I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another (Romans 15:14).
Paul, writing to everyday and average Christians in the church at Rome, insists that every Christian should be “able to instruct.” Paul gives two criteria for our being ready and able to give the right kind of counsel: being full of goodness, and being filled with knowledge. We can’t help others draw closer to God if we are not ourselves walking closely with God. And we can’t share God’s Word with others if we are not knowledgeable of God’s Word ourselves.
The overflow of the Word of God living in us will be daily instruction, encouragement, and admonishing for each other.
This is why Paul elsewhere exhorts Christians to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another…” (Colossians 3:16). A consistent personal comprehension and application of God’s Word is critical for us to have any wisdom ourselves, and therefore for all teaching or counseling of others.
Notice the “everyday” feel of the indwelling Word — that’s the whole idea of “dwelling” or “living” somewhere, isn’t it? It means that is your home base. The overflow of the Word of God living in us, Paul suggests, will be daily instruction, encouragement, and admonishing for each other.
Neither in his letter to Rome or to Colossi is Paul addressing or describing “super Christians.” Rather, he clearly intends for this to be the normal function of normal Christians on a normal basis.
One of the important means that God has provided for our sanctification is the loving, biblical instruction and correction of friends who love us enough to help us think and act more like Christ, through the wisdom of his Word, in our daily lives. We should therefore be receptive to such help, and willing to give such help, every day.