14 Put these things before them, giving them orders in the name of the Lord to keep themselves from fighting about words, which is of no profit, only causing error in their hearers.
And put away foolish and uncontrolled questionings, seeing that they are a cause of trouble.
I give you orders, before God and Christ Jesus, who will be the judge of the living and the dead, and by his revelation and his kingdom;
Do not put on one side him who is feeble in faith, and do not put him in doubt by your reasonings.
Do not be turned away by different strange teachings, because it is good for your hearts to be made strong by grace, and not by meats, which were of no profit to those who took so much trouble over them.
But have nothing to do with foolish questionings, and lists of generations, and fights and arguments about the law; for they are of no profit and foolish. A man whose opinions are not those of the church, after a first and second protest, is to be kept out of your society; Clearly he is in error and a sinner, being self-judged.
I give you orders before God, the giver of life, and Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate gave witness to the faith,
For what profit has a man, if he gets all the world with the loss of his life? or what will a man give in exchange for his life?
And do not go from the right way turning to those false gods in which there is no profit and no salvation, for they are false.
From which some have been turned away, giving themselves to foolish talking;
But take no part in wrong and foolish talk, for those who do so will go farther into evil,
He has an over-high opinion of himself; being without knowledge, having only an unhealthy love of questionings and wars of words, from which come envy, fighting, cruel words, evil thoughts, Bitter talk of men who, being evil in mind and dead to what is true, take the faith to be a way of making profit.
Or to give attention to stories and long lists of generations, from which come questionings and doubts, in place of God's ordered way of life which is in faith;
Now we give you orders, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from all those whose behaviour is not well ordered and in harmony with the teaching which they had from us.
Which is not another sort: only there are some who give you trouble, desiring to make changes in the good news of Christ.
Because we have knowledge that some who went from us have been troubling you with their words, putting your souls in doubt; to whom we gave no such order;
What profit is the pictured image to its maker? and as for the metal image, the false teacher, why does its maker put his faith in it, making false gods without a voice?
And you will no longer put people in mind of the word of weight of the Lord: for every man's word will be a weight on himself; for the words of the living God, of the Lord of armies, our God, have been twisted by you.
See, I am against the prophets of false dreams, says the Lord, who give them out and make my people go out of the way by their deceit and their uncontrolled words: but I did not send them or give them orders; and they will be of no profit to this people, says the Lord.
O Lord, my strength and my strong tower, my safe place in the day of trouble, the nations will come to you from the ends of the earth, and say, The heritage of our fathers is nothing but deceit, even false things in which there is no profit.
Has any nation ever made a change in their gods, though they are no gods? but my people have given up their glory in exchange for what is of no profit.
And last of all, the prayer which we make to you from our heart and in the name of the Lord Jesus, is this: that as we made clear to you what sort of behaviour is pleasing to God, as in fact you are doing now, so you will go on in these ways, but more and more.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 2 Timothy 2
Commentary on 2 Timothy 2 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 2
In this chapter our apostle gives Timothy many exhortations and directions, which may be of great use to other, both ministers and Christians, for whom they were designed as well as for him.
2Ti 2:1-7
Here Paul encourages Timothy to constancy and perseverance in his work: Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, v. 1. Observe, Those who have work to do for God must stir up themselves to do it, and strengthen themselves for it. Being strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus may be understood in opposition to the weakness of grace. Where there is the truth of grace there must be a labouring after the strength of grace. As our trials increase, we have need to grow stronger and stronger in that which is good; our faith stronger, our resolution stronger, our love to God and Christ stronger. Or it may be understood in opposition to our being strong in our own strength: "Be strong, not confiding in thy own sufficiency, but in the grace that is in Jesus Christ.' Compare Eph. 6:10, Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. When Peter promised rather to die for Christ than to deny him he was strong in his own strength; had he been strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, he would have kept his standing better. Observe,
The apostle further commends what he had said to the attention of Timothy, and expresses his desire and hope respecting him: Consider what I say, and the Lord give thee understanding in all things, v. 7. Here,
2Ti 2:8-13
2Ti 2:14-18
Having thus encouraged Timothy to suffer, he comes in the next place to direct him in his work.
2Ti 2:19-21
Here we see what we may comfort ourselves with, in reference to this, and the little errors and heresies that both infect and infest the church, and do mischief.
2Ti 2:22-26