20 I Timothy 6:2-5 - Disturbers of the Peace

January 10, 2021

Christopher C. Freeman

Title: Disturbers of the Peace Text: I Timothy 6:2c-5 FCF: We often struggle remaining united in truth. Prop: Because false teachers selfishly cause strife, we must teach and exhort the truth. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I Timothy chapter 6. I am so happy to finally be back to expositing a passage of scripture. Certainly, there is a place for topical sermons that are done in a way that draws the meaning out of the text. And for the last three weeks we’ve talked about some fairly necessary things. But it is good to come back to I Timothy to finish out Paul’s message to his protégé. At the beginning of the book, Paul writes to prepare Timothy for the work that will be required there in Ephesus. His primary message to Timothy, is to preach the gospel. The reason? Because there are false teachers that are attempting and have succeeded in gaining an audience there. They have mythicized the Old Testament and desiring to be teachers of the law, they have polluted core truth and caused much division, strife, and disunity. Church order is undone, leadership has been handed to the unqualified, and people are not living as gospel-formed people. So Paul, in the middle of the book, reminds Timothy that the church is the pillar and bedrock of the truth. That he is writing to Timothy to instruct him on how the church is to live as the Family of God. That the gospel is not a set of things we believe, but rather a truth we have received, a truth that continues to change us, more and more into new image bearers of our God and King. In chapter 5, we see that gospel work in action. Paul describes how the church should love, honor, and care for each other. And now, Paul will turn his attention back to the thoughts from the first chapter. In fact, if you set chapter 1 and chapter 6 side by side, there are remarkable similarities. Paul goes back to the false teachers. Back to their danger. And back what to do about it. I’ll start reading in the last part of verse 2 from the NET, which you can follow in the pew bible on page 1340. Transition: Let us once again familiarize ourselves with the plight of the Ephesian Church. I.) Those who do not cling to sound teaching are arrogant and sickly, so we must teach and exhort the true gospel. (2c-4b) a. [Slide 2] 2c – Teach them and exhort them about these things i. Coming out of this entire section revolving around how the church should operate toward one another in light of the gospel, Paul commands Timothy to teach and exhort his people about these things. ii. Gospel changed people are to be a loving, respecting, serving, supporting, honoring kind of people toward one another, their leadership, and even toward outsiders. iii. This is all because the gospel has invaded their hearts and changed them into new people. People who treat each other like family, who care for each other, and who rebuke each other when necessary. iv. This phrase serves as a transition to get back to Paul teaching Timothy directly. v. He is reminding Timothy the reason he must continue to teach and exhort these things. Why? vi. Because there is a problem there in Ephesus. b. [Slide 3] 3 – If someone spreads false teachings i. Paul introduces a conditional statement here – an if…then statement. However, because of how it is used, this does not introduce the concept of uncertainty. Instead, it is the opposite. If this is true, the second is true also. ii. So what is the protasis – what is the first truth? iii. Well it has 3 parts that we’ll address individually. iv. The first is if someone/anyone spreads false teaching. Certainly, the NET hits the nail on the head here, however in Greek this is simply “different” teaching. Heterodox. Teaching that has not been received. Perhaps we could even say – “new” v. This dovetails nicely with Paul’s command to Timothy to continue to teach and exhort what? The things I have already taught. The things you have received from me. vi. So the first element to this conditional statement is if there is someone in the church who spreads teachings that are not familiar, that are new, that are foreign or added teachings. vii. What else… c. [Slide 4] And does not agree with sounds words (that is, those of our Lord Jesus Christ) i. The second part of this conditional statement is not simply that they add to the teachings that have been received – but also that they reject or deny certain teachings. What kinds you may ask? ii. They deny the sounds words, or healthy words of our Lord Jesus Christ. iii. Sounds words are those of Christ. Now we shouldn’t be so exclusive here that we say that only the red-letter words are the ones that we need to absolutely agree with. Indeed, John calls Jesus the Word, and the scriptures as a whole are called the Word of God or the Word of Christ. God breathing revelation happened primarily through His Son, the God-Man, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among men. iv. So, when we talk about Jesus’ words, what we need to see is the scriptures as a whole. And even from that, we can reasonably include the universally accepted doctrines of the true church of God. If I can be so bold, not only the scriptures themselves but even the accepted interpretation of those scriptures. What easily fits into this list is not just the early creeds (Apostles, Athanasian, Nicaean) but even the 5 solas of the reformation regarding salvation. That it is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed by scripture alone, for the glory of God alone. v. And one more piece of information is necessary too. Anything that the church has officially met and declared to be heresy, should be denied. vi. Although we must be careful what we add to this list - in my estimation, if you deny anything from the scriptures, these creeds, the 5 Solas, or accept any of the heresies, you cannot be a Christian. vii. So we’ve seen two components of Paul’s conditional statement, viii. But…there is actually one more component that Paul sees in the “take away from” category that is quite profound. d. [Slide 5] And with the teaching that accords with godliness i. Although the wording is difficult here, the NET translates the meaning well. Teaching that accords with, or produces godliness. ii. Which is exactly what Paul has been saying this entire time. It is exactly the crux of the entire letter here and even the New Testament as a whole. The gospel produces godliness in someone. That is why Timothy must continue to teach and exhort these things, because they are the predictable outcome of one changed by God’s grace. iii. They may deny this by stating that a person need not be godly. They may also deny this by saying that a person needs more than the truth they have received to be truly godly. iv. And right there you have the two terrible enemies of the early church – legalism and license. Either you need more than Christ to make you live a godly lifestyle, or you don’t need to live a godly lifestyle because Christ has freed you from that obligation. v. And in half a conditional statement, without knowing the end, Paul has effectively undone them both. vi. So if a person adds to what we have received, and if they deny parts of what we have received, and if they deny the power of what we have received to make us godly people… vii. What is the apodosis? What is thing that is true if someone is like this? e. [Slide 6] 4 – he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in controversies and verbal disputes. i. Conceited means puffed up, the word translated “and” here would probably be even – he is arrogant even though he knows nothing. This is analogous to chapter 1 where they desire to be teachers of the law even though they do not understand what they teach. ii. To have so fully rejected the core tenants of the faith, by adding to them, denying the words of Christ, and godliness producing teaching, is to reveal a teacher who is high minded, puffed up, and proud. They have so convinced themselves that they know better. iii. The irony is, that while claiming and even appearing to have knowledge… they are actually oblivious to real truth. iv. They understand nothing, Paul says. v. Instead, they have a craving, a sickly or unhealthy desire for what? vi. Controversy and verbal disputes. vii. Being so puffed up, and not understanding truth – such a man cannot abide any who would disagree. Indeed, they would wrangle and fight over the slightest of variation in words. viii. I have two extended quotes to read 1. The first is from a commentator named Phillip Graham Ryken – 252-253 (Eschew means to avoid) 2. The second is from an early church Father named Chrysostom who lived during the late 4th century and early 5th century. – pg 210 ix. It is possible to have much knowledge and know nothing. What is a symptom of that being true? A morbid and sickly fascination with controversies and verbal disputes. f. [Slide 7] Passage Truth: i. Paul’s exhortation to Timothy comes first, but what follows is the sad reason for it. ii. The truth Paul presents is that those who would spread added teachings to what Christ through Paul has already said, reject the sound doctrines of the scriptures and the apostles, and reject teaching that produces godliness, are men who are self-promoters, who know much but understand nothing. iii. And they will only fight and dispute – because they crave it. iv. It makes them look all the wiser when they are able to disarm and destroy others. g. Passage Application: i. The application then is that Timothy must continue to teach and preach the truth of the gospel message. ii. That Christ alone is the purchase of our pardon and our freedom from sin. That is why when someone receives teaching about him, it produces godliness. Because that teaching is true. iii. And it doesn’t come from self-serving teachers who desire controversy – in fact they would very much like to be left in peace. But the gospel they teach is controversial, so they often find no peace at all. h. [Slide 8] Broader Biblical Truth: i. So for us we must understand that the true gospel produces humble people who obey God and love one another despite differences of opinion on small matters. ii. But false teaching produces the opposite. False teaching rejects sound doctrine and godliness- producing-teaching in favor of teaching that argues, disputes, and desires to magnify the teacher over the thing being taught. iii. Zooming out in all of scripture we saw this in the judges – when everyone did what was right in their own eyes, and most readily we saw it with the Pharisees. They desired to examine and multiply words, primarily so they could be seen as pious people worthy of admiration. They were self-serving people who cared nothing of godliness and truth. They simply wanted to argue and fight over added words and denied teachings. iv. And today is no different. Teachers abound who desire to be seen as the teacher. The theologian. The one with the answers. v. They want to be the innovator. They want to be the novel theologian. They want to invent new teachings and new understandings of long held truths. They add to the truth because the truth is foolishness on its own. So, they must explain it more fully so people can truly grasp it. And of course, they need a teacher to show them. vi. They also want to be the one taking away the stumbling block of Christ. One who wants to go back and question everything. One who wants to pluck out doctrines long held – why? Because they know better than generations of Christians before them. Has God actually said we need to be holy people? Do we really need Jesus to be human? Or Divine? Maybe works play a part in the way we are saved. Maybe God only made it possible for us to be saved by Christ and not assured to be saved by Christ. i. Broader Biblical Application: i. So for us we must also be sure to teach and exhort the truth. ii. That the teachings of Christ may dwell in us richly. iii. That we see godliness as a result of our doctrinal precision. iv. This is a both and not either-or kind of situation. v. We must have the right gospel that produces righteous people. vi. We must be so careful to stay true to what we have been given, neither adding to it, nor taking from it. Transition: [Slide 9 (blank)] But what is the result of these arrogant men, who desire controversy and verbal battles? II.) Those who do not cling to sound teaching sow ungodly discord, so we must teach and exhort the true gospel (4c-5a) a. [Slide 10] 4c – This gives rise to envy, dissension, slanders, evil suspicions i. What does a conceited man who understands nothing, yet has a sickly desire for controversy and verbal disputes lead to? ii. All sorts of ungodliness and disunity. A person with this foundation cannot possibly fit well in the true church of Christ. A church unified in one faith as proclaimed by the enduring Word of God. A Word that changes us to be more and more like Christ. iii. Proverbs 26:21 – Like charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to a fire, so is a contentious person to kindle strife. iv. They are not satisfied until everyone sees it their way. And in that spirit they will be supremely envious when others have the ear of the people more than they do. v. They will desire to be the one heard. They will sow discord and cause division. They will accuse people of all sorts of sin. And they will demonize the motives of people. b. [Slide 11] 5a – and constant bickering by people corrupted in their minds and deprived of the truth, i. They are so conceited that it is not enough to add to what has been revealed, it is not enough to deny the teachings of Christ and the fact that those truths produce godliness in His people… they can’t even agree in how to oppose this sound teaching. ii. They are corrupt in their minds and unable to know truth. iii. This is the doctrine of depravity. It is the normal condition of our hearts from birth, neither seeking God, nor His righteousness. And it is the condition of all those who teach falsely and reject Christ and His message of true change through the gospel. iv. But there is hope for those in Ephesus who know the truth, to recognize these people and their teaching and be able to escape being caught up in these controversies and debates. v. What is that hope? vi. That Timothy does what Paul has told him to. To teach and exhort these things. vii. That Timothy would teach the true gospel, which affirms the word of God and the teaching received by the apostles, which agrees with teaching that leads to people living godly lifestyles. viii. That is the antidote here. That will pull out those who know the truth from this hellish whirlpool. c. [Slide 12] Passage Truth: i. Paul has revealed the theological problems of the false teachers and their desire not for sound teaching but for controversial teaching – because they are arrogant and lacking understanding. ii. He adds to that picture their ungodly practices that flow from a heart that feels it is always right. iii. In short, it produces only discord and quarrels. Attacks against the body of Christ, and constant disputes with each other. d. Passage Application: i. His application to Timothy endures. ii. Teach the truth! Exhort the people in the gospel that I gave you and show them how that gospel changes their hearts. iii. This will prevent them from being sucked in to this quagmire of quarrelling. e. [Slide 13] Broader Biblical Truth: i. The rest of scripture agrees. Whenever we see people in scripture consumed with self, and loving to be known as the teacher – endless dispute and disunity abound. ii. Names are called, relationships severed, and unity is destroyed. iii. All in an effort to say – see, I told you so! iv. Many of the things the Pharisees and Sadducees challenged Christ with, were disputes they had among themselves. v. They figured if they couldn’t answer it – neither could He. vi. And how’d that turn out for them? vii. And what is the cause of this? A depraved mind. A mind that lacks the truth. Because as we saw in I John – when someone truly receives the truth, it unites them in love to others who have received the same. f. Broader Biblical Application: i. Applying this in our congregation is fairly simple. ii. May we be perpetual and humble students that sit at the feet of Christ learning of His goodness and kindness to us. Learning of His holiness and majesty. Learning by doing as we walk in His obedience. iii. It is that simple. May we continue to teach, exhort, and live the truth of the gospel of Christ. Transition: [Slide 14(blank)] But what is the motive of these kinds of people? We know they are conceited. We know they are proud and self-serving. But what are they trying to achieve? What is their goal? III.) Those who do not cling to sound teaching have baser motivations, so we must teach and exhort the true gospel (5b) a. [Slide 15] 5b - Who suppose that godliness is a way of making a profit. i. No matter where you turn in the pages of history, there have always been some who seek to profit from being known as a godly person. ii. Of course, Paul uses this term tongue-in-cheek. He will do a similar thing in the next verse with the word profit. iii. Afterall you cannot call it godliness if your motives are to fleece the sheep. iv. But here especially, we see one driving force for people desiring to be thought of as wise teachers. People desiring to be new thinkers and those with novel or innovative theology. v. They desire to gain from this. Whether that be power, prestige, or simply money. They want to be respected and cared for. They want to tickle those ears. vi. Do you think it is attractive to preach a message that denies the message by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, revealed in Scripture alone, for the glory of God alone? History teaches us that a message that denies any of these – is VERY appealing. vii. Do you think the message of a gospel that does not demand godliness as a necessary consequence of conversion is appealing? Again, history tells us – people desire greatly to have a Christless and lawless Christianity. viii. It seems like the message is either “You are enough” or “God needs you” or both. ix. What better way to draw a crowd than preach these messages they so desperately want to hear? x. And sadly – we have many of those in our country. Whether it be fame or fortune – preachers pursue that end. xi. But their desire produces quarreling and disputes. Why? xii. James 4:1-3 asks the question, from where do conflicts and quarrels come? They come from desires and passions. xiii. They come from desires that we have but cannot meet. Whether that be justice, equality, freedom, fairness, power or wealth. xiv. When we desire these things and do not have them we clamor for them. xv. So these men desire to be known as teachers, yet they are fools xvi. And so they quarrel and fight to their own destruction – all for what? xvii. Something earthy. Something worldly. Something like personal gain. xviii. I have one final commentary to read from today and it is a bit extended but I’d like you to listen. 1. He summarizes this whole section quite masterfully. 2. Barclay 126-128 – NO NYSSA - (abstruse – difficult to understand / recondite – little known / exchequer – iks checker – national treasury / meh -lank- thin) b. [Slide 16] Passage Truth: i. Paul taught that these people abandon sound teaching because they are arrogant, understanding nothing and love controversy. ii. He taught that where they go, discord and disunity is sure to follow iii. And to this he adds, and Timothy can be sure, the motivation for all their ungodly behavior and belief is something base. Something worldly. Something earthy. iv. They wish to gain in some way from how they live and what they teach. c. Passage Application: i. So Paul implores Timothy to teach the truth. ii. Exhort God’s people to live the gospel and cling to what they’ve been taught. iii. And be example to the people. iv. This will prevent them from being like these men, or succumbing to their lies. d. [Slide 17] Broader Biblical Truth: i. All of scripture testifies that the core of sin is idolatry. ii. Is it so surprising to think that the core of false teaching is self? iii. Whether you promote a false god, false religion, or distortion – the core is all about you. iv. And the pride, and controversy that follows only continues to prove that over and over again. v. Is it any wonder why so many that leave the faith do so when they have wealth, influence, or power? What does that reveal? It could reveal that wealth, influence, and power corrupt people. But we know better. In reality – that corruption is already part of us. vi. Perhaps it is what they desired all along. e. Broader Biblical Application: i. But true Christianity knows that the fact that we gain anything from the cross of Christ is a majestic gift of grace. ii. We know that in this life – we stand to lose… EVERYTHING for His sake. iii. WE ARE NOT WINNERS HERE! We are the worlds biggest losers. iv. You. Will. SUFFER for Him. v. So to the gospel we cling. WHY? Because it is all we have! It is the good news of a promise. A promise that Christ has rescued us from our sin. A promise that one day, though we lose everything… We will gain eternity with Him… NOT BECAUSE WE SUFFERED… vi. But because Christ suffered for us. vii. Hold fast to the gospel and desire nothing from this world so much that you lose your focus. Conclusion: To quickly summarize here. Paul tells Timothy, that although false teachers will come with new teachings that deny the truth they have received, and make godliness unnecessary; although they will love controversy and attempt to destroy unity and sow discord; although they come with motives of gain – they can be undone by simply teaching and exhorting the same truth that he has already received from Paul. In thinking of how to apply this to our church, I recalled the exact nature of the error of these men. Although it is difficult to know for sure, we surmised that their error in doctrine was primarily an error in their Eschatology. They had come to the conclusion, supported by genealogies and old testament myths, that they were living in the new kingdom after the resurrection, and were no longer bound by the old laws. It is such a subtle error, but with catastrophic implications. Today we look at views on eschatology as a non-separation issue. And I think we do that rightly. But when even less important teachings like eschatology start adding to the doctrines that we have received, denying doctrines we have received, and denying the gospel’s power to change our lifestyles… even something less important like erroneous Eschatology must be opposed. But how? See if it was eschatology our tendency would be to oppose it with our view of eschatology, right? Angelology vs. Angelology. Calvinism vs. Arminiansim. You get all your arguments on your side for why your right and I’ll get all my arguments on my side for why I’m right, and we’ll duke it out. But how does Paul advise we oppose different teaching that adds to, denies, or denies the power of the gospel? By teaching the truth. Because if you draw the battle lines and fight toe to toe on the points you disagree on – you will only entrench yourself in the view you already have. But when you go back to the gospel and preach what has been revealed. You can still correct the points that are wrong from a position of unity and authority. It isn’t me vs. you – it is your teachings vs. the gospel. The gospel is the reset button. As you know or may have guessed I am a Calvinist. I agree with the incorrectly named 5 points of Calvinism, primarily because I think that they best accommodate the teachings of scripture regarding our salvation. But my goal when approaching an Arminian, even one who is adding to, denying, or denying the power of the gospel, is not to see him converted to a Calvinist. Rather to affirm the 5 solas. To affirm the early creeds. To deny the heresies that the church has denied. In short, I am calling that Arminian to doctrinal fidelity of the unified church. And if he is able to do that and remain an Arminian – then praise the Lord! Why? Because it is not their Arminianism that I am dismantling. Rather it is the version of Arminianism that has caused them to walk out of step with the unified teachings of the gospel. And even if I still think that they’ve got some stuff messed up – If they affirm the scriptures, the early creeds, the solas, and deny the heresies… They are my brother. Our pursuit is not division but unity. And it is true that we unify under some very divisive truth. The gospel is an offense to the pagans and a stumbling block to pretending Christians. But we know that it unifies God’s people. Once again… our job as the church of Christ is crystal clear. Preach the gospel. Live the gospel. If we do that – our noses will be attuned to smell the stink of rotten theology. If we preach the gospel and live the gospel, we will recognize those who sow disunity with other teachings. Furthermore, we will be able to oppose them from the position of God’s untainted Word and not our opinion. May we at CBC be in the business of unity under truth and not division over words.