The Bible: Be Devoted to Scripture

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One of Christianity’s most important teachings is the authority of Scripture. Scripture is the basis for everything else we teach. Faith is an essential part of Christianity. But not just any faith will do—our faith must be in something that is true. Faith must not be a false hope—it must be based on evidence—and such evidence needs to be taught.

The church Jesus founded is to be a teaching church, and his people are to be people who are learning. (The word “disciple” means “one who learns.”) People who believe in a Savior will be eager to learn more about him. They will hunger and thirst not just for warm fuzzy feelings about God, but also for knowledge of God that involves facts. They will want to learn.

Doctrine (which means “teachings”) is important. Jesus told the church to teach. The book of Acts tells us that the apostles gave teaching a high priority. Paul wrote that teaching was important. This is an important part of our work.

The importance of the ministry of the word

After Jesus ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit filled the disciples and the church began to grow by the thousands. What did the people do? “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). Teaching was important.

There were many unusual needs, partly because some of the people had come to Jerusalem for the festival of Pentecost and ended up staying for months longer than they expected. They had financial needs. What did the people do? “They would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need” (verse 45).

Can we imagine what it must have been like? A new community was being formed—new leaders, new followers and new social structures. The old social system did not work for these people. Many were cut off from family and friends, so new ties had to be developed.

At first, everyone’s needs were taken care of informally. But eventually a system was created to meet the needs. Donations were given to the apostles for redistribution to the needy (Acts 4:34-35). But the apostles continued to focus their attention on teaching: “Every day in the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah” (Acts 5:42).

Some people began to complain that food distribution wasn’t working fairly (Acts 6:1). The apostles arranged for other believers to take care of this.

Why did the apostles back away from this important community need? It was because there was a more important community need. They said, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables…. We, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word” (verses 2-4).

These spiritual leaders set a priority on praying, teaching and preaching. This priority still exists. We are servants of the word, and we serve it to others.

It is not that “waiting on tables” was beneath the apostles’ dignity, but they had a different responsibility, which could not be so easily delegated. Spiritual leaders should not get sidetracked by things that leave them no time for prayer and the word of God. Our primary role in the church is teaching and preaching, and we cannot do that without a strong foundation in prayer and study.

That is easier said than done. Many pastors face seemingly never-ending demands on their time. Often the requests are for legitimate needs, and each would be a good use of time—but when added all together they become a burden. As much as pastors would like to help everyone who approaches them, they must prioritize their time and delegate some responsibilities. Prayer and a ministry of the word should be high on their priority list.

“Ministry of the word” is not just Scripture study for personal growth (though that is important) — it is study for teaching and preaching, for serving others with the word. A good teaching ministry will help train more people to study and teach, to carry out the mission of the church.

Teaching and preaching

Scripture emphasizes the importance of doctrine, of teaching, of truth. Teaching was a large part of Jesus’ ministry. His commission to the church includes teaching (Matthew 28:20). Truth sets people free, and truth needs to be taught. Good feelings and pleasant words are not enough.

In the early church, the apostles preached and taught:

• “They were teaching the people and proclaiming that in Jesus there is the resurrection of the dead” (Acts 4:2).
• “They entered the temple at daybreak and went on with their teaching” (Acts 5:21).
• “Every day in the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah” (verse 42).
• “For an entire year [Barnabas and Saul] met with the church and taught a great many people” (Acts 11:26).
• “Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, and there, with many others, they taught and proclaimed the word of the Lord” (Acts 15:35).
• “He stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them” (Acts 18:11).
• “I did not shrink from doing anything helpful, proclaiming the message to you and teaching you publicly and from house to house” (Acts 20:20).
• “…proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 28:31).

The apostle Paul

Paul called himself a teacher (1 Timothy 2:7; 2 Timothy 1:11). He taught in all his churches (1 Corinthians 4:17), and the Holy Spirit also moved him to write to many of his churches. His letters are examples of the teachings that the early church was built on and immersed in.

Paul urged the Thessalonians to “stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us” (2 Thessalonians 2:15). He told the Ephesians that they “have heard about him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus” (Ephesians 4:21).

He told the Colossians, “It is he [Christ] whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom…. Continue to walk in him,  rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught…. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom” (Colossians 1:28; 2:6-7; 3:16).

Paul told the Corinthians that everything in their worship meetings should be done for edifying—building up the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 14:26). Edification is the priority. The words we speak should be “only what is good for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29).

Everything Paul did was for the purpose of edification (2 Corinthians 12:19). “Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding” (Romans 14:19). “Encourage one another and build up each other” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). This continues to be an important part of our work today. God has given us the responsibility of teaching.

The Pastoral Epistles

After Paul had preached the gospel, raised up churches, corrected doctrinal errors, and trained assistants, he passed the baton of leadership to others. The letters to Timothy and Titus tell us that future church leaders have an important responsibility:

• “Give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching” (1 Timothy 4:13).
• “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching” (verse 16).
• “Teach and urge these duties” (1 Timothy 6:2).
• “What you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well” (2 Timothy 2:2).
• “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).
• “Proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage with the utmost patience in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2-3).
• Church leaders should be “holding tightly to the trustworthy word of the teaching, so that he may be able both to exhort with sound instruction and to refute those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9).
• “Teach what is consistent with sound instruction” (Titus 2:1).

Doctrine is important. We need solid teaching, based on diligent study of Scripture. Sound instruction doesn’t necessarily make us feel good. It sometimes challenges our comfort zones. This is sometimes what we need.

Work is required

It is arrogant for anyone to make his or her own interpretation the final word, and to proclaim that all who disagree are incorrect and therefore not led by the Holy Spirit. No, when we approach Scripture it is helpful to do it in the context of the believing community today as well as in the context of the historic Christian church. Just as we hope that others learn from us, we also hope that we can learn from others through their Christian experiences and discussions of Scripture.

Often, one group or school of thought can identify errors that another school of thought cannot see. So with caution, we can learn from others, and in some cases, they can point out areas in which we need more study. That doesn’t mean that we blindly accept what others say. That would be impossible, because some ideas contradict others. So what is the standard of truth? It is Scripture. That is why it is essential that we strengthen our foundation in Scripture.

The ministry of the Word takes work. It takes time. Pastors need to spend a considerable amount of time studying, researching and preparing sermons that have a solid foundation behind them. Most of this work will never be seen, but it is necessary.

We should have a library, but we do not bring the library with us when we preach. We do not cite every fact we’ve found. We do not quote every Greek word we’ve examined. We take time to distill the message of Scripture, to point out how it is relevant today, and to present it in an interesting way.

Pastors must be “at home” in a study, with reference works and technical resources. They must also be active and “at home” in the community, where those they serve live and work. Their role is to bridge the gap between the two—to explain the gospel in an interesting, persuasive way. Pastors should teach the members, and members should also study. Let us devote ourselves to prayer and study, preaching and teaching.

Author: Joseph Tkach, edited by Michael Morrison in 2026