2 Timothy 2:14-26

Read Psalm 15

Verse 14
“Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.”
1. Remind them of what things?
a. Remind them that God wants them to continue in the faith and that God is able to accomplish His purpose no matter how things look.
2. Why do people need to be reminded of spiritual truths?
3. “Quarrel about words” generally means not going on endlessly talking about topics for the purpose of trying to be clever or show off by out-smarting one another.
4. Why would “quarreling about words” hurt the hearers?
a. It might upset people whose faith is not strong.
5. “God’s purpose is not to pander to our inquisitiveness but to give us profitable instruction.” (Calvin, Comm. on 2 Timothy)

Verse 15
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”
1. If Timothy is concerned with being approved by God, who will he not be concerned with getting approval from?
a. What benefit would not getting caught up in other people’s business have for Timothy? For our lives?
2. How does a person rightly handle the word of truth? If your job is to teach and instruct people about the things of God, how is truth rightly handled?
a. The Word must be spoken to benefit the hearers.
b. Handle the word so that when you expound it, it lifts up those who hear it.

Verses 16-18
“But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.”
1. What is gangrene and why is it so deadly?
a. Unless treated, gangrene spreads quickly to the areas near the infection and penetrates deep into the skin and bones until it finally kills the person.
2. If “irreverent babble” is compared to the spreading of gangrene, what will “irreverent babble” do to the church? How does this generally happen in real life?
3. Heresy and heretics had put questions in the believer’s minds about the stability and permanence of the church.

Verse 19
“But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.””
1. In this context, what is the phrase “God’s firm foundation” referring to?
2. What does the first quotation mean?
a. God knows who the true believers are.
3. What does the second quotation mean?
a. If people truly know God, they will eventually turn away from their sin. Believers may fall into error, but they will always turn from what is not of God at some point because the Holy Spirit will convict them.
b. Matthew 7:15-20 (Mention but maybe not go to)
i. Good trees bear good fruit and bad trees bear bad fruit. Good trees cannot bear bad fruit and bad trees cannot bear good fruit.
4. Should we judge people to determine if they are saved?
a. Yes AND no.

Verses 20-21
“Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.”
1. “The fate of the false teachers is also not yet fixed.” Although they may not yet be truly saved, ‘they too may turn from evil.” (Carson, NT Comm. On Use of the OT)
2. When people turn away from sin, the Lord will use them in mighty ways.
3. Why will turning away from sin prepare us for “every good work”?
a. God desires that the people who represent Him and show Him to the world live so that their lives declare His character. People will only see who God is when His character is manifested in us is such a way that people know that in order for us to be the way we are, there has to have been a supernatural work to account for how different we are.

Verses 22-23
“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.”
1. Verse 22 tells us to do two things. What two things are we do to?
a. Flee things that lead into sin
b. Pursue the things of God.
2. Paul tells Timothy to develop relationships with people who “call on the Lord from a pure heart” but also tells Timothy to have no part of the controversies going on.
a. Does who we put ourselves around effect how we think and live?
3. What happens when people get too involved with other people’s business?

Verses 24-25A
“And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.”
1. When conflicts arise, why must we remember to be kind to all of the people surrounding the conflict?
2. Why must we be able to teach others?
a. So that we are able to communicate what we believe clearly so that other people will understand what we are saying. If we are able to communicate what we believe so as to rightly understood, there will be less of a chance of having people misunderstand and stray from the intended meaning that you are conveying.
3. Why must we endure evil patiently?
4. Why must we correct people who have strayed from the truth with gentleness?
a. We ourselves may be wrong.
b. People are not likely to listen to us if we are rude or belittling to them.

Verses 25-26
“God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”
1. Who grants people repentance and leads them to the truth?
a. God.
2. Will people ever repent or know the truth without God granting them this ability?
3. Is it possible that people who are leading others astray will one day turn to the LORD and see the truth?
4. Should we ever give up on being Christ to other people even if it seems that it is doing no good?
5. How should we respond to and interact with people who are straying from the truth?

Summary
1. What is the overall message of verses 14-26?
2. What are some practical things we can take from these verses to apply to our lives?