Biblical Instruction
Romans 15:14-15 ESV I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. (15) But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God
Paul commended the believers in Rome for three things:
their goodness,
their knowledge and
their ability to instruct others
Paul said to the believers in Rome, you are able to instruct others (of God's truth–biblical instruction). I believe Paul was talking about being able to instruct others about God’s truth–the biblical instruction. And when Paul commended the believers of their ability to instruct others…
It means that the believers are growing spiritually. You know you are growing spiritually when you find yourself helping someone understand God’s truth. Amen? Are you growing in your spiritual life? If yes, are you able to instruct others of God's truth?
It means that the believers are living their Christian life responsibly. A responsible Christian shares God’s truth to everyone who needs it. Amen? Are you living your life responsibly? Do you share God’s truth to your family, to your friends, or co-workers, or to your neighbor?
A barber decided to live the Christian life responsibly. The next morning, he prayed, "Lord, give me the wisdom to share God's truth to the first man who walks through my door." A man walked in and said, "I'd like a shave, please." The barber invited him to sit down, went into the back to grab his supplies, and returned with a razor in one hand and a Bible in the other. He looked the man in the eye and asked, "Good morning, sir. God wants me to share God’s truth to you. I have a question… Are you ready to die?"
This man needs more time to learn how to instruct others with God’s truth! Whether or not you need training, God’s Word for us this morning is for you.
Word: Biblical Instruction
Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries
The Greek word used in our text for “instruct” is νουθετέω, noutheteō
It means to put in mind, that is, (by implication) to caution or reprove gently: - admonish, warn.
Amplified Bible …competent to admonish and counsel and instruct one another.
Literal Version …able to warn one another.
Key words
Warn
Reprove
Admonish
Counsel
So, instructing others comes by way of warning, reprove, admonishing, and counsel.
What is Biblical instruction?
Biblical instruction is to warn (babala) others or reprove (saway) and to admonish (pakiusap) and to counsel (payo) others of God’s truth in the spirit of humility and gentleness and persuasion (pag kumbinsi).
We need biblical instruction:
At home
In church discipleship
At work or in school
In counseling
In confronting falsehood (polemic)
In defending the truth (apologetic)
Practically, in everyday conversation, God’s truth must be taught.
How to instruct others biblically? To answer this question, we shall look at how God dealt with Cain’s problem.
Let me just make myself clear before we proceed. The book of Genesis, especially in the first 11 chapters, presents a big idea that the good world which God created has gone bad because of sin. The author of Genesis was not concerned about the specific details in each story line because the focus of the message is not on details, but on the big idea or the main message God wants people to understand, that is, again, upon sinning, the world has gone so bad. That is the main idea in the book of Genesis. But, in Bible interpretation, we can draw out “timeless principles” from the pages of the Bible.
Timeless principles are truths that are implied in the text. For example, the big idea in the story of Cain is the fact man is sinner and because of that, he thinks and does bad things. The timeless principle we can draw out from the story of Cain is this:
There is a proper way to deal with a person who is downcast and angry... This is what we want to learn this morning.
Tell the person beside you, if you are mad at someone, then today’s message is for you.
The story about Abel and Cain is found in Genesis 3. Abel was a keeper of sheep and Cain was a worker of the ground. As time went by, they began to give God their offering. Cain’s offering was the first fruit of the ground and Abel’s offering was the best of his sheep–the firstborn and their fat portion. God accepted Abel’s offering and He rejected Cain’s. This makes Cain so upset and angry. Do you feel upset and angry when you felt you did something good, and, all of a sudden, all your efforts were not even recognized? Well, before we make any judgment, let us understand that God rejected Cain’s offering not because God did not see all the efforts Cain puts into his offering. And we don’t really know why God rejected his offering. But there is a good reason to believe that God preferred animal sacrifice rather than the harvest offering. Why? Because as we learned in the previous Sundays, animal sacrifice was God's symbolic act of covering man's sinfulness through the blood of the Lamb. Or, perhaps, Cain has an attitude problem as he gives his offering. Maybe he was in a rush and he didn’t give the best offering he could give. Both can be true, but whatever the reason, Cain did not choose to understand. He was jealous of Cain and became very upset and full of hate and anger.
I do believe God understands why Cain was so upset, but I do not believe that God wants Cain to harbor grudges and anger in his heart. So, the problem lies in the heart of Cain. He was full of self and would not want to understand God for His divine preferences. He was so jealous of Abel and hatred began to develop in his heart. He becomes bitter as he chooses not to forgive. And then his hatred and anger ate him up until he did what was unnecessary–he killed his younger brother–the one he ought to protect.
Pardon me for trying to guess what might be playing in the mind of Cain because I want to make sense of what was really going on. But I believe God knows what’s going on in the mind and heart of Cain. And before Cain commenced his plan of killing his brother, God spoke to Cain and said, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
So, how did God deal with Cain and what can we learn about God’s example of “biblical” instruction?
(You will notice the quote and in a quote to say that it is awkward to use the word “biblical” for God because the bible is His Word.)
So, number 1:
GOD SPOKE TO CAIN IN THE SPIRIT OF GENTLENESS. “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?...” I believe God said this words in the spirit of gentleness. The Bible says that God is slow to anger and rich in love (Ps 145:8). He doesn’t have to shout to show that He is in authority. Do you shout just because you want others to know that you are the one in authority? That’s not the spirit of gentleness God wants to see in us. But if the person you are talking to has a hearing problem, then you really need to make your voice louder.
We shout to our mother because of her hearing problem. NANAY, ANO PONG ULAM ANG GUSTO NYO? (Say in gentle tone and in anger)
Listen mga kapatid, the fruit of the spirit is gentleness and God wants the spirit of gentleness to manifest in your life as a new creation in Christ. Amen?
What else can we learn about biblical instruction from the way God dealt with Cain?
GOD TRIED TO MAKE CAIN UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO HIM. “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?” God knows that Cain was angry not only because of his facial expression, but because God is all-knowing. And God can tolerate the feeling of being upset, but not the spirit of hatred and anger. Jesus said in Matthew 5:22, “...I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.” Why did Jesus say this? Because it is in the spirit of hatred and anger Cain thought of murdering his brother. And to prevent Cain from doing something out of hatred, God tried to tone it down by making Cain understand what was going on in his heart. Why are you angry, Cain. You don’t have to feel that way. You may do well next time and consider what pleases me and, for sure, you will be recognized. How about you? Do you understand why sometimes you feel upset? Was it because you were jealous of someone because God was blessing him/her? Was it because someone hurt you? Would you admit if God would tell you that you are harboring grudges and hatred in your heart? Would you allow God to tone down your anger? Would you take God’s instruction through your parents or your pastor or or your younger brother/sister or anyone whom God will use to instruct you?
What else can we learn about biblical instruction from the way God dealt with Cain?
GOD DEMANDED AN EXPLANATION FROM CAIN. “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?” God wants Cain to speak and explain himself. In Isaiah 1:18, God invites the rebellious Jews to reason with Him regarding their sin. And He is willing to forgive as soon as they realize their sins, andcrepent, and turn to Him. Have you asked someone why he or she is upset or angry because of the looks in his face? Did he or she say a word? Or have you encountered someone said, “it’s none of your business (?).” Well, I believe God’s example of demanding an explanation was more of a show of concern rather than minding someone else’s business. It’s like saying, “you don’t look okay, how can I help.” And I think those who respond by saying “it’s none of your business” were the ones actually being more mean and prideful.
What else can we learn about biblical instruction from the way God dealt with Cain?
GOD GAVE CAIN A GENTLE ADMONITION AND COUNSEL AND WARNING TO AVOID POTENTIAL HARM IN MAKING BAD DECISIONS. “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” God counseled Cain with perfect words of wisdom. God wants him to divert his attention on doing well in all that he does. If you did not do well today, He will give you the chance to please Him tomorrow. God is a God of many chances. Amen?
God also wants Cain to overcome what he has been thinking in his mind–the harmful and evil deed of murdering his brother, Abel. And so God warned Cain about sin. Sin will keep coming at your door and you have two options: you may let sin come in and take full control of your life and satisfy your hatred and anger and then do harm to others. But there is a better option: you may choose to close the door and tell sin that he is not welcome in your life. Do you welcome sin in your life or do you shut the door to get rid of sin? Would you listen to God’s instruction and warning or you will still follow your sinful desire and do something that is harmful to you and to others?
So, from God’s example in dealing with Cain, how do we instruct others in the spirit of humility and gentleness?
Giving a biblical C.O.U.N.S E.L. in the spirit of humility, gentleness, and wisdom:
Amplified Bible (Paul commended the believer in Rome, you are) …competent to admonish and counsel and instruct one another.
Counseling here does not mean you need to be a certified counselor. Counseling is something each of us actually do regularly. So, as we use the word counsel, what I am trying to say is that we are giving importance to biblical instruction in our conversation with and questions of other people.
Let me tell this story. A spider child noticed his dad always being scolded by her mommy spider. So the child advised the daddy spider. Daddy spider, if you don't want to be scolded by mom, don't spend too much time on the web.
Sometimes even our children give us wise counsel.
So, how do we counsel others biblically in the spirit of humility, gentleness, and wisdom?
C-ommit to listen to God. Cain received the wisest counsel straight from the mouth of God. How could one be wrong when you get to hear God giving you His counsel? And that’s what you want to accomplish in counseling or instructing others. You listen to God and put your total dependence on Him for what you will give to others as an instruction. So as you listen to your counselee, you pay attention to God’s instruction from the Scripture. If you don’t hear any word from God, I suggest you keep quiet. Be honest and admit that you need some time to pray about what you need to say. Giving advise out of haste and lack of prayer could bring others harm than good. Sasabihin naman ng iba, pano kung kailangan na ng advise. Well, I'm sure God knows when to be silent and when to speak. When Job was distressed and full of questions, God remained silent for some time. And when God eventually spoke, Job was silenced and he cannot describe his ignorance and God’s infinite wisdom. Are you like Job who do not have patience in waiting on God’s answers to his questions? Are you willing to wait upon God for His Word for you or for others? Listening to God and waiting upon Him before saying anything to your counselee is a sign of humility. It’s like saying, I know nothing, Lord. So speak to me in light of your Holy Word–the Bible!
How do we counsel others biblically in the spirit of humility, gentleness, and wisdom?
O-vercome judgmental spirit. Cain did not hear God judging him. He was not judged for being upset and angry because God already knew that man is weak. What God did was only to ask some questions, “why are you angry and why has your face fallen?...”. And when God told Cain about his anger, Cain could not deny it because God knows the heart of man. God is always right in his judgment and as for us, we usually miscalculate and misjudge others. We need to realize this, brothers and sisters. Let’s avoid being judgmental.
A pastor was deeply troubled and asked for an advise to his member. The member said, isn’t it that pastors must be mature in faith. Why seek an advise? Well, the member was correct in saying that pastors must be mature in fath. What he fails to understand is that pastors also have some weaknesses. Paul was mature in faith, but he admitted that he has a weakness–a thorn in the flesh which humbles him because God did not hear his prayers about it. Would you dare tell Paul, “why do you have a weakness and why say that you have a weakness. If you have a weakness, you better quit serving God.” Would you say that to Paul?
Listen mga kapatid, when you blame others for their weaknesses, your pastor or your parents or your brother or sister, (when you blame them for their weaknesses) without trying to understand them, you have poor judgment and you are being judgmental. You are also being harsh and you need to learn to be humble and gentle in dealing with those who are weak.
So, when others come to you for help or counsel, shut your mouth for a while. Don’t judge yet. Listen first and listen well, and always try to understand. And try to be gentle in your approach. A person with a gentle spirit prevents himself from making a quick judgment and harsh words.
How do we counsel others biblically in the spirit of humility, gentleness, and wisdom?
U-se your discerning spirit together with your critical mind and don’t be carried away by emotions. God knows the condition of Cain’s heart. He discerned Cain’s anger and His discernment is always right. God also has feelings, but his emotions are stable. When Lazarus died, Jesus wept, but His weeping does not lead to any negative thoughts and feelings. Jesus’ emotion is stable. Like in Cain’s case, if by any chance, Cain would tell God that He shows favoritism between him and Abel, God feels the accusation, and I don’t know how God reacts to it, but I believe His emotion is stable. He does not have to be mad at Cain for accusing Him because his accusation is baseless. Cain could not attack God’s feelings and find his way out to being in the hot seat. Do you know what I mean?
I am telling you this because as we listen to people about their feelings, worries, and cares, and they tell sad stories that they are hurting and angry at someone who allegedly did something wrong to them. And then our hearts get easily swayed and, all of a sudden, you feel this hatred being transferred to your spirit and then you become hostile to the third party. And then both of you conspired together in attacking the third party whom you have never even talked to.
What are we saying here? In counselling others biblically, in the spirit of wisdom, you discern every spirit–the controlling or manipulating spirit, the lying spirit, the intimidating spirit (pananakot), the spirit of pride, the spirit of hatred, etc.. And don’t be carried away by negative emotions. And use your critical thinking. Like what God did to Cain, ask leading questions that would help the person think and understand what was really going on in his or her life.
A 3yr old little girl watched her brother being disciplined by his father. The father was mad about the wrong thing his older child did. He makes his older child stand still and he holds in his hand a stick and corrects him and he cries. All of a sudden, this little sister took a stool and gave it to his older brother for him to sit on.
This little girl has a strong discernment. She knew that her older brother did something wrong and she was in agreement with what her father was doing. Even if she sees her brother crying, her emotions are stable and did nothing to interfere with her father.
Do you use your discerning spirit in counseling people? Do you get carried away by their sad stories or do you remain stable in your emotions and remain focused on helping the person understand what’s going on on his or her life?
How do we counsel others biblically in the spirit of humility, gentleness, and wisdom?
N-ever let your counsellee feel unheard. God does not need Cain to speak in order to know what he really feels inside. God already knew that he was angry. Nevertheless, God asked him some questions in order for him to speak and be heard. So, listen to people well. Many times, what others need is just an ear who listens and a shoulder to cry on. Take some time to listen just enough to hear every baggage that’s in his or her heart and mind. And after hearing just enough, it’s your turn to speak. In James 1:19 (GNB) it says, Remember this, my dear friends! Everyone must be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry.
…This leads us to the next point.
How do we counsel others biblically in the spirit of humility, gentleness, and wisdom?
S-tay focused on the biblical solutions. Again, both you and your counselee need to listen to God. What you want to achieve is to find biblical solutions to the concern or problem at hand. And I believe that the Bible is the perfect source in problem solving because it covers all of human worries and concerns–poeple who have nothing to eat, those struggle with their vices, those who are afraid their sins would soon be exposed, those who have anxiety, those whose partners cheated on them, we go on and on and the Bible have something to say about them. We use the Bible in prescribing solutions to the person we are trying to help.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. This is the goal of both the counselor and the counsellee.
How do we counsel others biblically in the spirit of humility, gentleness, and wisdom?
E-ncourage counsellee to make a wise decision. God gave Cain the wisest decision which will make him a better person. Unfortunately, he didn't listen. And this is the saddest part of counseling people or giving them warning and admonitions. Not all people want to follow a godly counsel even if they know that it comes from the Word of God. Fortunately, there are some who follow biblical counsel and everything went well with them, by God’s grace. Do you accept and follow biblical counsel? Or do you remain stubborn and follow your own understanding? I want to encourage you, if you have worries or concerns in life, follow God’s instructions. Listen to biblical counsel and you will never regret the decision you made. You will never go wrong when you listen to God’s will. Amen?
How do we counsel others biblically in the spirit of humility, gentleness, and wisdom?
L-ift up everything to God in prayer and agree on follow-ups. Pray for God’s will to prevail. Pray that things will get better as you meet again for follow up.
Now, let’s also emphasize the word “warning” in trying to learn how to instruct others biblically.
Romans 15:14, LITV (Paul commended the believer in Rome, you are) …able to warn one another.
What kind of warning do we give to people?
We warn people about the danger of constant sinning and unbelief.
God warned Adam that he would die if he eats the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Unfortunately, Adam did not take God’s warning into heart. He disobeyed God and death came upon him and to all of us because all have sinned. And since all people sin, then all of us will die.
Romans 6:23 LITV For the wages of sin is death…
During the time of Noah, people became so wicked that God had to wipe them out.
According to 2Pe 2:5, Noah was a herald or preacher of God in his days, and as a herald-preacher, he warns people of the coming judgment. People did not listen and when the ark was completed, water burst beneath the earth and in the sky above and it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. And those people who did not listen to the warning and remained in unbelief all drowned to death. Had they listened to Noah’s message of warning, they would have entered the ark earlier before the great flood came and found safety inside the ark and been saved from God’s judgment.
And Jesus said something about God's judgment in the days of Noah and about the final judgment at His second coming.
Matthew 24:37-39 Weymouth 'For as it was in the time of Noah, so it will be at the Coming of the Son of Man. (38) At that time, before the (Great Flood), men were busy eating and drinking, taking wives or giving them, up to the very day when Noah entered the Ark, (39) nor did they realise any danger till the Deluge came and swept them all away; so will it be at the Coming of the Son of Man.
Eating here is gluttony and drinking here is drunkenness
Taking wives was done in sexual immorality–men giving their wives to others for sexual pleasures.
God’s judgment during the time of Noah was a reminder that God is serious about punishing people of their constant sinning and unbelief. And Jesus retells this story to warn people of the coming final judgment. Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead. And like in the days of Noah, people in these last days don’t care. They will keep sinning and turn themselves away from God. And because they ignore God’s warning, they put God's judgment upon themselves. God will punish them for their constant sinning and unbelief.
This Sunday is called the Easter Sunday. Today, the entire Christian church remembers the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is nothing wrong about celebrating it annually. In fact, in our case, we celebrate and remember every month not only Jesus’ death and His resurrection, but also His coming again. We remember it time after time through the Lord’s Supper.
Just to remind all of you, the first coming of Jesus Christ was about the forgiveness of sins by God’s grace through faith. Jesus came to save. But at His second coming, the purpose is no longer to save but to judge. God will bring with Him those who put their trust in His Son. And to those who rejected the gospel–God’s message of warning and His offer of the free gift of eternal life, they will be thrown into hell together with Satan and his cohorts. And before this happens. Before Jesus comes, God is giving everyone the opportunity to hear the message of hope–the good news of salvation in Christ. And the Holy Spirit keeps convicting people of sin and leading people to repent and believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. So, don’t ignore this opportunity which God gives. Don’t take God’s warning lightly. Jesus will come again anytime soon!
Do you believe that Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead? Do you take this seriously? Have you repented of your sins and turned to God? If not, I admonish you to repent. Repentance is changing the way you think. If you think that it’s okay to sin. You must change the way you think—ask God for forgiveness and turn away from sins. If you think that salvation is impossible, then change the way you think. God made salvation possible through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. Today is the day of salvation. Repent now and believe in the gospel! Repent now and put your trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Repent now and believe in His finished work on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins. Repent now and believe that He rose again after three days. Repent now and believe that He ascended into Heaven and seated in the right hand of the Father. Repent and believe in Jesus Christ today and God the Father will grant you the privilege of becoming His child and He will grant you His free gift of eternal life.
John 3:16
Jesus said in John 5:24 ESV Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
Closing
Biblical instruction is to warn (babala) or reprove (saway) and to admonish (pakiusap) and to counsel (payo) in the spirit of humility and gentleness and persuasion (pagkumbinsi).
Instruct one another with biblical counsel.
Warn one another of the potential harm in making bad decisions.
Reprove those who go against God’s will.
Persuade one another in following God’s ways.
Warn unbelievers of the coming judgment.
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