There is a difference in “teaching” and “training” – and the Bible is good for both. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16 ESV). In fact, we need to faithfully use Scripture in all of those ways to produce God’s desired results: that we “may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:17).
But that doesn’t always happen. Just ask the Hebrews writer: “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God” (Heb. 5:12). The Hebrews grew up hearing the Scriptures taught every Sabbath. With apostles crisscrossing the world proclaiming the gospel of Christ, they had received powerful preaching that removed the veil from those ancient words (cf. 2 Cor. 3:12-18). When an apostle wrote to them with still more teaching, they could ask questions about it from someone who was there when he wrote it (cf. Eph. 6:21-22). So, what was their issue? “You need milk, not solid food, for…solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Heb. 5:12-14).
More than just good teaching, it takes being trained by constant practice to grow into who God wants us to be and to receive the blessings that come from living right with Him. Jesus taught, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Lk. 6:40). He ended His Sermon on the Mount with an admonition to both hear and do His word (Matt. 7:24-29). When an audience claimed to understand all His parables – one of the most abstract, analytical ways He could have taught – He replied with another: “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old” (Matt. 13:52). It takes training and bringing something out of what we are taught to realize the value of the treasure we’ve been given.
So, how do we do that? While we each likely can “try harder” to find personal applications for a given lesson, there’s also something for the church as a whole to do. The religious authorities in Jesus’ day preached without practicing (cf. Matt. 23:1-3). With our common emphasis on Sunday sermons, classroom curricula, and fact memorization, we can easily make the same mistake. We can teach truth but fail to train for its practice. Let’s do something about that. Don’t just study prayer: let’s take what we study and practice praying like that together. When we see examples of how Jesus encouraged, forgave, or served, let’s create opportunities to do that together. The Bible is good for both teaching and training: we will grow when we use it for both.