The Gospel Must Be Taught
by H. E Phillips

Christianity is a religion of the heart, and as such it must be taught before it can be practiced. Some religions survive better when their principles are not taught than when they are known, but this is not so with Christianity.
God commands that His word be taught. Jesus said: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me” (John 6:44,45). It is only by teaching that men can come to God for salvation. Preaching is one method of teaching, and Paul said it pleased God by this preaching to save them that believe (I Cor. 1:2 1). He also said that men cannot call upon God unless they have heard the preaching of His word (Rom. 10:13-15).
Christ required his disciples to preach. “Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick” (Luke 9:1,2).
Later he selected seventy also, and sent them out two and two with the good news of the coming kingdom (Luke 10:1-9). In a parable Christ gave a principle of urgency with which his disciples were to “go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Lk. 14:23). Jesus commissioned his apostles: “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matt. 28:18-20). “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15). They began this practice on Pentecost, and following that day they were “daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ” (Acts 5:42). The early Christians followed this example and when the church was so violently persecuted in Jerusalem that they were scattered: “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word” (Acts 8:4).
The apostles taught the early Christians to teach. Paul instructed Timothy to teach the disciples to teach. “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). The reason given for teaching is that others may hear and have faith. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). One can have faith only by being taught the word of God, and his faith can be strengthened only by teaching the same.
Paul and Barnabas assembled with the church in Antioch for a whole year and “taught much people” (Acts 11:26). Not only did Paul and Barnabas do the teaching, others in Antioch also taught. “Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also” (Acts 15:35). Those things taught by the apostles laid upon others the responsibility to teach the word of God.
Christianity will not survive without teaching; teaching the right thing---the word of God. In Ephesians 4 Paul explains why different workers, including teachers, were placed in the church: “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11,12). We are taught to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). No one can grow unless he is taught, hence the teaching process continues in order for the Christian to continue to grow, regardless of age. We are what we have been taught to be. Our children will be just what we teach them to be. We have basic needs that depend upon teaching. The dual nature of man requires mental and spiritual developing as well as physical. “For which cause we faith not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16). “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that procedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). “As new born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2).
Christianity must be taught to adults and children alike if we are to “walk by faith.” We cannot expect improvement in the moral and spiritual standards of this age until the living word of God is taught to every creature. This is God’s plan to save. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Tim. 2:15).
May I urge those who read this to diligently study the word of God to and prepare yourself to teach others that both you and those taught may be saved.
- Preacher Of The Word, July 28, 1996