Teaching and Admonishing

The Body

Paul closes this second movement’s arc with a comprehensive picture of mutual instruction, teaching and admonishing one another, both directions active simultaneously, every member both giving and receiving correction and instruction, rather than a rigid hierarchy where only certain people ever teach and others only ever receive.

Notice this teaching and admonishing happens specifically as the word of Christ dwells in you richly, growing out of genuine, deep engagement with Christ’s own word, not merely personal opinion offered casually. Genuine mutual admonishment flows from shared, rich engagement with the same actual source, Christ’s own word dwelling richly within the community.

This closes the loop this whole second movement has traced. Sharpening, burden-bearing, honest confrontation, faithful wounds, confession, friendship proven in adversity, strength bearing weakness, all of it flowing from and aimed toward this comprehensive picture, mutual teaching and admonishing, richly rooted in Christ’s own word, not merely personal preference.

As this movement closes, consider how the word of Christ might dwell more richly in your own community’s mutual instruction, teaching and admonishing flowing genuinely both directions, rooted deeply enough in Christ’s own word to actually accomplish what this whole second movement has been describing across its ten days.