And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
Their word eating like a canker means that words promoting error spread like a consuming disease that eats through what it reaches, corrupts and eats away faith, and leads people away from truth. Hymenaeus and Philetus are named as examples of such teachers, whose error concerning the truth was claiming that the resurrection had already occurred, and their teaching overturned and destroyed the faith of some. Such teaching mixes some truth with profane and vain babblings and the doctrines of error, in contrast to the precious truth God gives by the Holy Spirit. It springs from undue curiosity and idle speculation that shuns plainly revealed truth for supposition and human theories, sown as seed in the heart that springs to life in temptation and leads minds away from God into ungodliness. Believers are therefore to refuse such deceptive words, stand firm for the right and constantly on guard, keep a pure line of study, and work together to remove errors that have eaten into the church.
Image and Historical Example
Their word eating like a canker means false teaching spreads destructively like a consuming disease and a destroying sore that eats through whatever it reaches. Words that promote error corrupt those who receive them, eat away faith, and lead minds away from God and away from truth into ungodliness. Such words act as seed sown in the human heart that springs to life in time of temptation.
Hymenaeus and Philetus are named as examples of such teachers. Their error concerning the truth was saying that the resurrection is past already, claiming that the resurrection had already occurred and had already taken place. They thus erred by shunning plainly revealed truth for supposition and imagination and for vain, unessential human theories with nothing sure or substantial in them.
Their teaching overthrew and overturned the faith of some, destroying it.
How False Teaching Spreads
The canker-like word is teaching that mixes some truth with profane and vain babblings, empty ungodly talk, fables taken for counsel, and the wine of Babylon, the doctrines of error. Against this is set God's cup full of precious truth given by the Holy Spirit. Such error grows out of undue curiosity and idle speculation that shuns plainly revealed truth for supposition and imagination. That course leads into more ungodliness and keeps the mind dwelling on vain unessential human theories with nothing sure or substantial in them.
These novel, human-made theories are put forward as something remarkable and wonderful. Error is clothed in a new garment thought to cover something wonderful, which when uncovered proves to be empty nothingness. Even apparently conscientious people then grasp the shadow instead of the substance and take error for truth. Words of this kind are seed sown in the human heart that spring to life in time of temptation. Once quickened they lead minds away from God and away from truth into ungodliness.
The same pattern of foolish heresies presented as truth in the days of the apostles will be repeated and will recur in different times. The words of those who have turned from the truth to fables spread destructively because they will not break from the fellowship of unholy angels. Remaining in that fellowship, they say whatever the enemy puts into their minds.
Guarding Against Its Spread
False words spread like a destroying sore that eats away faith, so books and teaching that contain some truth mixed with profane and vain babblings must not be placed in the hands of students. Teachers as well as scholars must keep a pure line of study like the schools of the prophets, because such words are seed sown in the human heart that will spring to life in time of temptation and lead minds away from God and away from truth into ungodliness, as seen in Hymenaeus and Philetus who erred by saying the resurrection is past already and destroyed the faith of some. The instruction of the chapter containing this warning is to be taken seriously and put into practice. Such words are not to be believed, and believers must not be deceived by them but must stand firm for the right, stay constantly on guard, and be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
When errors and mistaken actions have eaten into the church, its members must work together to remove them and restore a healthy influence. The same eating sore also describes unbelief in professed believers who do not let truth sanctify their lives. That unbelief is evident in conduct and character, deceives self, encourages continuance in sin, and corrupts like a spreading disease. In contrast to fables men take for counsel and the wine of Babylon, the doctrines of error, which eat like a canker, God presents a cup full of precious truth by the Holy Spirit, and souls are worth saving.
Minds and thoughts must therefore be brought into captivity to the will of Christ with His superscription upon them, beholding Him to be changed from glory to glory and from character to character under the controlling influence of God. They must fall upon the Rock and be broken in conversion in order to feel the power of Christ and stand to the front. The same eating image describes living trouble in the home, which can consume the soul and weaken a person's life forces. A bitter, oppressive spirit also eats the heart like a canker, seen in marriage when a tyrannical husband's harshness, fault-finding, censure, and revengeful disposition consume his wife from within, crushing out her ambition and cheerfulness, destroying her pleasure of life, making her prematurely old, and killing her by inches.
Their word eating like a canker means that words promoting error spread like a consuming disease that eats through what it reaches, corrupts and eats away faith, and leads people away from truth. Hymenaeus and Philetus are named as examples of such teachers, whose error concerning the truth was claiming that the resurrection had already occurred, and their teaching overturned and destroyed the faith of some. Such teaching mixes some truth with profane and vain babblings and the doctrines of error, in contrast to the precious truth God gives by the Holy Spirit. It springs from undue curiosity and idle speculation that shuns plainly revealed truth for supposition and human theories, sown as seed in the heart that springs to life in temptation and leads minds away from God into ungodliness. Believers are therefore to refuse such deceptive words, stand firm for the right and constantly on guard, keep a pure line of study, and work together to remove errors that have eaten into the church.
Image and Historical Example
Their word eating like a canker means false teaching spreads destructively like a consuming disease and a destroying sore that eats through whatever it reaches. Words that promote error corrupt those who receive them, eat away faith, and lead minds away from God and away from truth into ungodliness. Such words act as seed sown in the human heart that springs to life in time of temptation.
Hymenaeus and Philetus are named as examples of such teachers. Their error concerning the truth was saying that the resurrection is past already, claiming that the resurrection had already occurred and had already taken place. They thus erred by shunning plainly revealed truth for supposition and imagination and for vain, unessential human theories with nothing sure or substantial in them.
Their teaching overthrew and overturned the faith of some, destroying it.
How False Teaching Spreads
The canker-like word is teaching that mixes some truth with profane and vain babblings, empty ungodly talk, fables taken for counsel, and the wine of Babylon, the doctrines of error. Against this is set God's cup full of precious truth given by the Holy Spirit. Such error grows out of undue curiosity and idle speculation that shuns plainly revealed truth for supposition and imagination. That course leads into more ungodliness and keeps the mind dwelling on vain unessential human theories with nothing sure or substantial in them.
These novel, human-made theories are put forward as something remarkable and wonderful. Error is clothed in a new garment thought to cover something wonderful, which when uncovered proves to be empty nothingness. Even apparently conscientious people then grasp the shadow instead of the substance and take error for truth. Words of this kind are seed sown in the human heart that spring to life in time of temptation. Once quickened they lead minds away from God and away from truth into ungodliness.
The same pattern of foolish heresies presented as truth in the days of the apostles will be repeated and will recur in different times. The words of those who have turned from the truth to fables spread destructively because they will not break from the fellowship of unholy angels. Remaining in that fellowship, they say whatever the enemy puts into their minds.
Guarding Against Its Spread
False words spread like a destroying sore that eats away faith, so books and teaching that contain some truth mixed with profane and vain babblings must not be placed in the hands of students. Teachers as well as scholars must keep a pure line of study like the schools of the prophets, because such words are seed sown in the human heart that will spring to life in time of temptation and lead minds away from God and away from truth into ungodliness, as seen in Hymenaeus and Philetus who erred by saying the resurrection is past already and destroyed the faith of some. The instruction of the chapter containing this warning is to be taken seriously and put into practice. Such words are not to be believed, and believers must not be deceived by them but must stand firm for the right, stay constantly on guard, and be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
When errors and mistaken actions have eaten into the church, its members must work together to remove them and restore a healthy influence. The same eating sore also describes unbelief in professed believers who do not let truth sanctify their lives. That unbelief is evident in conduct and character, deceives self, encourages continuance in sin, and corrupts like a spreading disease. In contrast to fables men take for counsel and the wine of Babylon, the doctrines of error, which eat like a canker, God presents a cup full of precious truth by the Holy Spirit, and souls are worth saving.
Minds and thoughts must therefore be brought into captivity to the will of Christ with His superscription upon them, beholding Him to be changed from glory to glory and from character to character under the controlling influence of God. They must fall upon the Rock and be broken in conversion in order to feel the power of Christ and stand to the front. The same eating image describes living trouble in the home, which can consume the soul and weaken a person's life forces. A bitter, oppressive spirit also eats the heart like a canker, seen in marriage when a tyrannical husband's harshness, fault-finding, censure, and revengeful disposition consume his wife from within, crushing out her ambition and cheerfulness, destroying her pleasure of life, making her prematurely old, and killing her by inches.