How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Romans 10:14–17

Teaching Because You Love

Love and acts of love are important to the Christian life. John 13:34–35 says that our loving service should be the defining trait that separates us from the world, and teaching others about Christ is one of those acts of love. No one can know about Christ and salvation unless we share it with them, so if we love the world the way Jesus loves, then we’re going to teach. John 3:16–17 says that all who believe in Christ will be saved, and Romans 10:14 rhetorically asks how anyone can believe in Christ if they have not been taught about Him.

We must feel urgently compelled to teach. When we fail to teach others about Christ and salvation, then we are failing in that labor of love. We are instead showing indifference toward the fate of their souls. Being a Christian and claiming you’re not called to teach is self-contradictory. We should always be finding opportunities to help each other grow and help the world grow closer to Christ. We teach because we love.

Teaching When It’s Hard

We must love others enough that we’re willing to teach them about Christ and salvation even when those teachings aren’t popular.

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

2 Timothy 4:1–5

“If you love me, you’ll just accept me for who I am.” This is a common dismissal of Christian teaching, but we don’t argue this in any other context. If you or I see a loved one living in a self-destructive way, we’re going to try to intervene. We naturally want to show them a better way because we love them. Likewise, if we know a beloved friend is putting their soul in danger, we will also want to show them a better way. If we care for each others’ bodies, how much more should we care for each others’ souls?

Yes, Jesus receives us and forgives us just as we are — with all our faults, our sins, and our struggles. But then He calls us to do something with those faults. He calls us to mature, grow closer to Him, and put those impurities behind us. In Colossians 3:5–9, Paul says those who have been raised in Christ should put away immorality, impurity, covetousness, deceit, malice, and other imperfections. He then says we should replace those things with compassion, kindness, humility, and forgiveness. To do this, we have to be open to the correction and guidance of other Christians who love us.

James 5:19–20 says the one that corrects another’s error saves their soul from death. 2 Timothy 2:24–26 says that a servant of God must be able to teach patiently, correcting those in error with gentleness. The goal of this teaching is repentance. Even when it’s uncomfortable or unwelcome, we should be willing to teach. Love drives us to do so, understanding that we are helping Christ save souls. This is love.

Conclusion

If I love you, then I care about your spiritual health as much as anything else about you. In fact, I should care about your soul even more than anything physical and transient. Teaching about Christ and His ways is a natural extension of that love. That doesn’t mean it’s always easy. That doesn’t mean we’ll never disagree. But it does mean that I want what’s best for your eternal soul. We’re often willing to overcome a great many things for the sake of love in our lives. We should also be willing to overcome whatever is standing between us and teaching those we love about Christ.

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Photo by Aaron Burdenon Unsplash