We have a short family Bible study every night. We rotate the opening prayer each night between my children so that they learn that they are speaking to a real God and not a figure like Santa Claus. They are attentive, ask questions, and when I go over chapters we studied weeks before they remember what we have studied. My question concerns James 3:1. Am I held to a stricter judgment because we have Bible study as a family and I am teaching my children, or is James speaking of a formal teaching role within the Body of Christ?
James 3:1 says, “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”
I believe that James was referring to people who accept a formal teaching role in the body of Christ. I also think that the Lord gifted some with supernatural abilities in this area to help them in their teaching role (Ephes. 4:11-12). Others in the body have different gifts to help them serve in different ways. However, when it comes to family, I think all parents should participate in teaching their children about the Lord.