“But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife” (2 Timothy 2:23).
As we continue our catalog of God-honoring qualities from 2 Timothy chapter two, we now arrive at another important characteristic: God’s people should avoid argumentative discussions that only serve to generate conflict with others. If this cautionary message sounds familiar, it may be due to the fact that this has been a recurring theme throughout the Biblical letters of 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy. For instance…
- “…command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith” (1 Timothy 1:3-4 NIV).
- “…Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge— by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith” (1 Timothy 6:20-21).
- “Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers” (2 Timothy 2:14).
As another commentator from an earlier generation once observed, “See how often the apostle cautions against disputes in religion; which surely shows that religion consists more in believing and practising what God requires, than in subtle disputes.” (1)
Fortunately, we can often identify a “foolish and ignorant dispute” if we stop to consider what each party seeks to accomplish in their interaction with one another. If one or both parties seems more interested in “winning the argument” than in pursuing the truth and/or mutual understanding, they are likely engaged in the kind of “stupid and senseless” (CEV) dispute mentioned here.
A closer look at the word translated “foolish” or “stupid” in this passage offers another incentive to avoid this kind of interaction…
“The word that is translated ‘stupid’ here is the word moros, from which we get our word, moron. Paul is talking about moronic controversies, foolish, trivial matters which, even when they are settled after long and loud debate, do nothing for you; they do not advance the Christian cause in the least degree. Such trivial matters may be interesting in some limited way, but they should never be allowed to become controversies and have people divide over them.” (2)
Since no reasonable person should ever wish to be classified as a moron, it is in our best interest to follow this Biblical injunction and steer clear of such argumentative interactions.
See related study here
(1) Henry, Matthew. “Concise Commentary on 2 Timothy 2”. “Matthew Henry Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible”. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/mhn/2-timothy-2.html. 1706.
(2) Excerpted with permission from Guidelines for Controversies © 1982 by Ray Stedman Ministries. All rights reserved. Visit www.RayStedman.org for the complete library of Ray Stedman material. Please direct any questions to webmaster@RayStedman.org https://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/timothy/guidelines-for-controversies