tool. Helping people grow in their understanding of who God is makes a difference. Notice how according to 2 Peter 1:3 striving to keep His commandments isn’t what makes us godly. — “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”

Problem with Too Much Emphasis on the Commands in Scripture

While commands of our Holy God do fill the Bible, we risk the following problems if we primarily emphasize the do’s and don’ts of Scripture.

• People might confuse salvation with works because of all the emphasis on how we’re supposed to please God. Scripture, however, makes it clear that “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).

• If we aren’t careful, our students might come to approach the Christian life legalistically, as religion, rather than relationally, as life itself. Jesus came, however, that we “may have life, and have it to the full” (Jn. 10:10). He came to set us free, not to bind us (Jn. 8:32; Gal. 5:1). We enter into a relationship with Him (Jn. 1:12; Rom. 8:15-17) that guides what we do. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands” (Jn. 14:15).

• Further, we could turn people off by a God who seems to be little more than a rule enforcer to police their activity. A relationship with God could seem stifling and too hard. We read, however, that “this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” (1 Jn. 5:3-5)

Emphasis More on Character Traits

First consider how the commands in Scripture tie into God’s character traits.

When we show how the commands flow out of God’s character, obeying His commandments become more about lining up with Him that keeping a bunch of regulations. God uses His commandments as a way of protecting and providing for His people, to make our lives better in ways that truly matter (Jer. 29:11).

Next consider God’s priority on our character over outward conformity.

To emphasize what’s most important to God, we must address the heart. “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Sam. 16:7) “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Prov. 4:23)

God’s wants “doing” what’s right to flow out of “being” so we must emphasize character development and not mere external conformity.

From God’s Word we can pull together teaching on the essentials of our faith and present them in a systematic way. These truths should transform us and ground us. We must, however, be careful to accurately arrive at what the Bible says. Teaching sound doctrine is important so “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Tim. 2:15)

Why Teaching Sound Doctrine is Important

The Apostle Paul exhorted Timothy to “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” (2 Tim. 4:2-3)

• If we don’t provide this kind of instruction, sound doctrine, what will people do when faced with false teaching? … with their own human tendencies to compromise?

Paul also wrote to Titus about doctrine. Overseers in the Church are to “encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it for there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception” (Titus 1:9-10). Paul goes on to exhort Titus, “You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine.” (Titus 2:1)

• If our teaching doesn’t stand in contrast to what people hear out in the world, why would it make a difference for them? Why would God’s ways matter to them?

Read:

• Bible Teachers, Do You Have a Contrasting Voice?
• Bible Teachers, Do You Have a Consistent Voice?

Sound Doctrinal Teaching Makes a Difference

Our doctrine, what we believe, will affect the way we live. Inaccurate doctrine gives us an excuse for ungodly living. Accurate, or sound, doctrine leads to what is good and honoring, aligning with the glorious gospel by which we are saved. (Read 1 Tim. 1:3-11.)

And so, we read, “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Tim. 4:16) We must pay close attention to what we teach, and hold fast to biblically sound doctrine, if we want to make an eternal difference in the lives of our students, as well as our own lives. Let’s be careful we’re advancing, not hindering, God’s work by what we teach.

Looking for Curriculum to Teach Doctrine? Go To: Biblical Topics & Doctrine

How well students take to studying Old Testament History and Books of the Law, may depend on where we put the focus and how well we show the relevance of the study to their lives. God intends for us to learn from all parts of Scripture. — “For EVERYTHING that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” (Rom. 15:4)

Tips for Teaching Old Testament History So It Leads to Hope

Notice in the verse referenced above that God’s intends for all parts of the Bible to teach us. This learning goes beyond head knowledge to an impact on our lives. Therein we learn endurance and receive encouragement which leads to hope. So, how can we teach the Old Testament History and Law in a way that leads to hope?

You’ll find specific tips for teaching Old Testament History books to guide students toward that hope in the Teaching the Real Message of the Bible Download. Some questions will help you personalize these tips to your own teaching. In addition, this resource also provides helpful tips for teaching Old Testament Poetic and Prophetic books in addition to New Testament books of the Bible.