“Don’t be Gangrene”

An important word to know before you read the passage is :
Definition – Gangrene: is an infection of the bloodstream that not only spreads rapidly through the body, but smells horribly. Foul, suppurating wounds keep increasing in size, so that it is one of the most difficult problems to handle, medically.

Read 2 Timothy 2:14-26

Paul is writing to the Ephesus church and is addressing arguments and squabbles that are destroying the church. So Paul shows that God's view of a church squabble is that it spreads like gangrene. It smells bad, it spreads quickly, and a whole congregation can be infected by it. It is important to read a passage like this and understand that it is a warning for all of us.

He also uses the imagery of living in God’s household. He states that there are some that are noble and others that are ignoble. So there are those who call themselves Christians in the church that we should “cleanse [themselves]” from. Therefore it is important to know what God stands for from his Word and Truth. So we must be dedicated to learning and studying it. Then we must be firm in standing for the truth in the church and making sure that the Word of God does not become watered down.

Lastly, with dealing with those that are not Christians. The greatest single turn-off for skeptics is the Christian who sets up an us-versus-them argument between Christianity and science. One writer observes:
When people on the streets are asked, What is a Christian? What do they stand for?, on nearly every occasion words come back such as anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-feminist, anti-welfare, anti-this, anti-that. And words like harsh, self-righteous, intolerant, or mean-spirited. Yet another poll of people, asked what they think Jesus was like, almost universally returns with words like compassionate, nonviolent peacemaker, and reconciler. How do we explain the contradictions here? Either the popular conception of Jesus is mistaken, or we in the church have been following the wrong agenda.

This passage like the rest of the Pastoral Letters, leaves no doubt that Paul was anti-heresy and anti-godlessness, but the point of this passage is that Timothy should not be argumentative and quarrelsome in his attitude, as the false teachers were. In this life we will always need to take some stands that are “anti,” but the issue is whether we can do this in a way that will not involve us in sub-Christian quarreling, producing a sub-Christian reputation.

Application Questions to Reflect on:
1) Have you found times where there are arguments in the church that have lead you or others into ungodly behavior and actions?

2) What are ways you can become firm in understanding God’s Truth and Word? What are some ways you have seen it become watered down in your life and the life of your church?

3) Do you agree that Christians are labeled with an “anti-“ attitude towards this world? How can we change that?

Spend some time in prayer that God would lead you to understand more of Him through his Word and how we are to live in this world.

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