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Sound Words - 2 Timothy
Sound Words - 2 Timothy
The mute button - one of life's greatest treasures. I kind of wish that I had one that worked in real life, except I am afraid that people would often use it on me. Some words are 'all sound' and no substance. Yet, as Paul keeps using it, it has a different meaning: healthy.
Paul's main use of this word has to do with teaching. He uses it to describe sound doctrine (1 Tim. 1:10, Titus 1:9, Titus 2:1-2); 4:6; sound words (1 Tim. 6:3, 2 Tim. 1:13,); sound teaching (2Tim. 4:3-4). It is such sound teaching that leads to being sound in the faith (Titus 1:13, 2:12). Reread those references and substitute 'healthy' for 'sound'.
Not all teaching is healthy! There is teaching that spreads like gangrene (2 Tim. 2:17); that which overthrows men's faith (2 Tim. 2:18); and that which shipwrecks men's faith (1 Tim. 1:19). That kind of teaching is false teaching; it is teaching that which is not true. Unhealthy teaching causes people to believe a lie and build their life upon it. Thus we have the constant warnings concerning false teachers and false teaching. We are to be discerning students of what we hear. Prove all things and hold to that which is good (1 Thess. 5:21).
Even healthy foods, if not balanced, become unhealthy. So it is with our teaching. We have witnessed throughout history where certain subjects became the main diet of teaching to the neglect of other needful subjects. This led to a spiritually unhealthy situation. The deficiencies left people with an impaired spiritual immune system. While what was taught was true, it wasn't complete and hence was unhealthy.
Some healthy teaching is hard to swallow but necessary for our health. People refuse that which is healthy and receive that which destroys them. Jeremiah cried "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?" (8:22). Their unhealthy situation came about because "everyone deceives his neighbor, and no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies" (8:5). There was no health because "they have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace" (8:11).
Paul speaks of those who have 'itchy ears' and no 'love for the truth' (2 Tim. 4:3; 2 Thess. 2:10). He therefore instructed Timothy to "reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and patience" (2Tim. 4:2). Those who teach are under obligation to provide a healthy balance in their teaching. Those who are taught are under obligation to receive such. How is your spiritual health?
Hugh DeLong
