Teaching is something all Christians are commanded to do. Every one of us and everyone in the world around us, is ignorant of something. Sharing knowledge and teaching is how we grow both as a human in this world and as a Christian destined for the next. There is a “curse of knowledge” that hinders our teaching, though. The curse of knowledge is a cognitive bias where someone with a deep understanding of a topic struggles to communicate that topic effectively because they forget what it is like not to know it. Coined by psychologists, it describes how experts assume others share their background, leading to unclear or incomplete explanations. Imagine teaching a child to tie shoelaces. You have done it thousands of times, so you tell the child to “loop it around and pull through.” But the child stares blankly or does not follow the instructions correctly, fumbling around until they have a bad knot. They are not defiant or stupid. Instead, they do not grasp the basics you take for granted. This frustration reveals the curse: Your expertise blinds you to the learner’s perspective, making instruction ineffective.
This bias extends to Christians in daily life, particularly when sharing the gospel. Believers immersed in Scripture and biblically-based culture often assume non-Christians understand core concepts like sin, redemption, or grace. For instance, a Christian might enthusiastically explain, “Jesus died for your sins to offer salvation,” without defining “sins” as moral failings against God or “salvation” as rescue from eternal separation. Armed with only knowledge learned from the world, the listener who may be unfamiliar with biblical language will feel confused, frustrated, or alienated. This unintentional oversight hinders evangelism, turning what should be good news to all who hear it into jargon or possibly being interpreted as condescension. In conversations at work, with friends, or online, Christians may overlook that terms like “atonement,” “sacrifice,” or “baptism” sound foreign to outsiders, weakening the message’s impact.
In John 3, Nicodemus, a prominent Pharisee and expert in Jewish law, visits Jesus at night. Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Nicodemus is baffled by this and asks, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” After Jesus goes further in depth, He responds with surprise: “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?” (v. 10). Here, Jesus introduces a spiritual truth, but Nicodemus interprets it literally rather than figuratively and reveals a knowledge gap. The Master Teacher, Jesus, adapts His teaching to cover the gap but the exchange shows how assumed familiarity — even among one of the most prominent religious leaders like Nicodemus, can block understanding. For modern Christians, this mirrors assuming seekers grasp spiritual rebirth without explanation.
In learning how to teach others, and meeting that command, we Christians must recognize the curse of knowledge as a bias that distorts communication. Awareness is the first step to effective teaching: Pause to consider the listener’s viewpoint, simplify language, and build from common ground. If it feels like someone is not understanding, break the discussion down into parts and explain each one. Nobody can truly know the background of knowledge from another individual. Patience is essential! Refrain from frustration when misunderstandings arise and do not give up yourself. Teaching is a skill which needs to be practiced. Nobody is good at it right away. It is a command, though, so we are all required to do our best with it. Trying to be like Jesus, we can share the gospel clearly, fostering genuine connections and growing the kingdom.
Lance Byers