We are going through a series that we have called One Another where we are looking at various statements from the Bible that show us how we are to live as the church. The church is the body of believers in Jesus Christ that have been given the task of being God’s people here on earth and sharing with the world the good news of the gospel. There is no Plan B that God has for this task. The local church is the place where God has designed for us to gain training and encouragement for this task.

As we have seen over the past few weeks, God went out of His way to make sure that we understand the importance of living life together. We all need support. We all need encouragement at times. These are functions that we see that God has instilled into the fibers of a family. The local church is supposed to be a faith family where we find the support and encouragement for this journey that we call life.

Today, we are going to look at another “one another” statement that is found in Romans 15. It is an important and often misunderstood statement. Let’s read this “one another”statement together.

My brothers and sisters, I myself am convinced about you that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.

Romans 15:14 CSB

Paul is writing to the church in Rome in the first century here. Through this letter, Paul has laid out one of the greatest works of theology that have ever been written. He has also written to instruct them on how to live out their beliefs through this letter. As Paul begins to bring this letter to a close, he takes a moment to commend them for some things.

It is never easy being corrected. The fact that we are having to be corrected shows that we failed at some point. I don’t know anyone who likes to fail, but we all do at times in this life. Correction is a much-needed tool that we need in this life. It is always nice when someone pairs the correction we need with affirmation on what we are doing right. It helps us to see that, while we may fail at some points, we are not a complete failure.

Paul’s Affirmations

Full of Goodness

The first affirmation that Paul shares with these believers in Rome is that they are “full of goodness.” Paul wasn’t saying that they were perfect, but because of their faith in Christ and Christ’s work in their lives, they were showing kindness and generosity in great ways. From what Paul shared earlier in this letter, this is God at work in them. They could not do this in their own power. As one commentator states, this goodness speaks to the morality of their lives.

When a person comes to faith in Christ, one of the pieces of evidence that they are a new person in Christ should be the goodness that is now present. It’s not to say that someone was a complete jerk before he or she came to faith in Christ, but there should be a goodness and kindness that pours out from the life that is living by the power of God.

These Christians in Rome were doing that well, and Paul wanted to make sure that they knew others were recognizing it. They were living differently than others around them that were simply going through life driven by their sinful desires. As we draw nearer to the return of Jesus, we need to understand that if we are going to live the way God desires (according to His ways), then it will go against the culture in many ways. We are seeing that even in our nation today.

Filled With All Knowledge

The second affirmation that Paul shares is that they are “filled with all knowledge.” Paul was not saying that these Christians had learned all that they needed to learn. We know that there is always more that we can learn. Not one of us has everything completely figured out.

What Paul is referring to here is that these Christians had received a good amount of instruction in the ways of God up to this point. Though Paul nor Peter had come to Rome at this time, there had been some people who had experienced the gospel of Jesus Christ and returned to Rome sharing it with others. This is what we are called to do as Christians – share what has been shared with us.

Able to Instruct One Another

The third affirmation that Paul shares is what we want to focus on today. It is the God-intended progression from the previous affirmations. First, they had experienced the life-changing work of the gospel and were living good lives. Secondly, they were learning about how God desires His people to live. Next, we see Paul affirming them by saying that they were “able to instruct one another.”

These Christians in Rome were not content with experiencing and growing in knowledge about God and His desires. They were able – and from inference – were instructing each other. This is a drastic contrast to what we see in the New Testament letter of Hebrews.

Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food.

​Hebrews 5:12 CSB

The Christians that the letter of Hebrews was written to had received the gospel and even learned some of God’s ways. The difference between them and the Christians in Rome was that they were not sharing it with others. They were content with having someone spoon-feed them instead of growing in their faith to the point of helping others.

When a person is young, he does not know how to feed himself. He needs the help of others who have learned for themselves how to properly do it. That is fine for a one-year-old, but what about a 30-year old? What would we think if a grown man who has no reason not to know how had to have someone else feed them?

The Importance of Instruction

What is interesting about Paul’s affirmation to the Roman Christians in being able to instruct one another is that up to this point, there is no record of Paul, Peter, or any other apostle going to Rome. Any instruction that had been done was being done by everyday people who had experienced new life through the gospel themselves. There was no trained pastor to show them.

This speaks to the doctrine that we hold that is known as the priesthood of all believers. This doctrine states that every single Christian has the Holy Spirit living within them. The presence of the Holy Spirit in a Christian’s life grants them direct access to God. Because we have access to God, He can show us what His word means and do not need another person to reveal that to us.This isn’t to say that listening to a pastor is not needed any longer. God has called and equipped pastors to help in the learning process. These help us to make sure that what we may think the Bible is saying is correct and not just our made-up interpretations.

This doctrine states that we do not have to be spoonfed forever. Just as a person comes to the point where he or she can feed themselves, so it should be in the life of a Christian. It is at that point that this person comes to church not just to learn but also to see if what they think God has been showing them lines up correctly. It is also a point where they can come alongside the pastors and help teach others who are learning as well.

Am I a Teacher?

The thought of being a teacher brings mixed emotions for different people. Some see this as one of the greatest joys on earth. Others are crippled by fear at the task of teaching another person. The truth is that we all are teachers of some sort. Whether we realize it or not, each one of us is teaching someone else how to do something. Many times this teaching is done without even knowing it.

The local church has been given one clear commission by Jesus: Go and make disciples. We can see that in what is called the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20. Disciples are made as those who have experienced the life-change that only Jesus can bring go out and begin to share that with others so that they can experience it as well. Those go on to share with others, and on and on…

Some tend to think that they could never teach someone else. I want to remind you that God can use anyone who presents themselves as available to Him. God cares about this too much to allow us to mess it up. God isn’t as concerned with the ability as much as He is the availability. Think about it, God used a donkey to teach Balaam some things about God in the Old Testament. If God can use a donkey, He can use us as well.

Conclusion

I hope that you see from our time together today that one key part of being a faith family is the need to instruct one another. This instruction comes in many forms and fashions. It will not always look the same. There are many different learning styles among us, but the same God that created us with those learning styles has also provided instructors to meet us where we are and take us to where we need to be.

There is no way that I can give this church all the instruction that it needs. I will do what I can. God has called each of us who have trusted in Him to help those around us learn more about Him. This may take place in a worship service or small group setting. It may take place around a dinner table or in a living room. It may take place in the lunchroom at school or the breakroom at work.

We all are learners as well as teachers. What are we teaching to those who are watching and listening to us? Are we pointing them closer to Jesus? I pray that as we go forward – together as a faith family – that we will spur one another on to love and good works for the glory of God.