Workman Approved

Remind Them (vs 14a)

We are to remember and dwell on the information from the previous verses.

This is a critical point of application.

What things are you forgetting?

In the previous verses Paul used the example of:

a soldier

an athlete

a farmer

Reminded us that Christ rose from the dead

Explained that God’s Word is not bound

Gave us a hymn about God’s faithfulness , mercy and grace.

Write them down and study them this week.

As we are reminded, we are also charged to act properly upon the reminder.

Quarrels (vs14b)

We do not need to quarrel about words, especially the Word.

We can have debates, but we must frame the importance of the debate properly.

Al Mohler

These first-order doctrines represent the most fundamental truths of the Christian faith, and a denial of these doctrines represents nothing less than an eventual denial of Christianity itself.

The set of second-order doctrines is distinguished from the first-order set by the fact that believing Christians may disagree on the second-order issues, though this disagreement will create significant boundaries between believers.

Third-order issues are doctrines over which Christians may disagree and remain in close fellowship, even within local congregations.

The mark of true liberalism is the refusal to admit that first-order theological issues even exist. Liberals treat first-order doctrines as if they were merely third-order in importance, and doctrinal ambiguity is the inevitable result.

Fundamentalism, on the other hand, tends toward the opposite error. The misjudgment of true fundamentalism is the belief that all disagreements concern first-order doctrines. Thus, third-order issues are raised to a first-order importance, and Christians are wrongly and harmfully divided.

Rightly Handling (vs 15)

The language is using the imagery of a straight cut, or a straight path to the Word and the teaching.

This is a two-fold command: right interpretation and right behavior. Both must be in alignment with the Word.

Examples of how it is incorrectly handled from Hughes, Chappell and Adam

De-Contexted. Scripture is often wrenched from its content and mistakenly and obviously misapplied. Rev 3:20

Revelation 3:20 (ESV)

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Revelation)

In the letters to the seven churches (Rev 2–3), the Laodicean congregation is criticized for being neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm (Rev 3:15–16). It is the only church among the seven that does not receive any praise.

Lensed. The text is errantly viewed through a favorite lens-psychological, therapeutic, political, chauvinistic, social or domestic- so that no matter what the text the preacher began with, the sermon always ends us on the home or the flag or wholeness.

Moralized. The text is subject to moralizing.

1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

I found a sermon on Marriage and Morality that used 1 Peter 5:8 as the text. It focused on the marriage destroyers (pornography, alcohol and gambling). The preacher described the marriage protectors of staying away from wickedness and be aware of the lies of the world.

It did not focus on the key source of marital problems, the sinner who is married, i.e. people. It also departs from the point of the verse, by focusing on morality.

The passage is about humbling ourselves to God’s Will, especially during suffering.

1 Peter 5:6–10 (ESV)

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

Doctrinalized. Scripture is sometimes mistakenly organized into an array of proof texts to promote doctrinal preferences of the preacher.

How many have heard or used the phrase? Trust in the Lord.

David Powlison explains, For example, scores of psalms call us to trust the Lord. As they do so, they always “locate” that call, so that it does not hang in a vacuum. They portray life’s troubles, inviting us to map our experience onto the psalmist’s experience. They recognize our temptation to forget God, to sin, or to be crushed under awareness of suffering or guilt. They reveal things about God that invite our heartfelt trust. They walk out how trusting God thinks, feels, talks, and acts. These details of how God meets us in our internal struggles and external troubles give the command a context. This makes the call to “trust the Lord” directly relevant and life-rearranging.

Silenced. Some preach on Scripture’s silences, the gaps in God’s Word.

When you are “straight cutting” the Word, then you have no fear of shame.

The worker illustration is used to show the hard work required in handling the Word properly.

The worker’s lack of shame is to illustrate the integrity of rightly handling the Word of truth.

Avoid (vs16-18)

The word used here is more like the word to shun, implying an active avoidance.

Paul is using sarcasm in this verse by saying, “their progress will progress to ungodliness”

It seems that that the false teachers were known for using the phraseology of progress and progression.

There are two important descriptions found in verse 16:

irreverent- profane, demeaning to something sacred. worthless

babble- prattle, to talk in a foolish way, worthless, empty of value

This is not just people who do not use words carefully, it is people who do not care about what they say.

Our action is to avoid this completely. Like the medical treatment for gangrene we are to sever ties.

Tissue that has been damaged by gangrene can't be saved, but steps can be taken to prevent gangrene from getting worse.

In a rare occurrence, Paul provides some specifics of the heresy of Hymenaeus and Philetus.

It is very likely that Hymenaeus is the same person in 1 Timothy 1:20

1 Timothy 1:20 (ESV)

20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

The error is that they was most likely a similar teaching that Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians 15:12-34

This was basically teaching that we are living our best life now.

God is Sovereign, Believe and Act Properly. (vs 19)

God is still reigning and will always reign. This is to remind us not to worry.

Paul is quoting Numbers 16, specifically verse 5.

Numbers 16:5 (ESV)

5 and he said to Korah and all his company, “In the morning the Lord will show who is his, and who is holy, and will bring him near to him. The one whom he chooses he will bring near to him.

Numbers 16 (ESV)

1 Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men. 2 And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men. 3 They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?” 4 When Moses heard it, he fell on his face, 5 and he said to Korah and all his company, “In the morning the Lord will show who is his, and who is holy, and will bring him near to him. The one whom he chooses he will bring near to him. 6 Do this: take censers, Korah and all his company; 7 put fire in them and put incense on them before the Lord tomorrow, and the man whom the Lord chooses shall be the holy one. You have gone too far, sons of Levi!” 8 And Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi: 9 is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do service in the tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister to them, 10 and that he has brought you near him, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? And would you seek the priesthood also? 11 Therefore it is against the Lord that you and all your company have gathered together. What is Aaron that you grumble against him?”

12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and they said, “We will not come up. 13 Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you must also make yourself a prince over us? 14 Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up.” 15 And Moses was very angry and said to the Lord, “Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from them, and I have not harmed one of them.”

16 And Moses said to Korah, “Be present, you and all your company, before the Lord, you and they, and Aaron, tomorrow. 17 And let every one of you take his censer and put incense on it, and every one of you bring before the Lord his censer, 250 censers; you also, and Aaron, each his censer.” 18 So every man took his censer and put fire in them and laid incense on them and stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron. 19 Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation.

20 And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 21 “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” 22 And they fell on their faces and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation?” 23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Say to the congregation, Get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

25 Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26 And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins.” 27 So they got away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, together with their wives, their sons, and their little ones. 28 And Moses said, “Hereby you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been of my own accord. 29 If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord.”

31 And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. 32 And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. 33 So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. 34 And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!” 35 And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men offering the incense.

36 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 37 “Tell Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest to take up the censers out of the blaze. Then scatter the fire far and wide, for they have become holy. 38 As for the censers of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar, for they offered them before the Lord, and they became holy. Thus they shall be a sign to the people of Israel.” 39 So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned had offered, and they were hammered out as a covering for the altar, 40 to be a reminder to the people of Israel, so that no outsider, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, should draw near to burn incense before the Lord, lest he become like Korah and his company—as the Lord said to him through Moses.

41 But on the next day all the congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the Lord.” 42 And when the congregation had assembled against Moses and against Aaron, they turned toward the tent of meeting. And behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared. 43 And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting, 44 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Get away from the midst of this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces. 46 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, and put fire on it from off the altar and lay incense on it and carry it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from the Lord; the plague has begun.” 47 So Aaron took it as Moses said and ran into the midst of the assembly. And behold, the plague had already begun among the people. And he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped. 49 Now those who died in the plague were 14,700, besides those who died in the affair of Korah. 50 And Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting, when the plague was stopped.

Paul is reminding us that false teachers will eventually fail.

In this verse, Paul is connecting salvation and sanctification together.

Saved people will depart from iniquity.