Perhaps you’ve seen the latest internet firestorm where that Bible teacher was attacked and discredited for saying something controversial. Or perhaps you’ve been through the drama in your own church where a faction of people didn’t like the pastor and called for his removal, or at least for a recanting of a certain teaching. These situations are scary and tense, drawing out the worst in all of us.

Context matters. When we learn to read the Bible properly—and not as a collection of disconnected proverbial sayings—we’ll find that some of our most famous mantras connect in unexpected and profound ways with real life.

Paul’s Thesis in 2 Timothy

Before diving into a particular verse (2 Tim 2:15), we ought to grasp Paul’s thesis which drives the letter:

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Tim 1:6-7)

Comparing this statement with Paul’s comments in 1 Tim 4:13-16, we see that “the gift of God” which Timothy received through the “laying on of hands” was his preaching and teaching ministry. Paul’s second letter to Timothy has as its chief objective the flourishing of Timothy’s preaching, in the wake of Paul’s impending execution, from a spirit of power and love and self-control.

Paul’s Argument

Paul’s argument then moves through:

• the consequences of Timothy’s preaching: suffering, which will tempt him to shame (2 Tim 1:8-12)
• the content of Timothy’s preaching: the pattern of sound words, the deposit, received from Paul and rejected by many (2 Tim 1:13-18)
• the continuation of Timothy’s preaching: being strengthened by grace (2 Tim 2:1, 8-13) to entrust this ministry to the faithful few (2 Tim 2:2-7)

Now Paul moves into a lengthy section about the confrontation of Timothy’s preaching (2 Tim 2:14-3:17).¹

Immediate Context

Why do I say this section is about confrontation?

• 2 Tim 2:14 calls Timothy to remind his faithful men (from 2 Tim 2:2) not to quarrel about words, lest they ruin their hearers.
• 2 Tim 2:16 calls him to avoid irreverent babble.
• 2 Tim 2:17-18 gives an example of a two such quarreling babblers, who have been upsetting the faith of some in Timothy’s congregation in Ephesus.

So this paragraph (2 Tim 2:14-19) is all about confronting, in Timothy’s own community, the false teachers, who declare that the resurrection has already happened. This teaching is to be condemned, as the coming resurrection is a critical motivator for those who will suffer for the true faith. Remember Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead (2 Tim 2:8). If we die with him, we will also live with him (2 Tim 2:11). If the resurrection has already taken place, and we’ve missed it, why bother enduring?

So in the midst of his instructions of what not to do in the face of detractors—don’t quarrel, don’t let your men quarrel on your behalf, and avoid irreverent babble—Paul also gives Timothy a suggestion of what to do: Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved (2 Tim 2:15).

What This Means

When a church leader or Bible teacher faces opposition from within the Christian community, the chief temptation will be to go on the attack. To engage in quarreling and to justify it by calling it “debate.” Paul is not saying that debate is always unhelpful; he’s only saying that it’s not the best way forward in the face of direct opposition.

Rather, the man of God (2 Tim 3:17), the Lord’s servant (2 Tim 2:24), the ordained leader of the church (2 Tim 1:6) ought to redouble his efforts to preach the word (2 Tim 4:2). He must fan this gift into flame. He must follow this pattern of sound words. He must guard this good deposit (2 Tim 1:14) and keep proclaiming it simply and clearly.

As he handles the word of truth rightly and accurately, he has no need to be ashamed (though he will still be tempted to shame when he suffers opposition from his detractors – 2 Tim 1:8). God will vindicate this faithful Bible expositor as the one he approves, over against the false teachers. The way the man of God demonstrates his vindication—his approval by God for his task of preaching the word—is by clearly and faithfully opening God’s word, skillfully setting it before the people, and proclaiming God’s message with God’s authority, week after week after week.

Paul will go on to say that he must do this with kindness, competence, and patience (2 Tim 2:24). He must correct opponents gently (2 Tim 2:25). As he continues proclaiming the word, without watering down its message but making it plain to the people and applying it clearly to the matters at hand, God might just grant repentance to some of those detractors (2 Tim 2:25-26). But the teacher must understand that most of them will not repent, and they are therefore to be avoided personally (2 Tim 3:1-9).

My previous paragraph describes what it means to be useful as a servant in God’s great house (2 Tim 2:20-21)—another statement that loses its meaning, and thereby gets misapplied, when we remove it from its context.

Gospel Hope

What will motivate the teacher of God’s word to endure in his task, even while some violently oppose him or even call for his resignation?

He stands on a firm foundation laid by his God (2 Tim 2:19). Paul paraphrases Numbers 16:5 and Numbers 16:26 to correlate Timothy’s detractors with Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, who opposed Moses, the Lord’s servant, the one laboring usefully in God’s house. God vindicated Moses with theatrical flair, proving to everyone that he knew who his man was. And God called the people to make sure they lined up behind the approved teacher lest they be swept up in the unapproved teachers’ destruction.

So for those who have been opposed for teaching the Scripture faithfully: Take heart. You do not need to quarrel to defend yourself; the Lord will defend you. He will not allow them to get very far. He will make their folly plain to all (2 Tim 3:9), and he will raise you up to reign with Christ (2 Tim 2:11-12). Just keep teaching God’s word, and do your best to learn how to do it even better than you already do. God’s firm foundation stands.

And for those who are watching and listening to the criticism and public assault on Christian leaders, wondering whom you can trust: Go with the approved workmen. Look for those who proclaim God’s word rightly—this requires you to know how to do that yourself so you’ll know it when you see it—and who do so with gentleness, kindness, and patience. Avoid the proud, abusive, babbling quarrelers, lest you be caught in their snare. God’s firm foundation stands.

Context matters.

¹Thanks to David Helm for showing me this structure at a recent Simeon Trust workshop on biblical exposition.

For more examples of why context matters, click here.