Book Excerpts

“If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.” 1 Timothy 6:3-5

This passage is at the heart of why I felt led to write. In the passage itself, Paul warns Timothy against those who fail to teach the one true gospel and sound doctrine. Paul opens by saying that those unwilling to teach the one true gospel and sound doctrine (anyone who teaches otherwise) and those who fail to use language that helps to promote moral well-being (does not consent to wholesome words) know nothing. Knowing nothing in this instance is a reference to teaching sound doctrine. They may, in fact, know something, but they choose to teach otherwise.

Paul says there are those who are self-serving, prideful, or otherwise motivated to teach what benefits them. Those who teach for any reason other than godly duty are ‘proud and know nothing’. Their motivation is ungodly at its root. They live for debate and dispute and will use a false sense of superiority to intimidate others to make their argument. Paul says their actions will lead to “envy, strife, reviling and evil suspicions.” Additionally, corrupt men who are destitute of the truth will use their false godliness as a means of personal gain or to lead people away from Christ. Paul emphatically tells Timothy to not get involved in any of this.

Where to begin? This is a phenomenon that has hurt and caused splits within churches from the beginning. It is the basis for the apostacy that we will discuss later in more detail. Paul first attacked false teachers in his letter to Galatians. The Judaizers were teaching that adherence to Mosaic Law in addition to accepting the gospel was necessary for salvation, which, of course, is false. Many other false teachings that pervert or completely disregard the one true gospel have been taught over the millennia for various purposes. In each case, these teachings have created disunity, and many have caused those who believed the lies to leave the church.

One sub-area within this realm has been the translations into different languages over time and the branch of theology that focuses on Greek and Latin translations to confuse lay people and to make the point those who use the tool want to make. This creates a dependency among lay people on scholars to provide truth and understanding. This dependency invites teaching skewed to the “experts” point of view because most lay people aren’t multi-lingual, especially in the case of ancient languages. In other words, if I assume the learner has no understanding of the Latin language, I can define a word however I want to make any argument I want to make. If my goal is power and control rather than teaching truth, this becomes a powerful tool if I gain the trust of those hearing. Many blasphemies have grown out of this type of behavior.

While there is value in accurate translation, there is danger when it drives one's understanding of the truth. The Holy Spirit indwelling in us is our greatest resource and we must continue to build that relationship daily. If we hear or are told something that doesn’t seem quite right to our mind or our hearts, this is the Holy Spirit urging us to question the information to gain more accuracy and clarity. Making the choice to receive God’s grace through faith in Christ and seeking to pursue God’s will in our daily walk is not an exercise in theological expertise. Many atheists have theological expertise but lack faith. For most of us, understanding the one true gospel in a commonsense way that we can apply daily is far better than trying to understand and apply the gospel to our lives in a way that is difficult to understand and makes us dependent on those who would seek to gain from our dependence.

For example, there are at least 32 names for God used in the Old and New Testament. Knowing these and their meanings is fine from a theological point of view or as a theological exercise, but from a common sense and application perspective, all are the one true God. In my opinion, it is far better to simplify ideas rather than to make them more complex. Obviously, we don’t want to simplify to the point where the idea loses meaning, but rather to the point where complexities that create confusion are removed. For example, in Exodus, Moses asks God who he should tell the children of Israel has sent him, God said (Exodus 3:14): “I AM WHO I AM. Thus, you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.” Simple. We can use descriptors to apply to God in different circumstances and contexts, but in EVERY case, God is I AM. We don’t need to have 32 reference names. To me, emphasizing that sort of thing is just intellectual boasting or mental gymnastics and has limited value in the daily Christian walk.

For me, one of the greatest miracles in the bible happened on the Day of Pentecost after Jesus’ ascension –how through the Holy Spirit the words of Peter’s speech were delivered and received. In Acts 2:2-6, Luke writes: “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred the multitude came together and were confused because everyone heard them speak his own language.”

Peter, beginning in Acts 2:14, delivers his first and most powerful speech to the crowd assembled. While this speech is extremely moving and powerful, the miracle is that through the Holy Spirit, it was allowed to be heard and understood by all who heard it in their OWN language. Peter DID NOT deliver the speech in Hebrew and then force those who heard it to translate it. Peter delivered the speech in Hebrew, the Holy Spirit translated the speech, and it was received by those who heard it in the language they understood. I want you to understand how important that is! There was a single translator – the Holy Spirit – who related the words in the language those who heard it understood.

Why is this so monumentally important? Because the words that were delivered didn’t go through multiple translations and multiple interpretations before they were heard in the language of the hearer. The words were pure, unedited and unchanged. They came straight from God through the Holy Spirit using Peter as the conduit for delivery. God wants His words to be heard and understood; so, removing as many barriers as possible to understanding His Word is His desire. Doing so eliminates misunderstanding, division, and debate. It creates understanding, harmony, and unity. For us, the value of being able to share the one true gospel in a way that makes sense to those who hear it so that they can understand it and choose Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior when given the opportunity is immeasurable. Through the Holy Spirit providing us the pure and complete gospel and giving us the power to deliver it without out our biases or misguided interpretations, we are able to do just that. That is the Pentecost Miracle.

This writing comes from a draft of what will be a book on Paul's two letters to Timothy (to be published around Christmas 2025 -- Stay Tuned). Dennis Thornton, Author

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