Here are some principles that I have learned over the years about teaching the Bible.
Make clear the main theme of the passage. James Humes told a story of Winston Churchill having lunch at the Carlton Club in London. He ordered a sponge cake pudding for dessert. After he tasted it, he called the waiter and said, “Pray, take away this pudding; it has no theme” (The Sir Winston Method, p. 44). Many Bible lessons and sermons are similar. Determine the theme of the passage, state it in one crisp sentence at the beginning of your lesson and reiterate it when you conclude.
If you go off on a tangent, make sure that your class knows you’re going down a side street but that you will soon get back on the main road. Your theme should be so clear that your students can state it after they hear your lesson.
The aim of your lesson should be the same as the purpose of the Bible passage. That sounds obvious but Bible teachers often miss the text’s original purpose. For example, I’ve heard many sermons on I Corinthians 13, the famous love chapter, which merely describe the character of love (‘Love is patient, love is kind…’). These expositions miss Paul’s purpose: to rebuke the Corinthians for their lack of love. The Corinthians had become more concerned about spiritual gifts than they were about loving one another. Once you understand the original intent of a passage, you can apply it with greater force and authority.
Don’t merely explain the passage; use the passage to persuade. Your task is not merely to speak to your students about the Bible but to persuade them of what the passage teaches. As Paul described his ministry, “we persuade others” (II Corinthians 5:11; cf. Acts 18:4; 19:8, 26; 28:23). John wrote his gospel to convince his readers that Jesus is the Messiah (20:30-31). If you are teaching a lesson on Abraham, don’t merely explain God’s dealings with Abraham long ago. Rather, explain God’s faithfulness to Abraham with the aim of persuading your students to
trust God.
Don’t shortchange application. The teacher’s task is not merely to communicate information about the Bible, but to show how “Scripture … is useful” (II Timothy 3:16 ESV). Think hard about specific ways that the principles in the passage apply to our lives. Consider pointing to applications throughout the lesson rather than tacking on a few points of application at the end. Most teachers and preachers do not give sufficient time to applying a text.
But before you apply the passage to life today, make sure that you’ve explained the writer’s message to his original audience. To paraphrase the British preacher, Dick Lucas, “if you want to get to Frederick, you must first go through Corinth.”
Illustrate. R.C. Sproul once said that the single most important thing you can do to make your teaching more effective is to give concrete illustrations. Jesus certainly did. He didn’t merely say, “God welcomes sinners;” He told the parable of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. If you have trouble finding an example or illustration to drive home a Bible truth, then you may not yet have a good handle on it. G.K. Chesterton advised, “Don’t believe anything that can’t be told in coloured pictures.”
The apostle Paul exhorts us, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15).