2 Timothy 2.24a-The Lord's Slave Must Never Be Characterized as Contentious
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday June 10, 2015
Second Timothy: Second Timothy 2:24a-The Lord’s Slave Must Never Be Characterized as Contentious
Lesson # 57
2 Timothy 2:22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. 24 The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged. (NASB95)
“The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome” stands in contrast with the previous command in verse 23.
“The Lord’s bond-servant” is composed of the following: (1) accusative masculine singular form of the noun doulos (δοῦλος), “bond-servant” (2) genitive masculine singular form of the noun kurios (κύριος), “the Lord’s.”
The noun kurios is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ which is indicated by the fact that this word was employed in Second Timothy twice and the second time it was used it was with reference to the Lord Jesus Christ.
So here in Second Timothy 2:24, the noun kurios is applied to Jesus Christ and indicates the following: (1) His equality with the Father and the Spirit. (2) His joint-rulership with the Father over the entire cosmos. (3) His highest ranking position as Chief Administrator in the divine government. (4) His absolute sovereign authority as Ruler over all creation and every creature. (5) His victory over the sin nature and Satan and His kingdom.
The word kurios functions as a possessive genitive meaning that this word possesses the thing to which it stands related which is the noun doulos, “bond-servant” which indicates that this bond-servant or slave belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ.
This type of genitive here in Second Timothy 2:24 indicates that pastors such as Timothy were purchased by the Father out of the slave market of sin with His Son’s substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross.
When the Christian exercised faith in Jesus Christ, they were transferred out of the slave market of sin and Satan’s kingdom and into God’s family and kingdom.
The noun doulos pertains to a state of being completely controlled by someone and is used in a literal sense referring to a person who is totally under the power and authority and control of another person in contrast to a master who is not but controls others.
The term refers “to a man or woman who was the property of, in this case, a householder, and typically assigned any range of duties from the menial to those requiring special skills in the household.”
Paul applies the noun doulos to describe the communicator of the Word of God whether, he is an apostle like Paul or a pastor such as Timothy.
That the word is being applied to communicators of the Word of God is clearly indicated by the fact that Paul is using this word in the context of addressing Timothy’s responsibility as a communicator of the gospel.
“Must not be quarrelsome” is composed of the following: (1) emphatic negative adverb ou (οὔ), “not” (2) third person singular present active indicative form of the verb dei (δεῖ), “must be” (3) present middle infinitive form of the verb machomai (μάχομαι), “quarrelsome.”
The verb dei pertains to being something because it is appropriate and absolutely necessary and expresses the ideas of compulsion, obligation and absolute necessity.
The verb’s meaning is emphatically negated by the emphatic negative adverb ou which means “never” since it expresses an absolute, direct and full negation.
It emphatically denies the idea that Lord’s slave be a contentious person.
Therefore, these two words mean “it is absolutely never necessary, must never” indicating that for the Lord’s slave to be contentious “is absolutely never necessary” or the Lord’s slave “must never” be contentious.
They express the idea that is an absolute imperative or an absolute necessity that the Lord’s slave must never be contentious in order for him to function in his gift in a manner which honors the Lord.
They denote an absolute must indicating that it is absolutely imperative that the Lord’s slave must never be contentious.
The verb machomai means “to be characterized as contentious” and is used of the Lord’s slave which is a reference to the communicator of the Word of God like Timothy.
The word expresses the idea of exhibiting an often perverse and wearisome tendency to quarrels and disputes.
It speaks of someone who is disputatious which refers to someone who is inclined to dispute with others.
Therefore, Paul is telling Timothy that the Lord’s slave must absolutely never be characterized as being “contentious.”
Second Timothy 2:24 However, in the interests of the Lord’s slave, he must never, as an eternal spiritual truth, be characterized as contentious. (My translation)
The apostle Paul is presenting a contrast between being a contentious person and not being one.
In context, those who were contentious were those mentioned in verse 23 as being involved with foolish, ignorant, pointless debates about the Law.
These were the Judaizers and those apostate pastors in Ephesus who adhered to their false doctrine which was the direct result of misinterpreting the purpose of the Mosaic Law.
Now, here in verse 24, Paul reminds Timothy that it is absolutely imperative that he never be characterized as a contentious person.
Not only does this apply to Timothy but all those who were pastor-teachers and the rest of the Christian community in Ephesus.
Here in the twenty-first century, the pastor and his congregation must never be characterized as contentious people.
So here in verse 24, Paul is reminding Timothy that for the Lord’s slave to be contentious is absolutely never necessary or in other words, the Lord’s slave must never be contentious.
It is an absolute imperative or an absolute necessity that the Lord’s slave must never be contentious in order for him to function in his gift in a manner which honors the Lord.
He must never be characterized as someone who exhibits an often perverse and wearisome tendency to quarrels and disputes with others.
A contentious Christian is a divisive Christian because they produce conflicts in the congregation.
It is extremely devastating to a congregation if the pastor, the communicator of the Word of God in the congregation is contentious since no one will be able to learn and grow up spiritually in such a ministry.
The pastor must never be disagreeable when disagreeing with others but rather a gentlemen who is patient with those who dissent from his teaching.
Interestingly, in First Timothy 3:3 and Titus 1:7, one of the qualifications listed for the man with the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher that he must demonstrate over an indefinite period of time in order to be ordained was that of not being pugnacious or inclined to fighting with others.
Paul is seeking to protect Timothy’s ministry and testimony in the Ephesian Christian community and outside this community.
By being a contentious like the Judaizers and apostate pastors in Ephesus, he would be hurting his testimony within the Christian community in Ephesus and outside this community with the non-Christian.
He would also be hurting himself since a contentious person is out of fellowship with God.
Confession of this sin would restore this fellowship (1 John 1:9) and obedience to Paul’s teaching would maintain this fellowship.
Notice, in Second Timothy 2:24 that Paul describes the communicator of the gospel such as himself and Timothy as “the Lord’s slaves.”
Paul describes the communicator of the Word of God in this manner to express the idea that they are bound to do their Master’s will.
That this expression is being applied to communicators of the Word of God is clearly indicated by the fact that Paul is using this word in the context of addressing Timothy’s responsibility as a communicator of the gospel.
By identifying the communicators of the gospel as the Lord’s slave would remind Timothy who he is representing before the world whether it be the Christian community or non-Christian community.
By being contentious like the Judaizers and apostate pastors in Ephesus, he would not be doing a good job representing His Master, Jesus Christ since he would not be reflecting the character of His Master by engaging in contentious behavior.
Therefore Paul is emphasizing with Timothy and the entire Ephesian Christian community who remained faithful to Paul’s apostolic teaching that they must not get involved with the contentious debates of the false teachers but rather must continue to reflect His Master’s character.
Just as a slave is meek and gentle in the presence of his master when serving him, so Timothy was to be meek and gentle when serving in the presence of his master, Jesus Christ.
Timothy was not to confront the Judaizers and the apostate pastors in Ephesus in a contentious manner but rather in gentleness and sound teaching (cf. Gal. 6:1-2).
By being contentious like these men, Timothy would not resolve the problem with these men but rather inflame the situation.
Only by being kind, wise instruction and patience would he lead these false teachers to repentance.