Pastor, Do You Understand What You Are Teaching?

Pastor, Do You Understand What You Are Teaching?

In this lesson, we are going to examine 1 Timothy 1:3–7. Paul gives Timothy a serious warning about false teaching, useless arguments, and men who want to teach God's Word without fully understanding what they are teaching. Although these words were written nearly two thousand years ago, the warning is just as important for pastors today.

Paul had instructed Timothy to remain in Ephesus while he traveled to Macedonia. Timothy's responsibility was to deal with certain people who were teaching things that did not agree with sound doctrine. This was not a small matter. False teaching could lead people away from the truth and cause serious harm within the church.

Paul had already warned the elders at Ephesus about this danger. In Acts 20:29–30, he told them that false teachers would come into the church and that some would even arise from among their own people, drawing disciples away after themselves. The danger was not limited to outsiders. It could come from those who were already part of the church.

In 1 Timothy 1:3, Paul tells Timothy to “instruct certain people not to teach strange doctrines.”

Notice that Paul did not tell Timothy to overlook the problem, remain silent, or allow everyone to teach whatever they believed. He gave Timothy the responsibility of correcting those who were teaching something contrary to God's Word.

This same responsibility belongs to pastors today. Titus 1:9 says that an elder must hold firmly to the faithful Word so that he can teach sound doctrine and correct those who contradict it.

A pastor is not simply someone who stands before a congregation and delivers a message every Sunday. He is responsible for making sure that what he teaches agrees with Scripture. He must also recognize false teaching and be willing to address it.

However, that does not mean every disagreement is false doctrine. Christians may disagree about matters that Scripture does not fully explain. A pastor must learn the difference between a disagreement over interpretation and a teaching that clearly contradicts God's Word.

In verse 4, Paul continues his warning. He tells Timothy that these people should not “pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to useless speculation rather than advance the plan of God, which is by faith.”

The problem was not the careful study of Scripture or even genealogies themselves. The Bible contains genealogies for a reason. Paul was warning against teachings and arguments that produced speculation instead of helping people understand God's truth.

We see this problem today when teachers build entire messages around ideas that Scripture does not clearly support. Some spend more time discussing hidden meanings, personal theories, and matters of speculation than explaining what God has actually said.

There is nothing wrong with asking difficult questions or studying difficult passages. However, a pastor must be careful not to present his own opinions as though they carry the same authority as Scripture.

Then Paul makes a statement in verse 5 that every pastor should take seriously.

“But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from a sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5)

This verse explains something important about the purpose of biblical teaching. The goal is not simply to win arguments, impress people with knowledge, or prove that someone else is wrong. The goal is to help people know God, understand His truth, and live in obedience to Him.

Notice the three things Paul mentions: a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith. These describe the kind of life that should stand behind the teaching.

A pastor can know a great deal about Scripture and still have the wrong attitude toward the people he teaches. He can be correct in what he says but harsh, proud, or more interested in winning an argument than helping someone grow spiritually.

Ephesians 4:15 speaks of “speaking the truth in love.” Both are necessary. Love does not mean compromising what Scripture teaches, and standing firmly for the truth does not give a pastor permission to treat people without love.

The pastor who truly loves his congregation will teach the truth even when that truth is difficult to hear. But he will do so because he cares about their souls, not because he enjoys correcting people.

Paul then identifies another problem in verse 6.

“Some people have strayed from these things and have turned aside to fruitless discussion.” (1 Timothy 1:6)

These people had moved away from the very things Paul described in verse 5. Instead of teaching with a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith, they had become involved in discussions that produced no spiritual benefit.

Not every theological discussion is useless. Christians should study Scripture carefully, ask questions, and seek a better understanding of God's Word. But there comes a point when discussion becomes more about defending personal opinions than discovering the truth.

A pastor should ask himself whether his teaching is helping people understand Scripture or simply encouraging them to follow his own way of thinking.

Then we come to verse 7, which gives us the warning behind the title of this lesson.

“Wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.” (1 Timothy 1:7)

Think carefully about those words. These people wanted to be teachers. They spoke with confidence. Yet Paul said they did not understand what they were talking about.

Their confidence did not make their teaching correct.

Paul was not condemning God's Law. In the very next verse, he explains that the Law is good when it is used properly. The problem was with people who wanted to teach it without understanding its proper meaning and purpose.

This should concern every man who stands behind a pulpit. A preacher can speak with authority, quote Scripture, and sound convincing while teaching something the passage does not actually say.

He may have learned that interpretation from another pastor, a Bible teacher, a seminary professor, or a church tradition. There is nothing wrong with learning from others. But no human teacher is beyond correction, and no tradition should be accepted without being examined in light of Scripture.

In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul instructs Timothy to be diligent in presenting himself approved to God, “accurately handling the word of truth.”

That requires work. It means reading the passage carefully, understanding its context, comparing Scripture with Scripture, and making certain that the explanation agrees with what God has actually said.

It also requires humility. No pastor knows everything, and no pastor understands every passage perfectly. Sometimes the most responsible thing a pastor can say is, “I need to study that more before I teach it.”

James 3:1 reminds us that teachers will receive a stricter judgment. Teaching God's Word is a serious responsibility because people listen, believe, and often build their lives around what they are taught.

The congregation also has a responsibility. Acts 17:11 describes the Bereans as people who examined the Scriptures daily to see whether the things they were hearing were true. They did not simply accept a message because someone spoke it with confidence.

A faithful pastor should welcome that kind of examination. His desire should be for people to believe God's Word, not merely believe him.

Paul's warning in 1 Timothy 1:3–7 is not just about identifying false teachers. It is also a reminder that the man teaching Scripture must examine his own heart, his understanding, and his reasons for teaching.

Pastor, before you stand before your congregation and tell them what God says, make certain you have taken the time to understand what He actually said. Do not assume something is true simply because you have believed it for years or because someone you respect taught it to you.

Your responsibility is not to defend a tradition, protect a favorite doctrine from examination, or convince people that you have all the answers. Your responsibility is to faithfully teach God's Word, correct error when necessary, and care for the people God has placed under your teaching.

And remember Paul's words in verse 5. All of this must be done with a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith.

The question every pastor should ask is not simply, “Am I teaching what I believe?” but “Am I teaching what God's Word actually says?”