The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 70-13, titled "Bible Questions and Answers."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE. Copyright 1992 by John MacArthur Jr., All Rights Reserved.

Question

Referring to your message this morning on Titus and the ability to teach, is there a difference, and what is the difference, between the ability to teach and the spiritual gift of teaching that is mentioned in I Corinthians 12? And then, flowing from that, is it possible to be in an elder position or a pastor position likes yours, without having the gift of teaching?

Answer

Okay, let’s start at the end: no, it’s not possible to be in a pastor or teacher role without having the gift of teaching or preaching. And all preaching has to have the teaching content. That’s that statement, you can’t have “kerugma,” proclamation, without having “didache,’ teaching. So, even a preacher is teaching while he’s preaching. He’s proclaiming content. It is possible, I suppose, to say a man has the gift of preaching, the emphasis in preaching, and is not strong in the classroom--he is not a strong teacher, as such. But, no one could be an elder with neither of those capabilities. Okay?

And then, the question before that was, “What is the difference between the ability to teach and the gift of teaching?”

There is no difference in my mind. I am always referring to the spiritual gift. Now, here’s another point I could have made this morning: a person can have the gift of teaching and not be an elder. There are many women in the church who have the gift of teaching; there may be many other men in the church who have the gift of teaching. Some of them are not elders because, one, they’re not desiring that office--the Spirit of God has not called them to that, not prompted them to that. Secondly, they’re not elders because, maybe they’re not “one-woman men,” maybe they haven’t demonstrated that leadership in the family that sets them apart, maybe their character has not been above reproach and all those other qualifications aren’t there.

But, it may just be that God hasn’t elevated them to that particular office, and they’re very content to teach in the church. This church, for example, has many men and many women who have the gift of teaching but are not elders. So, you can have the gift of teaching, which is a spiritual ability to teach, and not necessarily be an elder. You can’t be an elder without either the gift of teaching or preaching. And the difference between the ability and the gift in the church--there isn’t any difference. Outside the church, there are people who have the ability to teach, but it’s not the spiritual gift. I believe inside the church, when we’re talking about teaching the Bible, teaching spiritual things, we’re talking about a gift.

Now, let me take it a step further. It is conceivable, and it is probably very common, that you have people in the church who have the ability to teach--schoolteachers, university professors--but they don’t exercise the gift of teaching in the church. That’s another completely different thing, that is a spiritual enterprise. Does that help sort it out a little?

Question (continued)

Yes, but when you talked this morning about the ability to teach being a skill, then how would that be developed or is it just a gift from God?

Answer (continued)

Yeah, I wasn’t trying to talk about it as a developmental thing, but I do believe it is developed. I hope I’m a better teacher and preacher now than I was when I started. I had the gift then, but it’s a matter of developing and refining and exercising and using and enhancing that gift. And that’s how the Spirit of God works. I mean, even Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. We’re all in a progressive kind of growth and our ministries certainly should reflect that development. So, I believe when you’re saved, the gifts are there--the Spirit of God probably gives them then, as I Corinthians would indicate: “He divides severally to every man as He will,” at the same time we receive the Spirit of God. At that point, the gift is there; it begins to be enriched and strengthened as we exercise that gift.

But, it is a skill in the sense that it’s something we do in a function that sets us apart from other people. In other words, being honest, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, being hospitable…the other things that are there: being devout, being self-controlled--those aren’t skills. Those are character qualities. Now, when you’re talking about teaching and preaching, you’re talking about a skill. That skill, in the church, is a spiritual gift.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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