2 Timothy

How to deal with false teachers, 2:14-26

Paul's second letter to Timothy has, so far, encouraged Timothy to stand firm against the onslaught of the secular world. Following on from the summary of the gospel found in the faithful saying in v11-13, Paul gives advice to Timothy as regard his personal life and the administration of his Christian fellowship. This advice is given with an eye to the false teachers undermining Timothy's gospel ministry at Ephesus.

v14. Paul has just given a short summary of the gospel and so at this point he advises Timothy to encourage his congregation to focus on the truths of the gospel rather than theological speculation which helps no one and which may well undermine a person's faith.

v15. Instead of being like those who find approval in wordy battles with little respect for either the truth or the faith of those who may hear, Timothy needs to remember the worth of divine approval. Ministers of the gospel need feel no shame as regard their message, simple as it is, rather they should proclaim it straight and true.

v16-17a. To proclaim the truth of the gospel straight and true one should avoid "inane discussion", theological babble, which spreads false teaching like gangrene throughout the Christian fellowship and serves only to undermine a person's Christian faith.

v17b-18. Paul identifies two exponents of theological babble, both of whom are possibly members of the church at Ephesus, although nothing is known of them. Hymanaeus is mentioned in Paul's first letter to Timothy, cf., 1Tim.1:20. These two heretics have undermined the faith of many believers by promoting the idea that followers of Christ are already spiritually raised from the dead. There is a sense where this is true, but we are also fully human, still corrupted by our sinful state, awaiting the day when the dead in Christ will rise from the grave.

v19. Against the heretics, God's building, the fellowship of believers in Christ, stands firm. The inscriptions on the building attest to this. These texts from Numbers 16:5 and 16:26 seem to allude to the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. These men opposed Moses and suffered the consequences, cf., Numbers 16. The implication is that Hymenaeus and Philetus are of the same ilk and will suffer the same fate.

v20-21. With Korah's rebellions in mind, Paul illustrates the fact that the church is made up of those who submit to the Word of God and those who disregard it - precious vessels and menial vessels, vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor. For a disciple to be serviceable for the Master, ready for any good purpose, it is necessary to stay well clear of those who have "swerved from the truth", people like Korah, or Hymenaeus and Philetus. The sense of v21 is best captured by the NEB footnote; "To be among those which are valued and dedicated, a thing of use to the Master of the house, a man must separate himself from these persons, then he will be fit for any honorable purpose."

v22. As for dealing with the heretics, Timothy needs to resist the youthful temptation of going in hard. He must turn his back on "the hot impulses of youth" (better than "the evil desires of youth", NIV, or "youthful passions", ESV). Instead of blasting them, bathe them with goodness, trustworthiness, compassion and peacefulness.

v23. Yet, although Timothy should engage with his opponents in a compassionate way, he cannot assent to their heresies. Truth is truth, and error is error, so he must refuse to get involved in speculative theology which leads to nasty disputes.

v24-26. A minister of the gospel should not be found bickering over personally held theological matters. Error needs to be addressed by gently correcting those who hold a questionable point of view, so helping them to change their mind, come to their senses and so escape the devil's snare.

Like many of my generation I attended a training course which had its origins in the people management techniques of Dale Carnegie. He was the guru of how to win friends and influence people in business. At the training sessions, we would vie for the award of a pen. I didn't earn my pen till the last night, which well illustrates my skill level in the dark art of people management. After years of trying to hone my skills and watching others struggling to master the art, I have concluded that it's more nature than nurture, an inherited skill rather than an acquired one.

One of my elders was highly gifted when it came to people management. I would ask someone to do something and they would argue and question, whereas he would ask and people would fall over themselves to please him. Of course, I quickly learnt to work around my limitations, so if there was a problem and I wanted to solve it in a particular way, I would pose the problem and wait for someone to suggest the solution I favored, and then affirm their incredible insight. So yes, people management is a dark art, more manipulation than influence.

Like many churches today, Timothy had his opposition group in the church at Ephesus and they were not only causing him pain, they were dividing the church with their questionable ideas. Party spirit in a Christian fellowship is a constant reality. I remember one minister telling me that he had three distinct parties in his church, all focused on former ministers. He felt that unity must wait until they all died out. Paul's advice to Timothy is that he not allow his youthful aggression to get the better of him. Instead of blasting them, he should bathe them with goodness, trustworthiness, compassion and peacefulness.

We all know too well that a confrontational approach to a relational problem only makes the problem worse, yet where truth is at play, confrontation may be necessary. A person's ultimate salvation depends on their acceptance of the gospel. It is not kind to leave a person in a state of darkness, best to stay on message so that they may "come to their senses" and "to a knowledge of the truth."

I guess the rule of thumb, when dealing with a contentious issue, is don't be aggressive, be kindly, but at the same time stand up for the truth.

1. Research and draw up a list of people management techniques. Consider the honesty of each.

2. With the contentious issue of gay marriage, discuss how to negotiate this thorny issue by both respecting the feelings of gay people, and at the same time respecting the creation ordinance on marriage, cf., Gen.2:24.