Teaching is Hard Work

—Chris Krycho

Several months ago, I wrote a post called “Preach Hard Things.” At the time, I mostly focused on deep, theological topics—an area that has been neglected too often in our preaching. There are many other issues which are not theologically deep but still terrifically complex that many preachers fail to handle with Biblical justice. We must be willing to grapple with all areas of faith and practice, even—and perhaps especially—those that challenge us.

When an elder glosses over or oversimplifies difficult subjects in his preaching, he does the congregation a disservice. The whole of the Word of God is profitable and helpful, but some of it is clearer and more easily understood than other parts are, especially when it comes to application. Is Genesis 1 to be understood as six 24-hour days, or as indicating (in non-scientific terms) the manner in which God prepared the earth over a long period of time? Are the charismatic gifts still active? Can paedobaptists and credobaptists coexist in the same church, or should they each view the other as preaching a false doctrine?

It is often easier for pastors to simply handle these topics quickly, without dealing with their complexity or challenges. Moreover, in some of these areas, Scripture allows for interpretation or flexibility in application. The elders at a church must develop a clear position on these topics, even if that position is that Scripture leaves room for disagreement. They must then preach and teach that view carefully and discerningly to the congregation. Teaching clearly on a complex topic may require spending a considerable amount of time on the issue.

There are, I think, three distinct categories among these complex topics. While each church must decide which issues belong in which category, I will use a few examples for illustration. (My views on where particular issues fit will be covered in a later post.)

1. Debated and divisive: As I noted recently, the requirements for church membership and church discipline should be thought through carefully . Some typical issues that are both hotly debated and historically divisive are mode of baptism, practice of the charismatic gifts, views on the role of men and women in the church and home, Calvinism and Arminianism, and church government. Once the elders and church have decided on a particular position, it needs to be clearly articulated, even if that is ultimately unpopular with visitors or culture.
2. Debatable but not divisive: Many doctrinal and practical issues may be important yet not ultimately be points over which churches should split. Many churches have a variety of views on the end times, music, creation, and ministry practice represented among their members and even their leaders. This sort of diversity is not just acceptable; it is healthy and worth welcoming. Unity amongst church members with diverse views on secondary issues demonstrates the Holy Spirit’s transforming work in a community.
3. Merely nuanced or difficult: These issues may or may not be divisive, but they do require a great deal of wisdom. Churches need to carefully consider what (and when and whom) to teach about sex. They need to deal carefully and faithfully with Scripture’s teaching on drinking alcohol. The biblical range of views on whether remarried men can be deacons or elders should be presented, as well as the church’s position and its reason for holding that view. Elders need to preach confidently on these issues, but carefully so that the congregation understands the nuances of the subject. This category is perhaps the most challenging of the three, because here is where it is easiest for elders to make simplistic pronouncements without doing justice to the fullness of the biblical text.

Leaders of the church have the responsibility of leading their congregations carefully into all that God has said. It may be easier to condemn neutral areas as evil than to teach people to exercise wisdom, but we are not called to ease. It may be easier to proclaim, “Sex is bad!” than to teach people the joys of both marital sex and celibacy, but we are not called to ease. It may be easier to say “that’s how we’ve always done it” than to explain (much less rethink) our approach to a theologically illiterate congregation, but we are not called to ease. We are called to excellence.

Let us stop putting aside or adding to the commands of God and be faithful to what he has said—no matter how hard that is. Let us teach theology and grapple with hard texts and confront the messy challenges of real life and do so in a way that honors God and the supremacy of his Word.