Scripture: Our Form of Teaching

October 30th, 2024
by Dr. D. Lance Waldie

Oct 30, 2024

Dr. D. Lance Waldie

Romans 6:17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed.
Note in v. 17 that Paul gives thanks “to God” for the salvation of those in Rome. He did not commend the converts themselves for their good sense in choosing Christ for salvation and being set free from sin’s slavery. He did not say, “Thank God that you were smart enough to see the light!” No. Salvation is from God alone, and to Him alone is all glory and honor for salvation.

In this verse Paul also dismisses any notion that a Christian can be neutral in regard to the master they serve. He says, “You became obedient,” noting a point in time of their conversion. They left one master (sin) in order to serve another (God), and obedience was immediate with no middle ground of standing around wavering between masters. Their faith in Christ equaled obedience to Christ. The two are inseparable, for faith in Christ is equivalent to submitting to Him as Lord. The exchange of sin’s lordship for Christ’s lordship is what true salvation is, and Paul thanked God for the Roman church’s obedience—outward behavior “from the heart.” They were obedient to Christ out of love for Christ, and their love stemmed from the new heart they were mercifully given, replacing their formerly hardened heart bent toward sin.

Note that the Roman Christians were obedient to “the form of teaching,” namely, the authoritative doctrine of Christ and His apostles. “Form” (Gr. tupos), or “pattern; standard,” can refer to the melting of metal which, when it is liquefied, is cast into a mold so that it may receive the impression of the mold. So what the Roman Christians were obedient to was orthodox, apostolic “teaching,” or instruction regarding Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. And, in light of Christ’s future return (cf. 1 Cor. 15:3-4), there was a standard of ethics related to the proper behavior for God’s people—then and now.
When Jesus Himself began His ministry, the crowds who witnessed His words and deeds “were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes” (Mark 1:22). His “form of teaching,” in keeping with OT revelation and ethics, passed on through His apostles, became the foundation for the Church, Jesus Himself being the cornerstone (Eph. 2:11-22). And since He spoke on behalf of God the Father, Jesus’ direct and forceful instruction was in stark contrast to Israel’s scribes who based their authority on what other rabbis had previously taught. Jesus’ words, then, were the “form of teaching,” the basic doctrine common to all true Christians even today. Contained without error in the Bible, these words are a mold of Jesus’ original words, to be taught to every generation (cf. Matt. 28:19-20).

Now it was this “form of teaching” to which the Christians in Rome “were committed” (Gr. paradidōmi), or “handed over to; entrusted with.” The passive voice of the verb signifies that God had acted upon them, bringing them out of darkness into light and entrusting His doctrine to them. One might say, grammatically, that the “form of teaching” is not what is handed down to believers; instead, believers are handed over by God to the form of teaching! The point is that when one truly becomes a Christian, coming out of spiritual darkness into the light of Christ, he is placed under the authority of Christ’s teaching by God Himself. Again, all glory to God!

Food for Thought

God’s will for us, after He saves us, is that we be handed over to Christ’s teaching, found in Scripture. It is easy to recognize those turned over to Christ as their Master because they not only know Scripture, they long to serve Christ, and they do so successfully without excuse. Therefore, obedience to Christ is the outgrowth of having been handed over to His teachings in the Bible and given a love for their instruction. No love for Scripture is tantamount to no love for Christ.