“Some people may contradict our teaching, but these are the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. These teachings promote a godly life. Anyone who teaches something different is arrogant and lacks understanding. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words. This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy, division, slander, and evil suspicions. These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they have turned their backs on the truth. To them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy.”
Before I became a parent myself, some friends of ours invited us to go and watch their son’s soccer game. He was six, and it was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. This group of kids had been taught to be kind and share, but that wasn’t helping. The team with the gold shirts happily kicked the ball to the team with the purple shirts. They team with the purple shirts stopped to cheer for the team with the gold shirts. The whole thing may have been an example of good manners, but it was awful soccer.
In these verses, Paul draws a line. He has spent this entire letter telling Timothy to teach the truth and to train other leaders to teach the truth. Now he acknowledges an important fact: there will be teachers who are teaching something else. Paul draws a sharp line between teachers like himself who teach the truth as it is found in Jesus and these other teachers. He does not seek to be empathetic or tolerant. Instead he speaks in starkly negative terms. Why? Because untruth is destructive.
Here’s your freedom for today: the truth is worth fighting for. Paul devoted himself to knowing the truth, understanding the truth, and teaching the truth. He took a strong and uncompromising stand against those who taught lies, deceptions or half truths. (Note that he took this hard stand against those who taught deception, not those who believed it). The Bible teaches that “the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). That is only true if you know the truth. It is only true in the lives of others if they learn the truth. The truth has great potential for freedom, so devote yourself to it. Devote yourself to knowing and standing for the truth. It has the power to set the entire world free.