2 Timothy 2

Paul here is thinking especially about those people who spend time quarreling about words. As we seek to understand the truth together, it is proper—in love—to discuss and debate the meaning of Biblical words; but we must not quarrel over them. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6). We must learn to discuss and debate without quarreling. Quarreling grieves the Holy Spirit and destroys our fellowship. Such quarreling leads people astray and ruins those who listen (see 1 Timothy 1:3-6 and comment).

15  If something that a workman makes is later shown to be defective, the workman is ashamed. So it is with leaders of the church. Let their work not be defective. Especially, let them handle the word of truth correctly; that is, let them preach and teach the word of God faithfully and accurately.

16 Paul here repeats the thought of verse 14 (see 1 Timothy 6:20-21). Those who indulge in godless chatter get farther and farther away from God.

17-18 In these two verses, Paul is thinking not only of godless chatter (verse 16), but also of false teaching. Why is false teaching so dangerous and harmful? The reason is this: People do not easily recognize that false teaching is, indeed, false; they are deceived by it. It seems like the truth. They are easily led astray by false teachers. If we could immediately recognize false teaching, it would do no harm (see 1 Timothy 4:1 and comment).

This is why Paul says that the teaching of false teachers will spread like gangrene (verse 17). How does gangrene spread? Slowly, insidiously. In the same way, the “gangrene” of false teaching spreads through our minds, and before we are aware of it, it has destroyed us.

Jesus compared false teaching to leaven (Matthew 16:6,11-12). A little bit of leaven spreads slowly and insidiously throughout the whole loaf (Galatians 5:9).

False teaching is also like poison. One drop of poison in a jug of water will make all the water in the jug poisonous, and he who drinks of it will die.

Two such false teachers in Paul’s time were Hymenaeus (1 Timothy 1:20) and Philetus. They taught that the RESURRECTION had already occurred; that is, they taught that there was no real resurrection of the body. They said that the so-called “resurrection” was only a spiritual experience that all believers had already received. But their teaching was completely false. If there is no resurrection of the body, then Christ Himself was not raised from the dead. And if Christ was not raised, then our faith is in vain. Such false teaching will certainly destroy men’s faith (see 1 Corinthians 15:12-17).

19 False teachers will deceive men, but they cannot deceive God. God’s church and its foundation will not be shaken (Ephesians 2:19-22). God knows who are His true servants. The Lord knows those who are his. He knows who are true Christians and who are false Christians. Those who do not turn away from wickedness are false Christians; they are not true members of God’s church.

20 In any church, there are some members who are worthy and noble, and other members who are unworthy and ignoble.

21 Let every true believer cleanse himself from the latter—that is, from those church members who are false and ignoble. By cleansing himself from false brothers and false teaching, the true believer can become an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful … and prepared to do any good work.²

22 Therefore, Paul writes to Timothy: Flee the evil desires of youth—such as, immorality, pride, quarreling, etc. Instead, together with other true Christians, pursue RIGHTEOUSNESS, FAITH, love and PEACE (see 1 Timothy 6:11; 1 Peter 2:11 and comments).

23 We must avoid vain discussions and arguments, because they do not lead to edification but to quarreling (see 1 Timothy 6:20-21; 2 Timothy 2:14,16 and comments).

24 The Lord’s servant—that is, the pastor or leader of a church—should never enter into arguments and quarrels. Instead, he should be kind. Instead of quarreling, he should be able to teach. When others oppose him, he shouldn’t be harsh and resentful; otherwise, their opposition will increase.

25-26 The church leader should gently instruct those who oppose him and who fall into error. It is essential to do this with humility; otherwise, those whom the leader is trying to instruct will become angry and resistant, and it will be even harder to become reconciled with them. The leader’s hope must be that they might come to REPENTANCE and return to the truth, and thus escape from Satan’s trap.

Notice here that repentance is “granted” by God; it is a gift of God. Just as we first believed by God’s grace, so in the same way do we repent by God’s grace. Without God’s grace, we can do nothing that is pleasing to God.

The first gift that a person receives from God is the ability to recognize his sin and to repent of it (see Mark 1:4 and comment). The first essential step in pleasing God and leading a holy life is to confess and repent of one’s sin (see 1 John 1:9 and comment). Therefore, one of the church leader’s main duties and goals is to bring those who have gone astray to repentance.