“But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are useless and worthless. Reject a divisive person after a first and second warning, knowing that such a person has deviated from what is right and is sinning, being self-condemned.”
The church today seems to have abandoned this instruction.
We view ourselves as righteous keyboard warriors. We not only don’t avoid foolish controversies, we initiate them.
This passage says that our method of making disciples is not arguing…You don’t “gameplan” witnessing by attacking your opponent’s weaknesses and lording your superior intellect over them.
There is a place for apologetics but like the name implies it is not an aggressive attack on another man’s position. It is a loving instruction that helps them grow closer to God.
This verse says don’t participate in foolish arguments …and avoid people who do. It uses a phrase that is a little foreign to us….” Warning them” …It doesn’t say ignore their argumentativeness, nor does it say to attack them – it says talk to them – more than once – but if they continue - refuse to be drawn into their quarrelsomeness.
When the eternal destiny of souls is on the line, we must be prepared to speak the truth in love…but we cannot browbeat someone into salvation… at some point, we must stop debating with them and instead talk to God on their behalf.
Intellect is not what makes people combative…arrogance does. If you are constantly arguing, it is not because people don’t understand your point - it is that you’re trying to dominate, not communicate.
We can’t silently pretend nothing is wrong when sinfulness is normalized. We must stand up for what is right and that will make conflict inevitable at times. But we must avoid becoming head-hunters – easily offended, and constantly prowling around looking for a way to start an argument.
Balance…Love your brother enough to tell him the truth – but any debate should have restoration as its goal - not conquest. We are not here to argue with sinners, we are here to rescue them.
This is a tough passage - and we don’t follow it well…That’s probably why the church looks so much like the world these days.
“Discussions are always better than arguments – an argument is to find out who is right, and a discussion is to find out what is right.”
– anonymous
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