Tuesday with Timothy #71

1Ti 6:3-5 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, [even] the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

Here are the list of characteristics of the false teacher. We looked at the first three last time.

1)      Proud

2)      Ignorant

3)      Morbid fascination with questioning truth

4)      Concerned with deconstructing language and fighting about things that don’t matter

5)      Corrupt minds

6)      Destitute of the truth

7)      Equates money and gain with godliness

What are the consequences of such a mind?

1)      Envy

2)      Strife

3)      Blasphemous slander

4)      Evil suspicions

5)      Meddlesome and perverse disputes

4) Strife about words. This is an interesting one. This is one Greek word which means fighting about trifling things. A “war of words” about things that don’t matter. How many church problems start here. Making mountains out of molehills. Making preferences priorities and fighting about it. This is also a tactic that is deceptive because it is disguised as spiritual, taking a stand! You could just here them talking about that Paul, who was so liberal, he won’t take a stand on some trifling thing that doesn’t matter. Churches will fight over the definition of a word that really doesn’t matter one way or the other, while false doctrine and heresy is being carried in the back door. 

5) The false teacher will have corrupt and depraved minds. They are twisted in their thinking. It takes a corrupt mind to lead people from the gospel and manipulate others in matters of their soul and eternity for personal gain. 

6) Destitute of the truth. The Greek word for destitute is to be despoiled, or robbed. So it has the idea that the truth was there, but it is gone. That they perhaps had a head knowledge of the truth, they left it behind, and now it has been taken from them (cf. I Timothy 1:19; Titus 1:14). When the Bible is not enough, and the plain truth of Scripture is not enough, the only thing that will satisfy is some new thing. They get bored with the plain meaning of Scripture and go seeking after some Gnostic deeper knowledge and the truth is taken from them. What they teach and what they proclaim is not deeper truth, but no truth at all.

7) The last one is both a characteristic and a consequence. They reckon gain is godliness; for themselves and in their teaching. This is the Word-Faith movement. God wants you to have your Best Life Now. God wants to bless you with financial prosperity and if you get in line, if you get with the program, if you start living right, then you'll turn your godliness into gain. Why is it that only the prosperity preachers end up profiting? They'll tell you that it's because they are living the life, follow their example and get rich. This is a good example of how stupid sin is. From cover to cover, God's people suffer. God's people are poor. God's people are weak.