But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
Shun irreverent, empty and godless talk because it will grow into greater ungodliness. It is speculation about matters of no vital importance, vain human theories and foolish ideas that lead the mind into supposition and imagination instead of resting on the sure Word of God. It includes striving and quarreling over words to no profit, which subverts the hearers, breeds faultfinding and strife, and turns one into an accuser of the brethren, while also diverting attention from truth, weakening its hold on the heart and undermining faith. It also covers doctrines of error and the fables of Babylon, as well as books and cheap reading that mix some truth with emptiness and sow seeds that take root in temptation and draw minds away from God. To shun it is to study to stand approved before God as a workman who rightly divides truth and holds forth the Word of Life, refusing controversy and wounding words and meeting error by presenting truth in simplicity from the written Word.
Meaning of Empty Talk
The command is to shun profane, empty, irreverent and godless talk because it will increase unto more ungodliness. Such babblings are speculation about matters of no vital importance, including vain, unessential human theories and foolish ideas that draw the mind into supposition and imagination rather than resting on the sure Word of God. They have nothing sure or substantial in them.
They include striving and quarreling about words to no profit that does no good but subverts and upsets the hearers. Such discussion gives rise to faultfinding and strife, and to living as an accuser who questions and finds fault with every teaching, thinks no one is perfect, speaks evil of a brother and judges him. They include also careless counsel from those set in positions of truth that sets plans in motion that ruin souls, for which the speakers are responsible under the divine law even when human laws do not condemn them.
They are the doctrines of error, a dish of fables taken as counselor and the wine of Babylon dealt to the kings of the earth. Giving place to them is letting down to a low level without conversion, without being broken and without feeling the power of Christ. They include books that mix some truth with empty talk, whose ideas are like seeds that may take root when temptation comes and lead students away from God and truth. They include novels, storybooks, cheap literature and other questionable reading matter published merely for commercial gain.
The warning applies to trusting in witchcraft and seeking spiritualist help instead of placing faith in the living God. Such talk diverts attention from truth and weakens its effect on the heart. It displaces truth with error presented as novel and wonderful, undermines faith, and can draw people into error, corruption and ungodliness.
Shunning Babblings in Practice
Shunning empty talk belongs with studying to stand approved before God as a workman who rightly handles and divides the word of truth, putting others in remembrance of truth, holding forth the Word of Life, and being holy in all conduct. It forbids striving about words to no profit that subverts and upsets the hearers, and forbids living as an accuser who questions and finds fault with every teaching, thinks no one is perfect, speaks evil of a brother and judges him. Every messenger bearing the last message must not strive to be a smart preacher or popular speaker, but must daily yoke up with Christ, lift His burdens and learn of Him day by day. Without that cooperation as laborers together with God they are unfit for ministry and should seek some other employment.
To shun such talk is to enter into no controversy or contention, not to dwell on objections advanced by opposers of truth, and to speak no word that wounds and bruises hearts. It is to lift up the standard of truth, speak the truth in simplicity and hold forth the word of life. The best way to combat error is to present truth by appealing to what is written, the word of the living God, as the weapon. Shunning them means refusing error and receiving the preciousness of God in the Holy Spirit, bringing mind and thoughts into captivity to the will of Christ to receive His superscription. It means beholding Christ and God to be changed from glory to glory and from character to character, placing a right estimate on humanity under God's controlling influence, and standing to the front speaking the words God gives because souls are worth saving, in contrast to giving place to error which is letting down to a low level without conversion, without being broken, and without feeling the power of Christ.
Those set to stand in positions of truth must seek wisdom from God and shut their hearts to the enemy's temptations at a time when right actions mean much to the kingdom, knowing that careless counsel that sets plans in motion that ruin souls brings responsibility under the divine law even when human laws do not condemn. One whose mind, heart and energies have been taken by the world under skillful satanic training must consider his peril, distrust self, watch and pray every hour, and not put himself in the way of temptation where the ground has been carefully studied and the snare laid to make him prey. The chapter containing the command is to be taken to heart and put into practice by abiding in the faith received from the beginning. Trust is to be placed in the living God who delivers all who are oppressed and whose throne is founded on righteousness, while the way to Endor or to Ekron for witchcraft and spiritualist help is cursed, forbidden ground that makes the feet stumble and fall.
Publishing managers and workers must shun taking in, handling and reading novels, storybooks, cheap literature and other questionable reading matter published merely for commercial gain. Such matter absorbs the mind, diverts attention from the Word of God, mentally intoxicates those infatuated by it, and destroys spirituality. Its continued reading means death to spirituality and causes the purpose for which publishing institutions were established to be lost sight of.
Shun irreverent, empty and godless talk because it will grow into greater ungodliness. It is speculation about matters of no vital importance, vain human theories and foolish ideas that lead the mind into supposition and imagination instead of resting on the sure Word of God. It includes striving and quarreling over words to no profit, which subverts the hearers, breeds faultfinding and strife, and turns one into an accuser of the brethren, while also diverting attention from truth, weakening its hold on the heart and undermining faith. It also covers doctrines of error and the fables of Babylon, as well as books and cheap reading that mix some truth with emptiness and sow seeds that take root in temptation and draw minds away from God. To shun it is to study to stand approved before God as a workman who rightly divides truth and holds forth the Word of Life, refusing controversy and wounding words and meeting error by presenting truth in simplicity from the written Word.
Meaning of Empty Talk
The command is to shun profane, empty, irreverent and godless talk because it will increase unto more ungodliness. Such babblings are speculation about matters of no vital importance, including vain, unessential human theories and foolish ideas that draw the mind into supposition and imagination rather than resting on the sure Word of God. They have nothing sure or substantial in them.
They include striving and quarreling about words to no profit that does no good but subverts and upsets the hearers. Such discussion gives rise to faultfinding and strife, and to living as an accuser who questions and finds fault with every teaching, thinks no one is perfect, speaks evil of a brother and judges him. They include also careless counsel from those set in positions of truth that sets plans in motion that ruin souls, for which the speakers are responsible under the divine law even when human laws do not condemn them.
They are the doctrines of error, a dish of fables taken as counselor and the wine of Babylon dealt to the kings of the earth. Giving place to them is letting down to a low level without conversion, without being broken and without feeling the power of Christ. They include books that mix some truth with empty talk, whose ideas are like seeds that may take root when temptation comes and lead students away from God and truth. They include novels, storybooks, cheap literature and other questionable reading matter published merely for commercial gain.
The warning applies to trusting in witchcraft and seeking spiritualist help instead of placing faith in the living God. Such talk diverts attention from truth and weakens its effect on the heart. It displaces truth with error presented as novel and wonderful, undermines faith, and can draw people into error, corruption and ungodliness.
Shunning Babblings in Practice
Shunning empty talk belongs with studying to stand approved before God as a workman who rightly handles and divides the word of truth, putting others in remembrance of truth, holding forth the Word of Life, and being holy in all conduct. It forbids striving about words to no profit that subverts and upsets the hearers, and forbids living as an accuser who questions and finds fault with every teaching, thinks no one is perfect, speaks evil of a brother and judges him. Every messenger bearing the last message must not strive to be a smart preacher or popular speaker, but must daily yoke up with Christ, lift His burdens and learn of Him day by day. Without that cooperation as laborers together with God they are unfit for ministry and should seek some other employment.
To shun such talk is to enter into no controversy or contention, not to dwell on objections advanced by opposers of truth, and to speak no word that wounds and bruises hearts. It is to lift up the standard of truth, speak the truth in simplicity and hold forth the word of life. The best way to combat error is to present truth by appealing to what is written, the word of the living God, as the weapon. Shunning them means refusing error and receiving the preciousness of God in the Holy Spirit, bringing mind and thoughts into captivity to the will of Christ to receive His superscription. It means beholding Christ and God to be changed from glory to glory and from character to character, placing a right estimate on humanity under God's controlling influence, and standing to the front speaking the words God gives because souls are worth saving, in contrast to giving place to error which is letting down to a low level without conversion, without being broken, and without feeling the power of Christ.
Those set to stand in positions of truth must seek wisdom from God and shut their hearts to the enemy's temptations at a time when right actions mean much to the kingdom, knowing that careless counsel that sets plans in motion that ruin souls brings responsibility under the divine law even when human laws do not condemn. One whose mind, heart and energies have been taken by the world under skillful satanic training must consider his peril, distrust self, watch and pray every hour, and not put himself in the way of temptation where the ground has been carefully studied and the snare laid to make him prey. The chapter containing the command is to be taken to heart and put into practice by abiding in the faith received from the beginning. Trust is to be placed in the living God who delivers all who are oppressed and whose throne is founded on righteousness, while the way to Endor or to Ekron for witchcraft and spiritualist help is cursed, forbidden ground that makes the feet stumble and fall.
Publishing managers and workers must shun taking in, handling and reading novels, storybooks, cheap literature and other questionable reading matter published merely for commercial gain. Such matter absorbs the mind, diverts attention from the Word of God, mentally intoxicates those infatuated by it, and destroys spirituality. Its continued reading means death to spirituality and causes the purpose for which publishing institutions were established to be lost sight of.