2 Timothy, Part Nineteen
Kindness, Skill and Patience
2 Timothy 2v23-24
9th October 2026
Last time, we considered this instruction given by Paul to his protege Timothy:
2 Timothy 2v22
Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love
and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure
heart.
Following on from this, Paul returns to the subject of avoiding godless chatter, which he addressed in verses 16-18. This shows how important he believes this is. How we speak and behave has consequences. If we're going to pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace then we must use our time wisely, avoiding whatever is unhelpful. Therefore Paul continues:
2 Timothy 2v23-24
Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because
you know they produce quarrels.
And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to
everyone, able to teach, not resentful.
If you're passionate about God, about truth, about the church, and about its mission to preach the Gospel in all the world, you will be drawn into deep discussions about doctrine, faith and practice. That is entirely good. However, some discussions can turn into foolish and stupid arguments. Paul says "Don’t have anything to do with" such arguments.
Some translations have "speculations" or "controversies" rather than "arguments" here. It's foolish to spend much time speculating, and it's easy for speculation to turn into argument, since the truth cannot be established. We can't refuse to get involved in controversies, because we are called to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). However, we must avoid foolish controversies. That is, we must not indulge in controversies that do no good and lead to division or even bitterness between brothers.
A discussion can be foolish and stupid because it clouds an issue rather than illuminating it, or because one party to the discussion has a bad motive for his involvement in it, or because it causes disunity, or for various other reasons. In particular, if a discussion turns into an argument, it is foolish and stupid to continue with it. Paul says "you know they produce quarrels". Once our negative emotions are controlling our words, we need to stop talking. It is never good to quarrel with anybody. It only does harm.Paul says "the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome". Jesus was never quarrelsome and His servants must never be quarrelsome. Let us never allow our conversation to descend to the level of some ungodly people, who let their emotions get the better of them, or who use emotional techniques to manipulate others, or who are more interested in "winning" an argument than in finding the truth. Once we start a quarrel, nobody wins.
Instead, the Lord's servant "must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful." Nobody can be kind while quarrelling with another person.
We serve God by being kind to everyone, all the time. This can be difficult because some people can behave in destructive, cruel, manipulative, selfish, ungodly ways. Nevertheless, we are called to be Christlike always. Those of us who cannot control our emotions and who are frequently unkind to the people who oppose us, or oppose the truth, are not yet ready to be church leaders.
A church leader must be able to teach. A good teacher must know his Bible, and have a thorough understanding of theology. Otherwise, he will not teach the truth but merely impart human ideas. He must be skilled as a communicator. Otherwise, he will not be able to pass on his knowledge to others. He must be disciplined, so that he teaches the Bible, all the Bible and nothing but the Bible.
A church leader must not allow himself to become resentful. Where the NIV has "not resentful" the ESV says "patiently enduring evil". All church leaders face abuse and opposition. All church leaders will be hurt. We must handle those situations well. It's easy to get defensive, or to strike out at those opposing us, or to get resentful. Resentment, when it grows to maturity, will make us bitter, and bitterness will cause us to speak, or even act, unkindly. Instead, we must endure all opposition, all unkindness, all the people who think they know better than their pastor, with patience. If you're a church leader, you probably need to pray for patience, because you will be severely tested, sooner or later.