Quarreling - 2 Timothy 2:23

Avoid the sin of quarreling

Good evening. Let us pray. Lord, thank you for your word. Open our hearts to receive what you have in store for us. Let everything of me be forgotten and everything of you be remembered in Jesus name. Amen. Please open with me to second Timothy chapter two verse 23. Follow along as I read our verse for this evening. Second Timothy two 23

have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies. You know that they breed quarrels. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies. You know that they breed quarrels.

We're continuing our series on sins of the tongue. Tonight, let us see how Timothy is being admonished by his father in the faith to avoid the sin of quarreling by discerning whether a controversy is even worthy of a response. Timothy is in Ephesus around AD 64 to shepherd the church there. He receives this letter, 2 Timothy to us, containing what would be Paul's final advice to his cherished son in the faith. To avoid the sin of quarreling by discerning whether a controversy is even worthy of a response. Sorry. 2 Timothy, Paul has now seen that he will not escape this imprisonment with his life. Therefore, we take great care in seeking to understand and apply its wisdom to the church today. It is the command of the Holy Spirit to all believers. Earlier in the letter, Paul states that he still has a care for Asia and the believers there, though as he has said, many have turned away from him. Paul's goal is to strengthen Timothy in the faith through the knowledge Paul gave him in order that more men would be raised up to shepherd their flock in the region, spreading the truth throughout Asia, the Roman Empire, and now to us. In tonight's verse, we see that Timothy is up against some type of controversy, most likely the controversy of those who taught that the resurrection of the dead had already taken place. Although there were no shortage of controversy in the early church, much like today, Ephesus was at the crossroads of commerce and a center of idol worship for the entire region. There's no telling how many false believers crept in to dispute the clear gospel teachings of Paul and now Timothy. Thankfully, Paul goes on in chapter three to say that those bringing controversy will not prevail, which gives us great confidence in the power of the words he gives Timothy to have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies. Now let us take a closer look at this verse. Defining terms is important if we are to rightly apply the text. First, have nothing to do with. Avoid. Don't even give them your attention to these controversies. Why? Because they are foolish. It's the word moros. Forget the word moron. It's dull and stupid. It's even used seven times in Matthew by Jesus to describe many people, from the one who builds his house upon the sand to the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees who make pretenses about the altar to fill their coffers. So some controversies are foolish and also ignorant, apaiadutos. Here we have a singular use of a word in the New Testament. Paul is saying to the people, saying the people bringing the controversy have never come under chastisement or instruction. So we see that controversy can be both stupid and come from those who have never been chastened. That begs the question, what is controversy? Controversies, zetaces, is a questioning or a debate. It does carry the weight of bringing a dispute and not simple curiosity. Paul has used it before in his first letter about this very subject. That's why he can say that Timothy knows. To know is aido, to have knowledge of, or to have seen. He knows that controversies breed quarrels. Breed is gnao, it's to become the father of, give birth to, or be the mother of, and it's the word begat. Quarrels is makhe. It's fights, not to be taken lightly. These are not simple quibbles, but they promote the idea of danger. In James, this word is translated as fight, interchangeable with quarrel, which leads to killing to get what you want. As Jesus taught, hating is breaking the commandment thou shalt not kill. In Exodus 17, we learn the history of Masa and Meribah, Moses had to deal with the same heart posture that we see in our verse tonight. People so desperate that they were ready to murder their neighbors and question the goodness of the great I am. Meribah means to quarrel. So here we have Paul's advice to Timothy on how to deal with controversy so as to prevent the sin of quarreling where we could bring such dispute among ourselves as to distrust the very Lord of glory. Last week, Josh warned us not to be silent when it comes to confronting sin. Tonight, we hear a warning that there may be topics that do not require our voice. I love the tension we encounter when we embrace the truth of Holy Scripture in its entirety. Following Reformation Sunday, what a joy it is to study the complete Word of God. Paul is writing advice to a church leader based on God's expectations. They're the same expectations of any believer, but vitally important to those God has called to exercise authority. A couple of verses later, Paul reminds Timothy that kindness and solid teaching will win over his opponents as it will ours. We are not to retaliate nor to tongue lash those in opposition, but to simply stay the course of our captain. We do not work for those who bring foolish ignorant controversies. but for Christ who is calling the elect unto himself. Therefore we come to our main idea from this verse. Timothy is to avoid the debates brought about by those who have never been taught because he's already seen that they will cause fights. We are to do likewise. So how do we accomplish that? I'd like to suggest three considerations to bring us clarity when faced with foolish, ignorant controversies, in order that we too may avoid the quarrels that they produce. Number one, consider the controversy. Consider the controversy. Number two, consider your opponent. Consider your opponent. And number three, consider your God. Consider your God. First, consider the controversy. Is it foolish? John Calvin offers us a simple test. Calvin says,

he calls them foolish because they are uninstructive. That is, they contribute nothing to godliness, whatever show of acuteness that they may hold out. When we were wise in a useful manner, then alone are we truly wise. Let us remember this remarkable testimony of Paul, that questions, which are held in high estimation, are nevertheless foolish because they are unprofitable.

Calvin. Or put another way, foolish, ignorant controversies don't amount to a hill of beans. Examples in our modern time might even be as moronic as engaging with someone about the existence of aliens. What possible fruit could come of that? Are there aliens? Obey Christ. Are there no aliens? Obey Christ. Some controversies aren't as obviously foolish, but contribute nothing to godliness still. What will our resurrection bodies be like? What is heaven like exactly? What about near-death experiences? These endless speculations can consume our energy and keep us from the work of the gospel. What about politics? Are we seeking to win people to the right side of history or the right side of eternity? I spent untold hours on Facebook trying to convince people of a particular way of thinking. I was arguing from a position of pride, seeking to be right. I was the one engaging in foolish, ignorant controversies. By God's grace, I realized the unfruitfulness of this controversy and left that burden at the cross. So we've considered the controversy, but what of your opponent in the debate? Therefore, we have point to consider your opponent. When faced with a controversy, we must discern our opponent's intentions. Is there doubt or is there defiance? Are they desiring instruction or a contest? Is their argument based on logic and reason or do they have ulterior motives? The sword of truth is the test. The word of God reveals the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Read your Bible. But what if your opponent is simply uninformed? What of evangelizing the lost? What of fellow believers with doubts? Let us hear from Charles Spurgeon.