II Timothy 2:14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 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. 16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. 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.”
As Paul continues to give Timothy advice about leading the church at Ephesus, he points out that it is very easy to get sidetracked by disagreements over things that really don't matter; he is to keep the discussions focused on the Gospel. Having repeatedly mentioning that the Gospel is not something to be ashamed of, he does remind Timothy there are many ways we can bring shame to ourselves in this regard; if we allow "babble" to take place - or worse yet, participate in it ourselves - it will lead people astray. There is this tendency for our fallen hearts and minds to gravitate to such things, and easily be led astray. This disturbs the peace in the congregation, and once our minds are lead astray from the truth, people tend toward ungodly living as well. We need to keep our focus on the Gospel and godliness, and not be led astray.
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