November 2025
Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
-2 Timothy 2:22-26
In this letter to his apprentice Timothy, Paul has some practical advice for Timothy’s good and for the good of the church that Timothy serves. Because these words are inspired by God, we modern believers also lean in to hear what God may be saying to us through Paul.
I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that we are living (as those early apostles were) in an argumentative and quarrelsome age. We can even catch ourselves quarreling about “stupid” or trivial matters while much bigger matters are being neglected.
Paul advocates for kindness, gentleness, and patience as Timothy teaches and leads the church. He strongly emphasizes that it is God who leads us to repentance and the knowledge of truth. Yes, we must be faithful in presenting the message of the gospel clearly, but true conversion is a work of God’s Spirit, so that no one can boast.
Paul also reminds Timothy and the church that without God’s grace, we are captive to the devil’s traps, and trapped in our evil, immature desires. We are so prone to pursuing entertainment only, rather than the much greater calling to seek the Lord with an honest, pure heart.
What are some practical takeaways for us? Well, for one thing, it’s probably best to avoid getting into frivolous arguments on Facebook or social media, which tend to drain energy, which convinces no one to change their minds, and tends to dehumanize us (I am not perfectly innocent here, but I do try to avoid trying to argue from the safety of my laptop). We should have hard discussions, but best to do that face to face with patience, love, and respect.
Moreover, Paul would encourage us to pursue God more and more, and to recognize our own proclivity to fall into temptation and the snares of the devil. “If we say we are without sin, we’re fooling ourselves (1 John 1:8).” And Jesus warned us about thinking ourselves inherently better than other people (Luke 18:9). Scriptures also warn us: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment (Romans 12:3).”
Kindness and humility are the appropriate inflections for us fallible mortals to use when presenting the gospel; when teaching and correcting. May God continue to use us, in love, to bring freedom to others. Amen!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Matthew