I had the privilege to teach this morning at church using 2 Peter 1:12-15 as the foundation for the lesson. Following his introduction and opening remarks, Peter expresses his desire for his audience to be well versed in what he has just said so that even after he dies they will remember what has been said. He even states that he knows his audience already knows these things and is established in the faith, yet he persists in repeating these things. It is necessary for their training and discipleship.
Often, we think of discipleship as being individualistic. Is it though? The church is responsible for training and discipling its members, but aren't all Christians members of the universal church, the Bride of Christ? Also, the great commission wasn't only for the apostles? We must not only be concerned with our own spiritual development, but this also means we need to develop to the point where we can teach others and train them to be as independent in the faith as possible. This means that the Christian should not need to be dependent on others to tell them what scripture means. This isn't to say that gaining wisdom and insight from those wiser than us is unnecessary. It absolutely is. Christianity isn't to operate in a vacuum. However, we should not feel woefully inept when reading and understanding scripture on our own.
So, if we are not at a point where we can reliably understand scripture on our own, there is no way we could ever hope to teach someone else and help to disciple them. The faith is not inherited through blood. It must be taught. Discipleship includes concern for the spiritual growth of others, not just ourselves.
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