Understand And Teaching

Psalm 119:27
Ronnie W. Wolfe

Understanding In Teaching

Before a thing can be taught, it must first be understood. It is easy enough to learn today about many things. With the arrival of the internet only a few strokes of the fingers can take a person to almost any subject, and a broad understanding of any subject can be obtained in short order.

But here we are speaking of the way of the precepts of God. These are not so easily understood. 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us that these thing are spiritually discerned. We need to ask God for wisdom (James 1:5) in order to understand the precepts of God. His ways are past finding out (Romans 11:33), but we may discern or understand them if we are taught from the spiritual world, from God himself. That is why the psalmist here cries out to God for understanding.

The purpose of desiring understanding is that we may effectively talk of God's wondrous works. Without the proper wisdom and understanding of these things, we speak no more than one more opinion, of which there are too many now.

But with proper understanding, received only by asking, we can truly and effectively talk about the wondrous works of God, which implies teaching the works that he did through Christ in purchasing our salvation on the cross by his perfect life, his death, and his resurrection (the Gospel).

God's wondrous works include provision for his lost sheep for salvation, his sealing them by the Holy Spirit, and his performance of that which he has started in them unto the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).

His salvation is complete from first to last.