2 Timothy 2:14 Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.

It strikes me that this section is getting down to the nitty gritty of how to teach people to be teachers, which is what I’m preaching on this morning! The root Scripture is verse two of this chapter, which speaks of entrusting God’s truth to faithful men who will be able to teach others also, and this is talking about how to do that. The verse after this one is justly famous, often quoted to young people just setting out in ministry, but the point is that to lead others into truth, the leader must deal rightly with that truth himself. As this verse says, words are necessary for communicating truth, but they are not truth in themselves, and can be twisted to do evil. That sort of thing is happing all around us right now, with people appropriating words to make them mean what they want them to say, instead of the actual original meaning. That’s been happening a long time. I remember my mother being very offended at homosexuals appropriating the word, gay, which she had always liked, as meaning bright and pleasurable. Quarrels about words have split churches many times, not to mention societies and nations. Disagreements are part of life, but we seem to have forgotten how to disagree without quarreling. We are to stand firm in the truth, but do so in love. It is not loving to deny biology, for example, and say that we can change genders at will. Those who know Christ, who is Truth, (John 14:6) are to stand firm in the truth and not waver, knowing that the devil is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44) Swallowing and/or agreeing to lies is not loving.

As a man of words, this is very pertinent to me. I don’t think I have gotten into many quarrels about words, but I have certainly observed a lot of them. Many of the “doctrinal differences” between churches are really no more than word definitions, and it is sad. It doesn’t really matter if someone serving God is called an elder, a deacon, a pastor, a bishop, or whatever. Those terms are hardly meaningless, but they don’t define anyone. After all, the first seven “deacons” quickly grew into other ministry roles, with Philip being called an evangelist and Steven being martyred. I try to be relaxed about such things in this church, and it bothers those with a denominational background! However, I’m not to get proud because “I know better,” but rather extend God’s grace to all, and let the Holy Spirit deal with such issues, speaking only as He directs.

Father, thank You for Your grace toward me. Help me be an open channel of that grace to all, standing firm in Your truth but not quarreling over inconsequential things. Help me always remember that You alone know everything, and You alone are always right. Thank You. Praise God!