2:142 Timothy 2:14

The verse calls for keeping the gospel truths of sharing Christ's life and reign, suffering for Him, and His faithfulness in saving sinners ever in remembrance, under solemn charge before the Lord to keep that saving truth clear and prominent.GW 311.3–4+4 It forbids quarreling over words, unimportant questions, human opinions and unrevealed speculations, because such strife serves no useful spiritual purpose but ruins faith, overturns understanding and breaks unity.GW 311.3–4+4 Instead believers are to follow righteousness, faith, love and peace with the pure in heart, avoiding foolish questions that breed strife and speaking with modesty and grace as gentle, patient teachers who instruct opposers in meekness.Ms 55, 1898, par. 16–17+2 Ministers bear this charge with fatherly care for spiritual welfare, praying with believers and studying diligently to stand approved as workmen rightly dividing truth while shunning vain babblings that increase ungodliness.Ms 65, 1898, par. 7–10+2 God's Spirit never leads to contention, strife or alienation, so those who handle truth must refuse error and profitless dispute, bring every thought captive to Christ, and behold Him as the center for transformation in character.Ms 55, 1898, par. 16–17+1

The remembrance commanded is of the gospel truths just set forth about sharing Christ's life and reign with Him, suffering for Him, the consequence of denying Him, and His faithfulness, all centered on salvation in Christ.GW 311.3–4+3 Believers are to be put in remembrance of these stated truths and solemnly charged before the Lord not to quarrel over words.GW 311.3–4+2 That charge was laid first on Timothy, yet it rests also on ministers with fatherly care for the flock, on all who open the Scriptures to others including the messengers bearing God's message in the last days, and on believers to remind one another of the truth.Ms 65, 1898, par. 7–10+4 Its aim is that saving truth be kept clear and prominent rather than buried under a mass of words, with spiritual welfare sought not as mere head knowledge but as knowledge of the true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent, a work requiring prayer with believers and diligent study of Scripture, not only reading and teaching it.Ms 65, 1898, par. 7–10+1

Not striving about words means refusing quarrels over words, unimportant questions and human opinions that distract from the gospel and the work of bringing people to conversion.GW 311.3–4 It means refusing speculative unessential theories, strange ideas from human imagination, and idle speculation about what God has not revealed, pointing people instead to what Scripture clearly reveals and handling revealed truth rightly so it can nourish God's people.Lt 58, 1900, par. 9–15+2 Salvation does not depend on side issues, so such questions are to be left aside.Lt 58, 1900, par. 9–15+1

Such disputes are to no profit because they give no spiritual benefit, accomplish no good, and serve no useful purpose.20MR 317.1+3 They subvert the hearers by ruining faith, overturning faith or understanding, undermining those who listen, and harming rather than building them up, with careless speech in this line wounding people, weakening confidence and disturbing unity.Ms 11a, 1895, par. 15–16+4 Discussion should instead serve a purpose, breaking down stubbornness and opposition so hearts are softened and truth can take root, and this warning supports the church's need to remain free of schisms and sound in principle.20MR 317.1+1

For teachers the result is a terrible responsibility, because filling hearers with wrong ideas and principles received from an evil source ruins their faith and turns them away from truth.Lt 4, 1898, par. 23–24 To do so makes the teacher a savor of death unto death instead of a savor of life unto life.Lt 4, 1898, par. 23–24

Instead of strife about words, believers are to follow righteousness, faith, charity and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart, to avoid foolish and unlearned questions because they gender strifes, and as servants of the Lord not to strive but to be gentle to all, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing opposers so that God may give repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.Ms 55, 1898, par. 16–17 Speech is to be modest, gracious and useful, fit for representing Christ and witnessing to the truth rather than quarreling over words that bring no spiritual benefit and overturn the faith of hearers.Lt 2, 1895, par. 29–34 Discussion must serve a purpose, breaking down stubbornness and opposition so hearts are softened and truth can take root, since disputes over words bring no real benefit and damage those who hear.Ms 13, 1888, par. 24–28

Ministers carry this charge as fatherly care for the flock that seeks spiritual welfare and knowledge of the true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent, not mere head knowledge, and doing it requires praying with believers and becoming diligent students of Scripture and not only readers and teachers of the Word.Ms 65, 1898, par. 7–10 The minister of the gospel in the last days is never called to strive to be a smart preacher or popular speaker, but is commanded to study to be approved unto God as a workman rightly dividing the word of truth and to shun profane and vain babblings that increase ungodliness.Ms 29, 1893, par. 10–12 Saving truth is to be kept clear and prominent rather than buried under a mass of words, with hearers reminded and charged before the Lord not to quarrel over words that have no profit and undermine those who listen.Lt 9, 1892, par. 25–29

God works through human agencies by the light of His Word, and His Spirit never leads to contention, strife or alienation.Ms 55, 1898, par. 16–17 Because souls are worth saving, those who handle truth must leave fables for counsel and profitless striving about words that subvert hearers, refuse the wine of Babylon which is doctrines of error dealt to the kings of the earth, and instead know conversion, drink in the Holy Spirit, bring mind and every thought into captivity to the will of Christ, behold Christ as the Center to be changed from character to character and from glory to glory, place a right estimate on humanity under the controlling power of God, speak the words God gives, and fall upon the Rock and be broken in order to feel the power of Christ.Ms 12, 1893, par. 22–23

The same charge forbids murmuring and fretting and chafing over other men's work, appointments and editorial work, charging brethren with wrong motives and lack of judgment from personal annoyance and impulse of mind.Lt 87, 1898, par. 25–27 It forbids questioning and finding fault with everything and every man's teaching, accusing the brethren, speaking evil of a brother and judging another, which gives evidence of the accuser's own imperfection of character and pride, and requires instead submitting to God, resisting the devil, humbling self, cleansing hands and purifying the heart, severely criticizing self, and living holy in all conduct as obedient children.Lt 98, 1896, par. 1–3 It applies to misunderstandings and careless speech that wound people, weaken confidence and disturb unity in the church, which must be avoided to keep the church free of schisms and sound in principle.20MR 317.1+1 It applies to criticism and faultfinding about health reform by people who lack firsthand experience, who should work in unity with those laboring faithfully.Ms 64, 1898, par. 12–13

Disloyalty to God such as transgressing His holy Sabbath while caviling over the plainest statements of the Word stands condemned, with misinterpreting and wresting the Scriptures from their true meaning and desperate efforts to harmonize disobedience with them, as the scribes and Pharisees in Christ's day were condemned.8MR 286.1–2 Schools are to educate in the Word of God like the schools of the prophets and keep a pure line of study before teachers and scholars, so books containing some truth intermingled with vain babblings must not be placed in students' hands.8MR 286.1–2 Such books are seed sown in the human heart that in time of temptation will spring into life and lead minds away from God and away from truth into unbelief, infidelity and ungodliness, since profane and vain babblings increase to more ungodliness.8MR 286.1–2

In a special effort to proclaim truth, members are to impress its teaching on the heart and bring it into practical life by clearing the King's highway, helping with means, showing perfect harmony, attending the meetings armed and equipped for service and ready to talk with any who are interested, and praying and working for the lost sheep while going about daily duties.Lt 193, 1905, par. 4–7 They must not let such a season of blessing pass leaving them uninfluenced by the truth proclaimed, in a self-satisfied, indifferent, backslidden condition, but must awake to obligation to act their part in sustaining the work, stay wide awake, draw strength from Christ, and be filled with deepest gratitude that the Lord is working as laborers together with Him.Lt 193, 1905, par. 4–7 Each worker must keep hold of God, stand at his own post of duty, trust in God and go to the living God rather than any human source in perplexity, and acknowledge that God works by whom He will and supervises every phase and department of His work.Lt 87, 1898, par. 25–27