Lesson for March 23, 2022

The Book of II Timothy

Chapter 2:14-19

^“Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some. Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.’”

These things refers to the previous verses where Paul said to remember Jesus Christ and to remember the sanctification that was accomplished for us on the Cross. Solemnly charge is the Greek word “diamarturomai,” which means to testify, to bear witness in a trial, to tell the truth, or to impose an oath on someone so that they are bound by that oath to do what is commanded. In the presence of the Lord means that we are always in His presence, and He hears and knows what we promise to do or not do.

Not to wrangle about words. The Greek word for wrangle is “machomai,” which means to fight, to quarrel, or to dispute. Disputes over certain doctrines is a useless waste of time. When a pastor becomes engaged in disputes and arguments about what is taught in the Word of God, he will be distracted from his responsibility to study and teach. A pastor is to do the research necessary to find the correct interpretation of Scripture. The way this is done is through examining the original language of Scripture, comparing Scripture with Scripture, examining the content of a passage, knowing who the author was writing to, and the period of time that the Scripture was written, including its history and culture.

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God. The number one priority for a pastor-teacher is to study and teach. The Greek word for diligence is “spoudazo,” which means to exert oneself, to endeavor or to labor. The Greek word for present is “paristemi,” which means to place beside or to show. The Greek word for approved is “dokimos,” which means to test for the purpose of approval. God approves of those with the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher who work hard at it.

A workman who does not need to be ashamed. The ultimate test and approval for a pastor comes at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Timothy was to be diligent in his study so that he would be an accurate communicator of Bible doctrine. The only way a pastor-teacher can avoid shame at the Judgment Seat of Christ is to be diligent to study and teach. (Romans 14:10; I Corinthians 3:11-16; II Corinthians 5:10; II Timothy 2:12,16; Hebrews 6:7-12)

Accurately handling the word of truth. The Greek word for accurately is “orthotomeo,” which means to cut a straight line. It means to be skillful and accurate in teaching the Word of God (word of truth). Teaching with skill and accuracy requires a great deal of preparation. When a pastor is properly prepared, his teaching of God’s Word will be accurate, understandable, and applicable.

But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness. The Greek word for worldly is “bebelos,” which means profane. Profane means something that has no relationship to God or His Word. The Greek word for empty chatter is “kenophonia,” which means vain, void of content, or empty talk. Taken together, they mean that Timothy was appointed by God to teach accurate Bible doctrine, not the philosophy or wisdom of men. In other words, Timothy was to teach divine viewpoint not human viewpoint.

If accurate Bible doctrine is not taught, believers do not grow spiritually. If believers in a local church fail to grow spiritually, the church has no impact for Jesus Christ. For believers, motivation and positive thinking should come as a result of hearing, believing, and applying the accurate doctrine they learn from their pastor. No “outside sources” are needed when a believer has accurate doctrine stored in their souls and they know how to use it. (James 1:22-25)

For it will lead to further ungodliness. When a pastor engages in the “empty chatter” of meaningless sermons and “feel-good” messages instead of teaching the Word of God accurately and systematically, the result will be believers who do not learn the plan of God for their lives. A believer who has no plan but their own to live by will find themselves in a state of reversionism (ungodliness). For all believers, “worldly and empty chatter” can mean engaging in conversations that are contrary to what God would approve of, based on having God’s norms and standards (spiritual conscience). A spiritual conscience is developed over time through spiritual growth, by learning and consistently using accurate Bible doctrine.

And their talk will spread like gangrene. Their talk refers to those ministers who teach false doctrine or no doctrine at all. The Greek words for spread are “nomen” and “echo,” which combined mean a pasture for feeding and growth. The pasture of false doctrine or lack of doctrine feeds the soul of a reversionistic believer. Gangrene is the Greek word “gaggraina,” which means cancer or corruption. The analogy indicates the total evil perpetuated by pastors who fail to teach accurate Bible doctrine. They may say some things that are correct but because their teaching is not according to sound, accurate doctrine, they will eventually deviate from the truth. In fact, Satan has his own “ministers of righteousness” in churches who will say a few things that are true to attract people and then corrupt them with false doctrine or meaningless sermons.

Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some. One of the believers who became involved in false, inaccurate doctrine was Hymenaeus. He was first mentioned in I Timothy 1:19,20 where he was “turned over to Satan so that he would learn not to blaspheme.” So, Hymenaeuswas guilty of teaching false doctrine, and had attracted a number of people from the church in Ephesus and formed a little splinter group. Philetus had a special kind of heresy. He disagreed with Timothy about the Rapture. There was a lot of trouble at this time in the Roman Empire, and Philetus said that the Tribulation had already begun, and they were going through it at that time. Those who were negative toward doctrine got carried away with the false doctrine of these two men and began to follow them.

Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His.” This is a quote from Paul based on Numbers 16:5. The firm foundation of God is His Word, accurate Bible doctrine, which is centered in Christ. God knows those believers who are teaching accurate doctrine and those who are not. Having “God’s seal” means having His approval. God approves of the accurate teaching of His Word and those who teach it. And there will always be faithful men in the Church Age who will teach the Word of God accurately.

And ‘Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.’ The Greek word for wickedness is “akidia,” meaning unrighteousness. Therefore, every believer in Christ is instructed to live their spiritual lives based on their knowledge of accurate Bible doctrine, which is a righteous act. Doing this will result in God’s approval of our spiritual lives!!!