Who and What to Avoid, 2 Tim 2:23

2 Timothy 2:23

Who and What to Avoid

The larger part of 2 Tim from which our text for today comes is 2:20-23. Let me read these verses to set the context for the message this morning.

2Tim 2:20-23 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 

21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. 

22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 

23 But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife.

We focus in on verse 23. In English the translations start with but or and to convey the conjunction in the original. Paul writes using a lot of connector words. We find one here that connects what he is about to write to what has already been written. The broader context may go back as far as verse 14.

The thought in verse 23 flow out of the preceding verses. Verse 20 talks about the GREAT HOUSE which is the church. Outwardly attached to some churches are two basic kinds of people. There are people who are honorable and others who are not. The honorable are likened to gold and silver; the dishonorable are likened to wood and dirt or clay. In verse 21 an important point is made about these people. The required activity in the teaching is for the honorable vessels of gold and silver, the precious ones to the life of the church and the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ ought to cleanse themselves from the wood and dirt. When they do, then they will be useful for the master's use. In other words, churches are not to just put up with people who are contrary. In the context of this book, Hymaneus and Philetus are examples of dangerous theological influences in the church in Ephesus. Paul was not embarrassed to name their names and to point out their error--which was a teaching that the final resurrection had already occurred. Paul says it overthrew the faith of some. That is a bad thing. Timothy is taught to deal with people like this and that starts in this paragraph. Timothy is to cleanse himself and the church he is leading from men like those mentioned. To teach false doctrine is to sin greatly against God, Christ and his church. In a day of theological pluralism where the world says everyone has a right to their own opinion, the true churches of the Lord Jesus Christ must stand on what God has said in his Word. That is the opinion we have a right to know, believe and teach to others. Other opinions are not a part of the solid foundation (v. 19) the basis of God knowing who are his--a lot of people think they know God when they don't (Remember those in Matt 7 who at the last day will say to Jesus all sorts of wonderful things they thought they had done in Jesus name? What does he say to those who were deluded in their own beliefs about themselves? Depart from me, I never knew you. Similar words will be spoken to many. Yet, the Lord knows who are his and to hear his words of welcome at the end of our earthly life will give us unmitigated joy…a joy inexpressible and full of glory. All those who rightly name the name of Christ in the way He has commanded, can have assurance that they belong to Christ and his people, the Church. And, as they look back over their lives and see the growth that has come to them making them to say "NO" to iniquity,  including youthful lusts, they attribute it to the work of the grace of God in them. They don't take the credit, but fully rest on Jesus for their soul's salvation. All of this makes them useful for the Master's use (v. 21) and prepared for every good work. Among the good works are the running from lusts of all kinds in order to pursue, hunt down and make their own righteousness, faith, Christian love, and peace. They don't do this with everyone, because not all believe. They do this with all those who call on the Lord out of a clean heart.

A clean heart is one that has been cleaned of the presence of sin, the power of sin and the penalty of sin. To have the sin in our hearts subdued and through our lives pointed out and put to death is a wonderful thing for God to do for us and in us. He does it that we might be useful for Him. It is not about us. We need to get that settled in our minds. All that God has done for us in saving and sanctifying us is for God's good purposes. We are saved so the Father can give us as a gift of love to his son. We are sanctified to be a people being purified for the worship of God and his work. To be used in this great endeavor is the highest and best calling among men. All of us are called to serve our king Jesus. The church is to be pure and holy, honorable, pure, without spot or wrinkle or any such blemish. What puts a stain on the body of Christ are people, especially those who cling to the body as parasites--not being a part of it in truth.

Therefore, we need our leaders to be vigilant. What they watch out for in this passage is foolish and ignorant disputes. Why is this important? This sort of disputes, or to put it in the plural, these kinds of disputes, are known and can be proven to generate strife. The original entails a sort of two-way grammatical street--when you see strife, especially in the church, someone has been foolish or  ignorant or both.

Three questions come to mind:

What is foolishness?

What is ignorance?

What is strife?

Let's start at the beginning:

What is foolishness?

Foolishness in the scriptures is not having the same ethical basis for doing what ought to be done. It is thoughts and actions that are opposed to the Word and character of God. It is acting like an atheist. It is the fool that says in his heart that there is no God. The fool does not want to be taught. The fool is content with being led by his own ideas.

It is not good to be the friend of fools--they will lead you astray.

Prov 9:6 Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding.

This is the put away and pursue motif in the OT. Forsake foolishness of any kind is implied. By forsaking foolishness what does one usually find? Life and if we look at the idea of life in the wisdom literature, we find something of an abundant God-centered existence. We don't live for ourselves. We live for God and follow in his ways. We trust in the Lord with all our hearts (3:5-6) we acknowledge him in all our ways. That is living for God. Many people have made this their so-called life verse without realizing what they commit themselves to do throughout their lives--to acknowledge God in everything is a large and high calling. It is the wisest way to live. We will not be tempted to follow after fools.

And,

Prov 14:7 7 Go from the presence of a foolish man, When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.

How much greater our lives would be, our Christian commitments and our understanding of what God expects from us if we would be aware of fools and the influence they could have or do have over us.

We think that people will change. That is not what we find in the Bible about fools.

Prov 27:22 22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, Yet his foolishness will not depart from him.

Proverbs 29:9 9 If a wise man contends with a foolish man, Whether the fool rages or laughs, there is no peace.

Isaiah 32:6 6 For the foolish person will speak foolishness, And his heart will work iniquity: To practice ungodliness, To utter error against the Lord, To keep the hungry unsatisfied, And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

1 Peter 2:15 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men--

What is ignorance?

When correcting the Corinthian Church about spiritual gifts and church life, the Apostle Paul knew these things were too deep for all to understand. He knew there would be some who could not and would not understand these things, just as there are today. TO this ignorance, a form of inculpable ignorance, and ignorance for which those people would not be guilty, he wrote, But, if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant. (14:38)

Two other forms of ignorance are vincible and invincible ignorance. Vincible ignorance is the kind that can be overcome through patient instruction (1 Thess 4:13 and the return of Christ). Paul often uses the phrase, I would not have you to be ignorant, and then goes on to teach.

Invincible ignorance is the sort that cannot be overcome. Romans 10:3 talks about those who try to establish their own righteousness so that they don't submit to the righteousness of God.

There are many people with their own opinions that do not agree with what the scriptures say, who stir up controversy by making themselves teachers where God has not given them that position. Evenitably, they teach others privately and find followers for themselves. Together they stir up churches by promoting things that God has not revealed. They accuse others of teaching man-made doctrine while doing it themselves. Not all believers are called to study the scriptures. Not all are called to read them--in the first century there were very few copies compared to the abundance we have today. All are called, however, to meditate--to think deeply about what they have heard in times of worship. It is a blessing to have copies of the scriptures in abundance, but in our day they have become tools of the devil to divide the people of God. Everybody does and teaches what is right in their own eyes….

What is strife?

The word comes from the word striving which is a kind of fighting verbally or physically. Some go to 1 Cor 11 where it says you must have divisions among you. That passage is misused. It is not so the church can decide you is right and wrong. It is so the leaders can point out who is wrong and deal with them for stirring up trouble in the church. It is always those making trouble who appeal to that passage--always.

They also assume the role of teacher that the Spirit has never called them to. That we would learn our places and submit to God's good providences. If the church finds you faithful and meeting all the qualifications for ministry,, then they should consider raising you to an office. But, churches cannot afford to raise up men knowing they will breed controversy--feminism, , exclusive homeschooling, exclusive psalm-singing, an overly democratic view of leadership in the church and many many others. Churches are frail. Trouble makers who stir up strife need to be dealt with in the right way. And, that is where the paragraph goes from here.

But, for today, let it suffice that we examine our own hearts to see if any foolishness, ignorance, or strife is yet within us. And ask God to help us put it to death. If not, rejoice in the work of God that has cleansed your heart and put you on his straight and narrow path to eternal life, with Christ and all those throughout time that have rightly believed. AMEN!