Marks of True Teaching

One of my favorite classes in college was Econometrics. Though the class was exceptionally technical, I profoundly enjoyed it because I had an excellent professor. His stated goal for the class was to teach us to discern between statistical truth and statistical lies. As he taught us about R-squared and t-values, multicollinearity, heteroskedasticity, and co-variance, he provided real-world examples of people making these classical errors in statistical analysis to laughable results.

Those real-world connections made class meaningful. Suddenly, an arbitrary jumble of numbers on a spreadsheet became a means of discerning truth. It felt as if a light was turning on in a dark room, and I was seeing the world as it actually was.

It is not lost on me that some of you have no interest in statistical analysis and you’re about to close your browser on this article. Before you do that, let me assure you there’s a point to all of this. Statistics are confusing and oftentimes misleading. However, there are marks of “true” statistics, and when you know what true statistics look like, you’re less likely to be deceived. As followers of Christ, Jesus encourages similar discernment regarding those who teach us.

In Matthew 7, he says:

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit (vv. 15-17).

Just as there are marks of true statistics, so too there are marks of true teachers. However, it is easy for us to miss those marks. The church in Thyatira did. Even though they were growing in love, faith, service and patient endurance, they tolerated a false prophet among them. (Rev. 2:18-29)

If the church in Thyatira failed to discern false teaching, in humility, we must acknowledge that’s a possibility for us as well. If anything, discernment on true teaching has become even more pressing in our modern world. No longer is it simply pastors and prophets seeking to teach us. Now, would-be cultural prophets are seeking to influence your beliefs every time you log in to your favorite social media platform, turn on your TV, or read the news. Every fact comes with a message. Fruit will prove that message true or false.

As I open up my Bible, I find at least six marks of true teaching. While this list is not exhaustive, I hope it can help us discern true and false voices in our lives.

True teaching will produce love over fear.

In 1 John 4:18, the apostle writes, “there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” If the primary fruit of the news you read, watch, or listen to is to stoke fear, it may be factually accurate, but it is not biblically true. True teaching will always turn our eyes to the slaughtered lamb who sits on the throne. He has conquered death. We don’t need to fear the world falling apart, because this world is not our home. We don’t need to fear failure, because he holds us fast. True teaching will put our hope in him.

True teaching will encourage righteousness over sin.

In Thyatira, Jezebel and her followers were sinning boldly, worshipping idols, and engaging in sexual immorality. Scripture offers many moral imperatives. No true teaching will ever minimize or reject the clear moral teaching of Scripture. Rather, true teaching will trust God’s Word as a faithful guide to the best way to live, and seek to connect biblical imperatives to joy in Christ.

True teaching will elevate humility over pride.

When the apostle Paul was in conflict with self-labeled super-apostles in Corinth, he notes that he has plenty over which he could boast but chooses not to. Rather, he says he will boast all the more gladly in his weaknesses so the power of Christ might rest upon him. True teaching does not glorify jars of clay; it glorifies the treasure of the Gospel. True teaching will glorify God.

True teaching values mercy over achievement.

Galatians 1:8 says, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” Galatians then goes on to teach the Gospel is not a matter of achievement through identity or works. Rather, our value is found in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself up for us. False teaching tells you that you aren’t enough and need to seize an identity through your effort or a social marker outside of Jesus. True teaching tells you Jesus is enough, and you can never do more than what he has done for you.

True teaching pursues Godly wealth over earthly wealth.

Whether it was Jesus during his teaching ministry (Luke 18:18-29), Paul refuting the super-apostles (2 Cor. 6:4-10), or the resurrected Jesus encouraging his church (Rev. 2:9), followers of Christ are consistently taught to discount earthly wealth in favor of our eternal inheritance.

Jesus did not live a comfortable life; he did not die peacefully at a ripe old age in a manor house by the sea surrounded by three generations of loving family. He had no place to lay his head. People hated him, insulted him, disputed with him, and plotted to kill him. He died outside the gates, stripped bare, humiliated, and tortured until his body failed. He didn’t accumulate his wealth in bigger barns in this life. Rather, for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame.

Jesus may provide us comfort, healing or wealth at one point or another in this life, but if he does, those gifts are not guaranteed, and they are not the end for which we were meant. Any teacher or social media influencer who is training you to love earthly treasure more than heavenly treasure is leading your heart away from the way of our King.

True teaching promotes character before competency.

True teaching is certainly not opposed to competency. It’s safe to say Jesus is a competent teacher. So too were the apostles. However, competency is not the only mark of a true teacher. When Jesus confronts the Pharisees over their teaching in Matthew 23, he does not simply criticize their exegesis. He is at least as concerned about their way of living as he is about their way of teaching.

The voices that influence us most must do more than say beautiful things. They should be from people who live beautiful lives. We should find the people whose speech and actions are filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, and learn from them.

God gives us marks of true teaching to guard us as we walk through this life. Do you remember the old children’s story, “Little Red Riding Hood”? In the various, odd, and occasionally grotesque versions of the story, there is always a wolf pretending to be Red’s grandma. As Red comes closer to “Granny,” she spots some marks that are off. “What big ears you have!” “What big eyes you have!” “What a big mouth you have!” Red was a bit slow, but in the end, she figured it out. The wolf was not her grandma.

The story is absurd, but are our stories any less absurd? The apostle Peter warns us, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Pet. 5:8) Can you recognize his attack on your soul?

Take Time to Reflect

Consider the voices that are most prominent in your life: What influencers do you listen to most? What news do you most often read or watch? Whose feedback has the power to change what you do? Which preachers do you listen to on Sunday or throughout the week?

After you have spent time sitting under these teachings, what is the fruit? Are you more loving, righteous, humble, merciful, and boldly pursuing eternity? The voices that produce such biblical fruit should be maximized in our lives. Conversely, are you fearful, sinful, prideful, striving, and obsessed with what you don’t have? Voices that produce such fruit need to be minimized or eliminated.

May Jesus’ voice become ever louder in your life, and the voices that lead you astray quieter and more distant.