Counteracting False Teacing

Intro

Backdrop of letter and where we’ve been

Reminder that Timothy was left in Ephesus to appoint leader and oppose false teaching that was being promulgated. Identifying false teaching and its fruit was part of Timothy's task so that he could appropriately oppose it. This passage is a continuation of that theme: how to oppose/expose false teachers.

2 Timothy 2:11-13 “The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.”

This is a description of what it’s like to be in Jesus. Paul talks about the salvation that is in Christ Jesus. We died with him, we’ll live with him, we endure, we will reign, but he can’t deny himself. Our life in Christ has to acknowledge Jesus faithfully or we will find ourselves outside of Christ. It’s against this backdrop that we get into verses 14-26. Our orthodoxy, or right thinking, must be revealed in orthopraxy, right action, otherwise we are denying Christ. We’re going to see an unmistakeable tie between handling the word of truth and the actions that come as a result of rightly handling the word of truth.

This will be contrasted by the false teachers whose works prove their false teaching because they are leading people into sin and ungodliness.

2 Timothy 2:14–26 ESV

Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

Main point

Paul shows us what it looks like to combat false teaching through character that reflects Jesus in our actions while pointing to him in our teaching.

or another way of saying it: A servant of Christ, one who represents him well, will have a life that is known by its fruit, not by the arguments they win.

The Ideal (14-18)

Explanation

Right way there is dual command: Remind them of these things (which is referring to the poem in the above section) and charge them with these next things: don’t quarrel about words...

Reminders are important to our lives. We are people who forget things. That’s the reason behind the post-it note, for the calendar and note apps on our phones, and for some of us, the lists we write on our hands.

The people of Israel had trouble remembering too. The book of Deuteronomy is a book dedicated to remembering, specifically what God had done. Moses reminded the people 14 times to remember God’s covenant and what he had done for them.

Similarly, we need to be reminded to remember too. We intentionally take time out of our weeks to come to church and be with God’s people. We take time in the service to remember Christ’s death in the Lord’s Supper. We are forgetful and we need reminding.

That’s what Paul is telling Timothy here, remind the people of what is important. Most often, we don’t need new information, rather we need reminders of what we already know. The gospel truths remain the same and we need to be constantly reminded of them, and when new or novel approaches to the story come around we need to be very discerning to ensure that they are accurate and true.

The charge that Paul gave to Timothy is about quarreling. Some form of this word comes up three times and unites the whole section. Paul points out quarreling as no good, ruining the hearers. While there are times for debate and discussion about a topic, quarreling is different. Debate and discussion are aimed at finding the truth and, in sincere debate, being willing to be persuaded. We see an example of this in Acts 15 at the council of Jerusalem regarding the Gentile followers of Jesus. If there’s no room for persuasion, we move into the realm of quarreling. In quarreling there are winners and losers.

When we are in an argument or quarrel to win, we are often seeking the approval of man. But Paul sees that and gives us verse 15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth”

In essence, Paul is telling Timothy, your approval comes from God, and it is to God that you ought to be proven. The word that is translated approved is one that speaks of genuineness. A type of genuineness that is proven through trial or refining. How Timothy goes about his work is to be as one who has been refined and genuine, approved by God, with no shame. He is to continue steadfastly in the word of the truth because he has been tested and refined.

When I was young, I went through the AWANA clubs. One of their key verses was 2 Timothy 2:15. The acronym that makes up AWANA is “approved workmen are not ashamed.” It was an opportunity to have fun with kids my age and memorize a lot of Scripture. Over the course of elementary and middle school, I memorized hundreds of verses along with my other clubbers, it really is a wonderful place for children to learn Scripture. Unfortunately, what I observed throughout the course of my adult life is that far more of my fellow clubbers left the church than stayed after they grew up. They grew up memorizing the same scriptures, doing the same Bible Quizes, and winning the same awards. As I grow older and have spent more time reading Scripture and engaging with it, I’ve realized that it’s not the Scripture that we know that matters, it’s the Scripture that is lived out.

Right handling of the word of truth is not about knowing the right answers to the questions, it’s about how we live out those truths. It’s not legalism, but there is something we see as tension in the Scriptures that if you love God you will obey his commands. Jesus said that in John 15:9-10 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” James talks about the combination of faith and works. Paul is going to talk about this later in this letter too. The response of faith is action. The right handling of truth is action.

Timothy is to be careful to present himself as someone who has been refined, not just in doctrine but action. Timothy is to teach the true gospel and confirm it in his conduct. His good conduct is to be a deterrent to whatever opponents he comes across.

Paul doubles down on the warning in verses 16 and 17: avoid irreverent babble for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene.

The NIV translates irreverent babble as “godless chatter.” What’s interesting is in verse 17, the word for talk is logos, the same word used to describe Timothy’s word (logos)of truth. In this case Timothy is to wield the logos, the word of truth, and his opponents are wielding a logos of godlessness. Its the word of Truth versus “their talk/teaching.” Both are teachings about Christ. One is founded in the person and work of Jesus as revealed and passed down by the apostles, one is not.

It shows that the quarrels that were taking place had nothing to do with true godliness. Rather, it seems that the arguments were aimless and empty. Something we can take away here is that if a subject of argument is not a matter of godliness, it is likely that we should not engage in it. We have to have the humility to recognize that winning an argument over something is not what life is about, instead we should be focused on living a life consistent with the godliness that the gospel requires.

1, 2 Timothy, Titus 2 Timothy 2:14

The content of the warning includes an appeal to avoid “quarreling about words.” This wrong emphasis can lead to aimless word splitting. “In the end disputing about words seeks not the victory of truth but the victory of the speaker.” This word splitting involved useless verbal quibbling, but it did not focus on the aims of Christianity.

How much of what we debate in Christian circles is about victory of the speaker and not of truth?

Who is it we are to be concerned about presenting ourselves before? Who we are concerned about presenting ourselves before will show us where we look for approval. It is not man that we receive our approval from but God. Seeking man’s approval is a symptom of self-preservation. Seeking to earn the approval of man will cause us to burn bridges as we seek to find the approval of particular people, either intentionally (by showing prejudice) or unintentionally (hurt other relationships due to workaholism). Self-preservation leads us into decisions that are not necessarily in line with God’s wisdom. Remember Adam and Eve, they were attempting to preserve themselves in order to be like God. Or trace the failures of any Old Testament character and you’ll see self-preservation.

Paul’s reasoning is that this irreverent babble will cause people to become more and more ungodly, and not just that but it will spread like gangrene. Gangrene “describes the death of bodily tissues due to the loss of blood supply. Just as gangrene progressively brought death to the human body, the sickening progress of the heretical teaching worked havoc with the body of Christ in Ephesus”

Paul uses dramatic imagery to juxtapose the one that is an approved worker who rightly handles the word of truth with the irreverent babble of their teaching that leads people to an ungodliness that spreads

Paul brings up two men, who seem to be the opponents he had in mind, Hymenaeus and Philetus. We don’t know anything more about Philetus other than what is said here, but Hymanaeus is mentioned in Paul’s first letter to Timothy as someone who had left the faith and been excommunicated. What we are able to say about these men is that they were peddlers of a destructive heresy. The seem to be intentionally teaching something that is false in order to have some gain for themselves.

In saying that the resurrection had already happened, they were denying a future bodily resurrection proclaiming that the resurrection had happened spiritually so that the body didn’t matter any more. Live however you like. “Don’t worry about holiness, you do you, boo! YOLO, live your truth, do what makes you happy.” These could have been sloguns straight from these men. This spoke to the culture of Ephesus just as clearly as it speaks to our culture today. In their mind, if the resurrection has happened, morality is unimportant.

The problem is that the resurrection had not taken place in a general way. Jesus had been raised as firstfruits, but there had not been a general, bodily resurrection. One of the claims of Jesus is that he died and rose in order to effect the spiritual transformation in the lives of those who trust in him. This was to be lived out in how their lives were radically different from the people around them. Think of the Sermon on the Mount: If you’ve been angry and insulted someone, you’ve committed murder; if you’ve looked at someone with lust, you’ve committed adultery, if you divorce someone you cause them to commit adultery. The way of Jesus is not one of moral free for all, it is a way that completely transforms how we see people and treat them. The resurrection that the two men preached was divorced from the reality of Jesus’ life and ministry.

The result of this false teaching was that some people’s faith had been destroyed. The gangrene had spread and was killing off members of the body, as it were.

1, 2 Timothy, Titus 2 Timothy 2:14

The word for “ruins” (katastrophē) describes the tearing down of believers. It is the opposite of edification. Word splitting whets an appetite for argument rather than building commitment to the living God

If it doesn’t result in building up, is it worth the fight?

The firm foundation (v.19-21)

Paul brings some hope to this section by talking about a firm foundation. This foundation has a double seal.

1 and 2 Timothy, Titus 2 Timothy 2:19

What is intended is the “seal” of ownership that the architect or owner would have inscribed on the foundation stone (similar in some ways to our modern cornerstones).

On the cornerstone of our building it has the date of it’s laying and for what purpose. It indicates ownership, protection, and authentication.

Paul gives two seals. The first is a direct quotation from Numbers 16:5 from the Greek LXX, which was the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, often used by the gospel writers as well. “The Lord know’s who are his.”

Numbers 16:5 is in the context of the rebellion of Korah against Moses. These Levites wanted authority that had not been granted to them, but were discontent with what ministry God had given them. They wanted Moses' ministry too, the honor he had, the authority he had and so they had revolted against his leadership. God made a distinction between Moses and the rebellious Levits by bringing judgment on those who had rebelled. Along with being an encouragement, it's a subtle warning to the hearers of the letter. God know’s who are his and will make a distinction when the time comes.

Bill Mounce has this to say about the second seal.

Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 46: Pastoral Epistles 2 Timothy 2:19d

The second statement on the seal is one of the most strongly worded demands in Scripture, that obedience to the ethical demands of the gospel are mandatory, not optional. For Paul, to call on the name of the Lord is to depart from unrighteousness

In other words, calling on the name of the Lord requires turning away from sin. The second seal is not a direct quote from anywhere in the OT, but there are some allusions. Many commenters point to combination of a few different verses like:

Psalm 34:14 “Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

Proverbs 3:7 “Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.”

Isaiah 26:13 “O Lord our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone we bring to remembrance.”

Leviticus 24:16 “Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.”

Psalm 6:9 “The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer.”

The closest thing to a quote comes from the apocryphal work Ecclesiasticus also known as The Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach, which is in the wisdom literature tradition, similar to the book of Proverbs.

Sirach 17:26 “Return to the Most High and turn away from iniquity, and hate intensely what he abhors.”

This may be the quote, but I think there’s more to it. I think what we have as a quote in the english versions is more of a hint toward a concept, that ultimately will link us to the next section. The hint points us to Ezekiel 18.

Chapter 18 is a revelation that Ezekiel receives from the Lord which basically says that if a man does what is right and just, he’ll live. If he does what is unjust and violent, he will die. If someone who is unjust and violent changes his ways, he’ll live. But each person will be held to account for their actions.

Near the end of the chapter we come to Ezekiel 18:30-32 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.” Just like in our passage in Timothy, this is about departing from iniquity because the Lord will judge each man based on his own ways. This sets up the illustration that Paul uses to describe the vessels of the house. It’s a parable in verses 20 and 21

English Standard Version 2 Timothy 2:20–21

Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

In this little parable, we have the introduction of a great house and the type of vessels or dishes within it. Each vessel is made uniquely and of its own material: some are made of gold, some of silver, and still other of wood and clay. Each of these dishes has a particular use categorized as either honorable or dishonorable. Maybe a little clearer is the idea of a special purpose versus a common purpose, some translations say noble and ignoble. We’re not told what exactly these dishes are used for, but you can imagine some honorable and dishonorable uses for dishes.

Paul’s conclusion is not that the type of material you are made with determines your use, but whether you have been cleaned. This is different than his use of the dish metaphor in Romans 9. In the letter to Timothy, the dish can clean themselves of what is dishonorable and as a result there will be four outcomes. 1) ready for honorable use by the master, 2) set apart as holy, 3) useful to the master, the one to whom we are approved, and 4) prepared to do any and every good work. This is a parallel idea to Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Paul is saying that those who may be used for dishonorable use right now, can cleanse themselves and become useful for honorable uses. So I hope you’re beginning to see the connection here to Ezekiel 18. In both passages there is responsibility on the follower of the Lord to be accountable for their actions. Paul is saying that those of us who name the name of the Lord ought to act that way because it’s the only reasonable response. Paul spends the next 5 verses talking about how to go about being a vessel for honorable use.

How to Get There (22-26)

In the verses that follow, Paul moves from theoretical to practical and gives positive and negative commands.

He starts with fleeing youthful passions. The NIV talks about the evil desires of youth. NIVs “evil desires” places moral quality that is not there in the Greek, it’s an interpretive move. The word is “desires” which is often tied to the flesh or the animal instincts which is often about self-preservation, or “getting what’s mine”. Described here as youthful desires because animal instincts are most likely to be acted out as a youth before wisdom has been gained through life experience. Its the way young men act before they learn wisdom: partiality in judgment, intolerance, halfheartedness, unwarranted self-assertion, speaking out of place and other things. These things are often magnified as a young mans gains leadership. There’s a big difference in the types of decisions a first or second lieutenant makes versus a major or lieutenant colonel.

Paul tells Timothy to flee these types of desires, but instead pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. In his pursuit of these things, Timothy is to pursue them along with those who call on the Lord. This implies that righteousness, faith, love, and peace are best developed and practiced in Christian community. In fact, I would argue that these can’t be practiced apart from Christian community. Righteousness, faith, love, and peace are all relational items.

Righteousness is related to justice and living according to God’s moral law. Jesus said that the law can be summed up in love God and love your neighbor as yourself, very relational.

Faith is the allegiance one places in a particular thing. In our case, our faith is allegiance to Christ. In John 15:12 Christ gave us the command to love one another as he loved us. In our allegiance we follow his commands, which are relational in nature.

Love is the word agape. It is an affectionate regard or benevolence toward someone. It is a sacrificial type of love that puts others before us. It’s this love that Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Love is relational

Peace is about the harmonious relationships between God and people. Peace in fact is a dominating theme of these five verses. It is peace that the opponents are destroying, but Timothy is to pursue peace. Our life in Christ is never in a vacuum and it is never something that we do alone. We live out our faith among others and with others.

Paul goes on (2 Ti 2:23) “Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.” Paul is counseling timothy to stay out of controversies or arguments that are stupid or foolish. He is giving advice in line with much in Proverbs

Prov 15:18 “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.”

Prov 17:14 “The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.”

Prov 17:19 “Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction.”

Prov 20:3 “It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.”

Paul is encouraging Timothy to be judicious in his engagement with his opponents. There are surely times where he is to step in to correct as we’ll see in a minute. He needs to pick his battles and not engage in the foolish ones. This takes wisdom that is found in the Holy Spirit and through the counsel of other wise followers of Jesus.

The controversies breed quarrels, which we talked about earlier as being opportunities for victory and lording over people. Instead all God’s servants are to resist the impulse to quarrel but should exercise kindness to all. Paul doesn’t qualify the kindness, “you should be kind to the people you like or agree with,” rather he is clear that Timothy is to be kind to all, everyone.

Brothers and sisters, we are to be kind to everyone. Opponent or not. We are to take on the character of Jesus who told us Matthew 5:43-48 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Timothy is reminded that he is to remain able to teach while patiently enduring evil. Parents, how many time have you sat down to try to instruct your children in some task and they don’t get it. Frustration rises and all of a sudden they are, in your mind at least, showing complete rebellion by not getting what you’re trying to teach them. It’s that kind of frustration level evil that Paul is telling Timothy that he must endure and do so while still being able to teach.

Lastly Paul tells Timothy that he must correct his opponents with gentleness or meekness. Gentleness demands a tolerance in spirit without budging on orthodoxy. There is a tension between correction and the gentleness where it would be easy to swing one way or the other. One could easily correct in a harsh manner or give license where none ought to be given, but Timothy was to hold both in tension and do both.

No matter what, Timothy is to be kind, patient, and gentle with all people, especially the opponents. Belligerency or militancy is not modeled by any New Testament spiritual leader, neither is aggressive or menacing behavior. That is more along the line so the works of the flesh from Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Instead we are to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5:22-24 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Character that is expected of a leader of the church, as a model to the flock for them to emulate is one of kindness, gentleness, and patience. The character we as church leaders are to model is the type of character you all ought to be pursuing as well. While the character qualifications given for leadership are not placed on the congregation specifically, the Bible does tell us that the people are to consider the way of life of their leaders, or to emulate that type of life. As the congregation grows in the character of Jesus, something special happens.

As a result, Paul proclaims that 2 Ti 2:25-26 “God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”

Paul is saying that Timothy’s actions and how he carries himself, his lived faith, will work alongside the truth that he proclaims to combat the false teaching of his opponents. This was how Jesus acted and how we are to act. Paul, like Jesus, talks about how one lives their life as a confirmation of what they believe: you will recognize them by their fruits.

The fruit of the opponents was quarrels, controversies, ungodliness, and destruction of faith. Timothy’s fruit was to be righteousness, faith, love, peace, kindness, patience, and gentleness. It was Paul’s hope that by Timothy’s action, the opponents would see the truth and return to it being saved from the trap of the devil.

Conclusion/Call to Action

Who are you trying to find your approval in?

Whose character do you have on? Jesus? Hymaneaus and Philetus?

How do you deal with your opponents (or your family ;-)

Putting on Jesus