AM Bible Study Group; December 3, 2014
2 Timothy 2:14-18
Theme: Paul instructs Timothy on the impact that his relationship to the use of words has on his work.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
In this chapter of his letter, Paul has been encouraging Timothy to labor diligently in an acceptable ministry before the Lord. And the things that he has written have not been just for Timothy alone, nor only for those who would minister after him. They are meant for all followers of Jesus.
Look at how Paul begins our passage this morning. After giving several instructions to Timothy regarding his own ministry, he tells him, “Remind them of these things . . .” (2 Timothy 2:14a). Who are the “them”? They are the saints to whom Timothy was to minister—some of whom were to carry on his ministry after him (see vv. 1-2). And what are “these things” of which he was to remind them? We find them described for us in verses 3-13. He is to remind them to be good soldiers of Jesus, who were all-in for His service (vv. 3-4); careful athletes, who compete according to the rules (v. 5); and hard working farmers, who look expectantly to God for the fruit of their faithful labors (v. 6). They were to remember Jesus Christ—royal in majesty and raised from the dead (v. 8). They were to endure all things for the sake of the gospel (v. 10)—recalling that if they die with Christ they will live with Him (v. 11); that if they endure with Him they will reign with Him (v. 12a); that if they deny Him He will deny them (v. 12b); but that even if they are faithless, He remains faithful (v. 13).
All of this involves words! And in this morning’s section, Paul exhorts Timothy—and through Timothy, all of us!—unto an acceptable ministry through the use of words. It’s hard to think of anything that is more important in advancing the Lord’s work than “words”. And it’s hard to think of anything that hurts and hinders ministry more than a misuse of words—or an undue focus on the wrong words.
Note in this passage that, when it comes to the minister’s work with words, there is (1) something to ‘charge’, (2) something to rightly ‘divide’, and (3) something to ‘shun’.
I. HE MUST CHARGE THE SAINTS TO AVOID STRIVE ABOUT UNPROFITABLE WORDS (v. 14).
A. Paul tells Timothy to remind the saints of the things that he had just been told, “charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers” (v. 14). To “strive” here means to to “fight” or to “contend” about words. Now; the Bible tells us of course, in Jude 3, that we should “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints”. Those would be words worth fighting for. But the idea here is of a negative kind of ‘arguing’ or ‘bickering’ over words that Paul says are “to no profit”; arguments that are, in fact, “to the ruin of the hearers”. Paul urges Timothy to remind the saints not to get into such strivings “before the face of God”—which may certainly mean that Timothy was to take on the task of reminding them with a sense of reverent fear of God; but that may more likely mean that they are to avoid striving over useless words out of a reverent fear of God.
B. What might such striving look like? You can often tell them by what they produce—the ruin of the hearers. Certainly this may have to do with controversial issues. So often, Christians fight and divide over matters within the household of faith. In Titus 3:9, Paul wrote, “But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless.” Sometimes, it involves arguments over things that might best be considered “gray areas” or “doubtful matters”. Paul seems to speak of such things in Romans 14:1-13. But Christians can sometimes even argue among themselves over the specifics of literal words. “You said ‘such-and-such’!” “Well; I didn’t mean what you think I meant! I meant ‘so-and-so’!” “But you didn’t say ‘so-and-so’; you said ‘such-and-such’!” You get the idea. Having useless fights over words can be an endless preoccupation—between individual Christians, or between churches, or between denominations! May God help us to avoid such fights, and to preserve our unity and our energy for worthier parts of the work of the gospel! May He help us learn when to say, “Brother or sister; this is getting us nowhere. Conversations like the one we’re having really edify nobody, and they almost always end up dividing everybody. In love, let’s just drop it.” And may God’s ministers themselves be the chief example in doing so!
II. HE MUST MAKE SURE THAT HE RIGHTLY DIVIDES THE WORD OF TRUTH (v. 15).
A. Now; that’s what the minister should earnestly urge God’s people not to do with words of no value. But next Paul urges Timothy what a minister should do with words of eternal value! “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (v. 15). It’s not that Timothy was to avoid all words. It’s that he was to give his time and energy to the best words! To “rightly divide” God’s word means to “cut it straight” for it’s specific and proper applications; and it makes us think of a good crafts-person or an artisan—whether cutting a piece of cloth in the work of a tailor, or a strip of wood in the work of carpentry. To cut things wrong or carelessly is nothing but shoddy workmanship. The minister must not handle the word of God as a shoddy craftsman—but use the care and accuracy that the most professional craftsman would use in any other field; and in fact, more care and accuracy! He must remember that he is under examination. He needs to handle God’s word rightly and in such a way as that God Himself will be well-pleased. He should so work as not to be “ashamed” when his teaching and preaching are examined by God.
B. It should go without saying that this means that the minister must study diligently. He must take the time to examine God’s word in the original language; and to compare Scripture with Scripture. He must make sure that the parts he preaches fit in soundly with the whole of biblical doctrine; and that his interpretations are true to the text. Paul is a great example in this. He said, “For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God”. . . that is, not adjusting it and altering it in order to make it more palatable and marketable; “but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:17). Every pastor ought to prepare every exposition of God’s precious word prayerfully and carefully—as if each individual message and each individual Bible study was being reviewed and rewarded by God the Father Himself; because it is!
III. HE MUST SHUN THE PROFANE AND IDLE BABBLINGS OF ERROR (vv. 16-18).
A. Paul had spoken earlier of what the minister is to say about words that were “profitless”. But now, Paul speaks of words that are positively dangerous. He tells Timothy, “But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness” (v. 16). “Profane” speaks of that which is common—that which has no connection to things of spiritual worth. In terms of spiritual enrichment, they are nothing more than fruitless and ungodly chatter. Paul clearly had some people in mind when he said, “And their message will spread like cancer” (v. 17a). These are people who get the saints “off topic” from God’s word, and on to “hot current issues” or “politics” or “man-made philosophies” or “gossip” or “theological speculations”—the kinds of ‘unsacred’ things that appeal to our fallen inclinations, and that leave us feeling “dirty inside” for having gotten into arguments over. Once such talk from such individuals is allowed to gain a foothold in a church, it spreads its infection like a flesh-eating disease!
B. To illustrate the danger of such talk, Paul offers Timothy a couple of examples. “Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some” (vv. 17b-18). We know almost nothing about these men. But what we do we know what kind of words they spread. It may be that they got people to believe that the “resurrection” was only figurative—not literal; and that the only “rising from the dead” anyone does is when they are saved. They thus denied the literal resurrection of Christ, and ripped the guts out of the message of the gospel (see 1 Corinthians 15:12-34). Such ‘teachers’ upset entire households (Titus 1:10-11). A good minister must never allow himself to be drawn away from the sure word of God, and get trapped into such idle babblings. And more, he must defend the church from those who would spread them! Once he has warned them a first and second time, he must have nothing further to do with them (Titus 3:10-11).
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Words are the tools of the ministry of the Gospel. We must be faithful to stay away from useless arguments and harmful words, and give ourselves to God’s word of truth. Those are the words that will last for eternity!