Occasionally I share in the responsibility of interviewing prospective candidates applying to our residency in Emergency Medicine. One of the most memorable characters was a young physician who entered the room, sat down, and without any prompting, began a monologue about why he believed he was well-suited to our program. Unfortunately for him, this set the tone for the rest of the interview. As he sat there, overconfident, he left us with the impression that he felt we needed him more than he needed our services. After he left the room, one of the concerns expressed was, “I don’t think he’s going to be teachable.”
For believers applying to be students of the most important school—the study of the Word of God—our success as learners will be determined by how teachable we are. We have all known Christians who fail to advance in their walk with the Lord because they are not teachable. And if we are honest, we realize that there are many times when we approach the Word of God or sit under its ministry, and our hearts similarly are not receptive.
The Scriptures provide us with several criteria that should characterize every student of God’s Word who desires to be taught.
Marks of the Teachable Christian
Am I teachable? Do I approach the Scriptures with an attitude of eagerness and enthusiasm?
As He neared Jerusalem at the end of His earthly ministry, it was the Lord’s custom to teach during the day in the temple and spend the night on the Mount of Olives. We read in Luke 21:38 of the personal sacrifice of those who desired to hear Christ. Legitimate personal needs were set aside so they could get up “early in the morning” to come to Him in the temple and listen to Him.
Notice as well how Acts 17:11 describes the Bereans as those who “received the Word with great eagerness.” We have all met newborn Christians who seem to just explode in their faith and understanding. Even in a short period of time they seem to surpass other believers who have been on the Christian road far longer. Why is that? A teachable spirit is hungry! They cannot get enough. Like newborn babes, they long for the pure milk of the Word (1 Pet. 2:2). We can learn from their example. If I am to be teachable, I need to rekindle this attitude as I approach God’s Word.
Am I teachable? Do I come to the Word of God with a humble attitude and submissive spirit? Young Samuel responded to the divine call in 1 Samuel 3:10 with the words, “Speak, for your Servant is listening.” How vital to emulate Samuel’s attitude as we open God’s Word with this same prayer.
Throughout the Gospels, Mary is often described at the feet of the Lord Jesus. In John 11, she is weeping. In John 12, she is worshiping. But in Luke 10:39, while her sister was “cumbered about much serving,” we notice Mary “listening to the Lord’s words, seated at His feet.” Her posture reflects her heart, the attitude of the servant with an open ear, listening to the Master’s instructions. Lacking this spirit is a great impediment to being taught by God.
The Pharisees, in putting out of the temple the man whose sight Christ had restored, answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are You teaching us?” (Jn. 9:34) Their words drip with pride and speak of their unteachable hearts.
But even genuine believers, when confronted with the Scriptures concerning a particular area of their lives, have balked at it. They remain unteachable in this area of their lives because thy lack the servant’s heart. The Holy Spirit desires to do business with the student of God’s Word and teach us some things about ourselves that we are not going to appreciate. We must pray that we will have the attitude of Mary and young Samuel as we open the Book.
Am I teachable? This question could well be phrased: Am I in tune with the Spirit of God? The Bible is like no other course of study. It is impossible for the Christian in his natural ability to understand the things of God—they are foolishness to Him. Consequently, God has graciously equipped every child of His with this built-in tutor. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things” (Jn. 14:26).
But although this is a privilege afforded to every believer, not every believer is teachable. Why is this? Paul tells the Corinthian believers that the things they spoke were “not in words taught by human wisdom but in those taught by the Spirit” (1 Cor. 2:13). The thoughts of God can only be appraised by the spiritual man. If the Spirit of God is going to teach me, I need to submit to His influence in my life.
Paul had to provide these same Corinthians with spiritual “milk” to drink (food already prepared for easy consumption). They were unable to receive the deeper things of God because they were fleshly. If I am to be taught, I need to appreciate the central role of the Holy Spirit in unfolding the Scriptures and be under His control. A. W. Tozer puts it this way, “The Scriptures to be understood must be read with the same Spirit that originally inspired them.”1
One Last Requirement
Thus far we have looked at a few of the yardsticks with which the Scriptures provide us to measure how teachable we are. For the most part, they address the attitude of our hearts and frame of mind with which we approach the study of the Word. But there is at least one other criterion to determine whether or not we are teachable. That is: How do we respond to God’s Word?
The Lord tells His disciples in John 10:27, “My sheep hear My voice and I know them, and they follow Me.” It is not only that we have an ear for the Shepherd’s voice, but also that it affects our conduct—it leads to obedience.
The Lord’s commendation in Luke 6:47 is not to those who “hear His words” but to the one who also “acts upon them.”
To be teachable is far more than to acquire knowledge. The study of the Word of God needs to be translated into a changed life. Furthermore, it is difficult to imagine that God will continue to unfold the great mysteries of His Word if we have regularly failed to act on the revelation He has already shown.
But there is a very real danger in becoming students of God’s Word. We are warned that our hearts might be lifted up in pride. “The very greatness of the subject matter will intoxicate us and we shall come to think of ourselves as a cut above other Christians because of our interest in it and grasp of it.”2 Paul warned the Corinthian believers that “knowledge puffeth up.”
I do not believe it is possible to come to the Word of God with eagerness, the humble heart of a servant, and under the influence of the Holy Spirit, and not leave forever changed. Therefore as we ask the question of ourselves, “Am I teachable?” we also need to answer the question, “What is the ultimate purpose in being taught?” Paul reminded the Ephesians in 4:17 of their former manner of walk and then he added in verse 20, “but you did not learn Christ in this way.” Christ Himself needs to be the subject and motivation for our study. Paul wrote of putting off, renewing and putting on the new self “which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” To learn Christ is to become like Him. To be teachable, ultimately, is to be made like Him. “Am I teachable?” can really be rephrased, “Am I becoming like Christ?”
1 A.W. Tozer, The Best of A.W. Tozer, (Christian Publications, Camp Hill, PA, 1978), p. 130
2 J. I. Packer, Knowing God, (Hodder and Stoughton, London, England, 1973), p. 18