2 TIMOTHY 2:14-18 KINGDOM PEDAGOGY

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. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 16 Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. 17 Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.

There are two classes of teachers when it comes to God’s Word. The false teachers are those who like an incompetent archer totally miss the target; that is the truth. As the spectators watch the errant arrows they are distracted from the truth. The good teachers are the ones who are conscientious workmen and meticulously plow a straight furrow that is the truth that all can easily follow. While an archer who misses the target is ashamed, the worker who plows well is worthy of acclaim.

The truth that we have been given is Scripture. That is the word of truth that we are given and told to “correctly handle.” That does not mean that we are to worship the book, or keep it in a safe place like a safe-deposit box. To handle is to use, and to handle correctly is to use it according to the purpose for which it was spoken. It has already been spoken, so it is not our role to “respeak” it, as in modify, modernize or otherwise mutilate the original message. When we attempt to do that we are shooting our arrows wide of the mark. Thus we participate in “godless chatter” which is adding meaningless words on meaningless words and drawing our listeners further and further from the truth.

False teaching is like the old parlor game where one person reads a sentence quietly to the person next to her, who then by memory whispers it to the next and so on around the room. The last person then gets to repeat the message out loud to the whole group. Usually the message is totally different than what was first read. Whether the mistakes are introduced through ignorance or malice, the result is the movement further and further from the truth. The Church is in the business of passing on the truth. As the truth is passed from mouth to ear, we must refer to God’s Word and be sure what we are repeating is not what we think he said, but what is actually revealed in Scripture. By doing so we will be approved workmen and the saving Word of God will be passed on to our neighbors.

As your Word is a lamp for my feet and the light on my path, O Lord, may it also be the script for my tongue and my life. When I speak about you, may my mouth utter your words so that others will come to know the truth and you. Amen.