Shaped By The Word

“…he who teaches, in teaching” – Romans 12:7

The gift of teaching is a beautiful journey—one that grows us even as we help others grow. Scripture uses the word didaskó, meaning to teach systematically and continuously. That’s exactly what we see in Nehemiah 8:2–8, where Ezra and the Levites read the Law and “gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.” Teaching isn’t simply reading Scripture aloud; it’s making God’s Word clear, understandable, and relevant. And that takes work. Anyone can speak, but teaching requires digging deep, wrestling with the text, and depending on the Holy Spirit to illuminate truth. A wise man once said, teaching is the Spirit‑given ability to “see into the Word of God, understand, embrace, rightly divide, and communicate it more effectively than the average person.”

When the gift of teaching is operating, you can feel it. You sit under a pastor or leader and suddenly find yourself saying, “I’ve never seen that before.” That’s the Holy Spirit at work. Teaching differs from prophecy because it is systematic—“precept upon precept… line upon line” (Isaiah 28:10, NKJV). It takes the whole counsel of God, not just isolated verses, and builds a framework of truth in the hearts of God’s people. Whether it’s in a pulpit, a classroom, a home Bible study, or a mission field, teaching shapes believers the way a gardener shapes a tree. In the same way, sound doctrine forms us into the people God intends us to be. Acts 2:42 reminds us that the early church “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine,” because doctrine anchors us, strengthens us, and prepares us to respond to life with clarity.

This is why clarity in teaching matters so deeply. “A mist in the pulpit is a fog in the pew.” If the teacher is unclear, the people will be confused. But when God’s Word is taught faithfully and clearly, the church grows strong, steady, and spiritually healthy. If God has given you the gift of teaching, lean into it with humility and dependence on the Holy Spirit. Study deeply. Teach clearly. And remember that your calling is to help others understand and apply God’s Word. If you sit under teaching, pray for your pastors and leaders—that God would give them clarity, insight, and strength. And for all of us, let’s bind ourselves to Scripture so that our lives grow into the form God desires.

“The teacher is called to make the Word of God clear, for God is not the author of confusion but of truth.”—R.C. Sproul