From a man who knew when and how to fight for the sake of the gospel…
“Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”
– The Apostle Paul
(2 Timothy 2:23-26)
When I read the offending anonymous post, I knew this was not good news. Shades of CENEX? This will end in tears. As my old English housemaster once said, you don’t [excrete] on your own doorstep. Whoever posted that sure did.
Thanks for the reminder of the spirit in which we must debate/wrestle! I can’t help but wonder if blogs sometimes take on the same conversations that the Pharisees had in Jesus’ day!
Shablaaam! Thanks, Timmy. I offered a prayer for the SBC the other day and got bushwhacked on my blog. I guess I should have just used Scripture. Good word, bro.
Refreshing! Thanks!
Thanks for that Timmy.
I haven’t had time to read up on whatever controversy is going on (re our “top dog”?), but whatever is going on, it’s not good and sends chills down my back. And this is coming from a new student, who knows little about the SBC.
We really need to just let the Word of God dwell richly within us right now..
Let me go on record that this text I have been preaching to myself for over a year now. I am nowhere near where I want to be as a servant of Christ, but I do find encouragement and hope in these verses. So the primary audience is my own heart, but if it applies to you, then praise God!
I remember Stetzer recently sharing his conversation with Driscoll about his reputation in ministry as a church planter and minister of the gospel being overshadowed by the epitaph of “the cussing pastor” and all. In recent years one can see how that word implanted in Driscoll’s heart has done much to reorient himself to walking worthy of the gospel and focusing God’s call on his life. In the SBC, we need a similar word today, lest we become consumed with controversy in the land of dry bones.
Hey Alex,
I think you opened the door for me today outside Norton 195. I haven’t formally met you, but I am pretty sure it was you. We need to get together man. Tony has been keeping me up on ya’lls (that’s the Bama in me) gospel witness on Bardstown Road and lunch meetings. Let me know if you are up for it.
Good word Timmy. Very encouraging and reorienting for me after reading some of the other stuff out there this week. Thanks for the word in season.
Thanks Timmy, I’m not up on the controversy, but this is definitely a good applicable verse. Someone gave me good advice years ago (which he used this verse to bring home) – never get into a debate or heated conversation regarding Scripture, God, or really anything with religious connotation because the odds are the one you are speaking to is attempting to “prove” they are right, not “learn” the Truth. Ultimately, we need to listen for the Holy Spirit to direct us. Great reminder to myself….
A good word.
Thanks Timmy
And, what if they are not foolish, ignorant controversies? What becomes of the character of those arguments? I have had this verse recently thrown in my face. Apparently, it becomes the excuse to continue in sinful error.
I am not this person described by Paul, engaging in pointless arguements. Nor am I, to my shame, the person who patiently endures evil. My defense of attitude though has had to come also from Scripture. The Lord’s demeanor was not by our cultural reckoning kind, nor patient, nor gentle, all the time.
The come back usually goes, “The Lord would not act like that!” And I answer, “And taking some cords he made a whip and drove the money changers out of the temple.” When long suffering fails, when patience and kind speech, when gentleness and sound speach fail, what then? Does the Scripture teach that anger is inappropriate? No. Rebuke is not admonishment, it is rebuke. Jesus humble and gentle, was the same humble and gentle Lord who turned over the tables and yelling loudly, I take it he would want to be heard above the din of a market, did what was outside the conventional behavior. Did he harshly speak to his brothers, his mother, his disciples? Yes. Yet, in all these things he did not sin. How unlike us. But, we will not even do as he did, get angry, righteously. Ephesians records for us a proper but unpopular discipline of reconciliation, “Be angry, and sin not. Do not let the Sun go down on your wrath. Neither give place to the devil.” Now, if I overlay this verse with the temple scene they are hand in glove.
As God hates an unequal balance, we understand that the emotions that flow from jealousy are not evil, necessarily. Paul said that he was jealous with a godly jealousy, and the desciples decribed the Lord as fulfilling what was written, “Jealousy for the Lord’s house has consumed me.” A variant of the same word is used. Paul in his confrontation with Peter said that it was face to face. We would say “in his face.” It was agressive, confrontive, combative anger with authority.
Here are two verses from Paul: “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” And, “But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only whenI am present with you.” (Add to this the Proverbs view of a proper response of the jealous husband. What then will we do when the bride of Christ is violated?)
This is the same word. Notice the word affect (ed). Emotions are a necessary part of the message. Flat affect is the way we read Scripture, because normally it is without affective punctuation. I understand, but since I am not a Greek scholar cannot say, that the construction of the Greek syntax determines the affect. Either way the drama of the Gospels, indeed, of people, judges and prophets of God like Samson, despite all of their personal faults does not negate the affect. And their faults did not negate the righteousness of their often violent behavior. As the Lord said, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” Harpazo, forcefulness, pressing in, and Jesus places this agression in both OT (days of John) and NT (now). He prefaces it with: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces!” Those who speak sweetly prosper by the honey coated tongue are not to be trusted. The faithful minister speaks words that are like sharp arrows, like a sword piercing even a mother’s heart. It is balanced speech, sometimes comforting and gentle, but only kind when it is also a hammer breaking and crushing hearts harden against hearing. It is kindness that leads to repentance. It is, “Get behind me, Satan, for the things of God are not in your heart.” When was the last time you told one of your disciples or equals in the body, or even your superiors, that? Never? Then you’re out of balance.
One of the reasons that there is evil jealousy is because we have becomed enamoured with the idol of social acceptability. It is not acceptable to rebuke your mother publically. But Jeasus did, and not just once. It is rejected in polite company to forcefully, even in anger, to assert the truth, though Jesus did on many occassions. It is wrong to speak harshly to students, but Jesus did even calling his disciples fools, stupids, hardhearts….
Today we are confronted with snipes, shooting from behind cover. Why? Because we have distorted the balanced view of Christ. The freedom to offend and the freedom to be offended has been taken away. A feminist Christ now occupies the place where the man Christ Jesus used to reign as king. And I am not suggesting the perversion of Wild at Heart. I am only reminding, that Jesus was a balanced man, gentle and strongly humble, an immovable rock, both a pillow and the feller of giants.