Take These Teachings At Their Word

229 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Ti 2:14, “Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers.” (2 Tim 2:14) What things? The things spoken of from verse 8 to verse 13, namely the things of the creed! The virgin birth of the promised Messiah through the lineage of David! The resurrection! And the portrayal of the truth of Mk 16:16 found in verses 11 through 13. “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. These doctrinal issues are non-negotiable and the Holy Spirit makes that plain with very strong language! Timothy and those who would follow in his footsteps, (passing the faith along,) are to charge their disciples (students) before the Lord not to dispute these truths. To charge before the Lord is to take an oath, (no small thing) testifying earnestly to the importance of these doctrines. Do not strive about words, do not strain the gnat with your teeth as you seek to justify any other doctrines than these. Such arguments profit nobody and only create confusion, a confusion that could be the ruin of others within earshot. Be careful in handling these doctrines. Take them at their Word, lest you ruin the faith of others. The word “ruin” here is synonymous with apostasy, a turning away from the true faith! Yes, sometimes these doctrines passed along by Paul are impossible to comprehend with our finite minds, but the Holy Spirit tells us concerning Paul in 2Pe 3:16-18 “as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. Twisting the Word of God, leads to destruction. Rather than twisting it to fit your understanding, when uncertainty creeps in, cry out like the man in Mr 9:24 who said to Jesus, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"