But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.
Foolish and unlearned questions are ignorant, uninformed inquiries that must be avoided because they produce strife and quarrels rather than profit. This avoidance belongs to the Lord's servant, who must not strive but be gentle to all, apt to teach and patient, in meekness instructing opposers so God may grant them repentance to acknowledging the truth and recovery from the snare of the devil. It stands with studying to be approved as a workman rightly dividing the word of truth, pursuing righteousness, faith, love and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart, and letting God's Word and the sure word of prophecy guide the soul rather than turning to human agents and broken cisterns. When error is advocated, opposers are to be met calmly without excitement, harshness or discourtesy, by gentle patient teaching that presents Christ and the truth, without arguing about or repeating false claims, since presenting the truth exposes error's weakness. In the church, questions that stir up strife, speculative prying about unrevealed details, and dwelling on small disagreements must be repressed so believers stand united shoulder to shoulder, keeping to the plain revealed saving truth of Jesus rather than jokes, novelty and distractions.
Meaning and Context
Foolish and unlearned questions mean ignorant, uninformed questions. They must be avoided because they gender strifes and produce quarrels rather than profit. Avoidance is commanded because such questioning leads to strife instead of edification.
The command belongs to the instruction for the servant of the Lord, who must not strive. That servant is to be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, and in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves. This meek, courteous, patient teaching, without harshness, rashness, discourtesy, excitement or contention, is the way opposers may be led if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. By it they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, by whom they are taken captive at his will, and come to repentance, knowledge of the truth, and escape from that snare. Personal conversation in that spirit, presenting Christ and the truth as it is in Jesus, can accomplish much.
Avoidance belongs with studying to show oneself approved unto God as a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. It belongs with following righteousness, faith, charity and peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. It calls for letting God's Word and the sure word of prophecy guide the soul and be the counselor through deep searching, rather than turning to human agents for spiritual light. It calls everyone who names the name of Christ to depart from iniquity and to turn from human revealings that draw the mind away from words of inspiration to words of inexperienced humanity. Safety is found only in that Word, not in turning from the fountain of living waters to drink at broken cisterns.
In teaching and study the warning is against striving about words to no profit, which subverts the hearers. It is against material that mixes truth with empty talk and draws minds toward ungodliness. The Spirit of God never leads to contention, strife, or alienation. Contentions and bickerings over questions that have no profit place people on the enemy's side, while what is needed is practical knowledge of God and Jesus Christ.
Gentle Response to Opposition
Foolish and uninformed questions are to be avoided because they produce quarrels, and when error is advocated those who walk in the light are to remain calm rather than becoming excited or contentious. Even when men claim to have great light while presenting darkness, the answer is steadiness without excitement, contention, harshness, rashness, or discourtesy. The servant of the Lord does not meet opposition with strife but with gentleness to all, patience, readiness to teach, and meek instruction of opposers.
That gentle, patient teaching corrects those who oppose themselves and oppose the truth, presenting Christ and the truth as it is in Jesus. Its aim is that God may grant them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth and recovery out of the snare of the devil by whom they are taken captive. Courteous personal conversation in this spirit can accomplish much toward that repentance and knowledge of the truth.
False claims are not to be argued about or repeated, for giving them publicity helps error to spread. Presenting the truth instead makes the weakness of error clear without quarreling over it.
Practical Applications Today
Foolish and uninformed questions that give rise to quarrels and strife are to be avoided as a qualification for the work God requires, and this avoiding of strife with gentle, patient, meek teaching of opposers that may lead them to repentance, acknowledgment of the truth, and recovery out of the devil's snare belongs to ministers and to young ministers and to young people in shaping practical life. The same refusal of contentious questionings belongs to personal visiting and shepherding work where the faithful minister meets all kinds of human minds and all kinds of character, being gentle to all, apt to teach, patient, and in meekness instructing opposers. Foolish and ignorant questions that lead to strife are to be avoided in Sabbath-school teaching as part of pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Where the church is divided, questions that stir up strife must be repressed so believers come as close together as possible. There are to be no schisms, for God designs a people to stand before the world sound in principle by avoiding foolish and unlearned questions that produce strifes and by not striving about words to no profit to the subverting of hearers. Those who oppose are instead to stand shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart, with those working in right lines, while the servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle, apt to teach, patient, and meekly instruct opposers toward repentance and recovery out of the snare of the devil.
Criticizing and questioning and finding fault with health reform by those who know nothing about it experimentally is forbidden. In the church the call is for a converted, Christlike spirit rather than conduct that leads others away from Christ, with true religion shown in steady, kind words and deeds and concern for the salvation of others. Foolish, speculative questions driven by prying curiosity about unrevealed details, such as who will be sealed or how many will be sealed, should not be encouraged. People should focus on what Scripture plainly reveals and can wait to learn what is essential, since salvation does not depend on side issues.
In preaching, avoidance means not catering to a taste for jokes or novelty, but keeping to the saving truth of Jesus and not letting distractions obscure it. Foolish questions and fables must be refused, and the mind must instead be strained to understand the working of the Spirit of God and to know what Christ is and what God is. Christ must be established as the Center, a man must be born again to see the kingdom of God, and canvassers and others who have not known conversion must drink not the wine of Babylon, the doctrines of error, but the cup full of the preciousness of God, the Holy Spirit, because souls are worth saving. Minds and thoughts must be brought into captivity to the will of Christ, and by beholding Christ humanity under God's controlling influence is changed from glory to glory and from character to character, learns to place a right estimate on humanity, stands to the front, speaks the words God gives, and falls upon the Rock broken so as to feel the power of Christ.
The charge is to let God's Word speak to the soul and to teach it and impress it upon every mind, with everyone who names Christ departing from iniquity. Minds must turn from human revealings that draw away from words of inspiration to words of inexperienced humanity, with safety found only in deep searching of the sure word of prophecy and making that Word the counselor, not turning from the fountain of living waters to drink at broken cisterns. Dwelling on small, minor disagreements distracted believers at Jackson from the important work of the last days, weakened them, and served Satan's purpose of overthrowing them. Contentions and bickerings over questions that have no profit place people on the enemy's side, while the needed pursuit is practical knowledge of God and Jesus Christ.
Cavilling and contention with believers or unbelievers is not the work given to God's people to do. Their work instead is to lift up their thoughts and heads and rejoice that the Lord is coming, and to repeat that joyful news in their homes and tell it to those they meet.
Foolish and unlearned questions are ignorant, uninformed inquiries that must be avoided because they produce strife and quarrels rather than profit. This avoidance belongs to the Lord's servant, who must not strive but be gentle to all, apt to teach and patient, in meekness instructing opposers so God may grant them repentance to acknowledging the truth and recovery from the snare of the devil. It stands with studying to be approved as a workman rightly dividing the word of truth, pursuing righteousness, faith, love and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart, and letting God's Word and the sure word of prophecy guide the soul rather than turning to human agents and broken cisterns. When error is advocated, opposers are to be met calmly without excitement, harshness or discourtesy, by gentle patient teaching that presents Christ and the truth, without arguing about or repeating false claims, since presenting the truth exposes error's weakness. In the church, questions that stir up strife, speculative prying about unrevealed details, and dwelling on small disagreements must be repressed so believers stand united shoulder to shoulder, keeping to the plain revealed saving truth of Jesus rather than jokes, novelty and distractions.
Meaning and Context
Foolish and unlearned questions mean ignorant, uninformed questions. They must be avoided because they gender strifes and produce quarrels rather than profit. Avoidance is commanded because such questioning leads to strife instead of edification.
The command belongs to the instruction for the servant of the Lord, who must not strive. That servant is to be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, and in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves. This meek, courteous, patient teaching, without harshness, rashness, discourtesy, excitement or contention, is the way opposers may be led if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. By it they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, by whom they are taken captive at his will, and come to repentance, knowledge of the truth, and escape from that snare. Personal conversation in that spirit, presenting Christ and the truth as it is in Jesus, can accomplish much.
Avoidance belongs with studying to show oneself approved unto God as a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. It belongs with following righteousness, faith, charity and peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. It calls for letting God's Word and the sure word of prophecy guide the soul and be the counselor through deep searching, rather than turning to human agents for spiritual light. It calls everyone who names the name of Christ to depart from iniquity and to turn from human revealings that draw the mind away from words of inspiration to words of inexperienced humanity. Safety is found only in that Word, not in turning from the fountain of living waters to drink at broken cisterns.
In teaching and study the warning is against striving about words to no profit, which subverts the hearers. It is against material that mixes truth with empty talk and draws minds toward ungodliness. The Spirit of God never leads to contention, strife, or alienation. Contentions and bickerings over questions that have no profit place people on the enemy's side, while what is needed is practical knowledge of God and Jesus Christ.
Gentle Response to Opposition
Foolish and uninformed questions are to be avoided because they produce quarrels, and when error is advocated those who walk in the light are to remain calm rather than becoming excited or contentious. Even when men claim to have great light while presenting darkness, the answer is steadiness without excitement, contention, harshness, rashness, or discourtesy. The servant of the Lord does not meet opposition with strife but with gentleness to all, patience, readiness to teach, and meek instruction of opposers.
That gentle, patient teaching corrects those who oppose themselves and oppose the truth, presenting Christ and the truth as it is in Jesus. Its aim is that God may grant them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth and recovery out of the snare of the devil by whom they are taken captive. Courteous personal conversation in this spirit can accomplish much toward that repentance and knowledge of the truth.
False claims are not to be argued about or repeated, for giving them publicity helps error to spread. Presenting the truth instead makes the weakness of error clear without quarreling over it.
Practical Applications Today
Foolish and uninformed questions that give rise to quarrels and strife are to be avoided as a qualification for the work God requires, and this avoiding of strife with gentle, patient, meek teaching of opposers that may lead them to repentance, acknowledgment of the truth, and recovery out of the devil's snare belongs to ministers and to young ministers and to young people in shaping practical life. The same refusal of contentious questionings belongs to personal visiting and shepherding work where the faithful minister meets all kinds of human minds and all kinds of character, being gentle to all, apt to teach, patient, and in meekness instructing opposers. Foolish and ignorant questions that lead to strife are to be avoided in Sabbath-school teaching as part of pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Where the church is divided, questions that stir up strife must be repressed so believers come as close together as possible. There are to be no schisms, for God designs a people to stand before the world sound in principle by avoiding foolish and unlearned questions that produce strifes and by not striving about words to no profit to the subverting of hearers. Those who oppose are instead to stand shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart, with those working in right lines, while the servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle, apt to teach, patient, and meekly instruct opposers toward repentance and recovery out of the snare of the devil.
Criticizing and questioning and finding fault with health reform by those who know nothing about it experimentally is forbidden. In the church the call is for a converted, Christlike spirit rather than conduct that leads others away from Christ, with true religion shown in steady, kind words and deeds and concern for the salvation of others. Foolish, speculative questions driven by prying curiosity about unrevealed details, such as who will be sealed or how many will be sealed, should not be encouraged. People should focus on what Scripture plainly reveals and can wait to learn what is essential, since salvation does not depend on side issues.
In preaching, avoidance means not catering to a taste for jokes or novelty, but keeping to the saving truth of Jesus and not letting distractions obscure it. Foolish questions and fables must be refused, and the mind must instead be strained to understand the working of the Spirit of God and to know what Christ is and what God is. Christ must be established as the Center, a man must be born again to see the kingdom of God, and canvassers and others who have not known conversion must drink not the wine of Babylon, the doctrines of error, but the cup full of the preciousness of God, the Holy Spirit, because souls are worth saving. Minds and thoughts must be brought into captivity to the will of Christ, and by beholding Christ humanity under God's controlling influence is changed from glory to glory and from character to character, learns to place a right estimate on humanity, stands to the front, speaks the words God gives, and falls upon the Rock broken so as to feel the power of Christ.
The charge is to let God's Word speak to the soul and to teach it and impress it upon every mind, with everyone who names Christ departing from iniquity. Minds must turn from human revealings that draw away from words of inspiration to words of inexperienced humanity, with safety found only in deep searching of the sure word of prophecy and making that Word the counselor, not turning from the fountain of living waters to drink at broken cisterns. Dwelling on small, minor disagreements distracted believers at Jackson from the important work of the last days, weakened them, and served Satan's purpose of overthrowing them. Contentions and bickerings over questions that have no profit place people on the enemy's side, while the needed pursuit is practical knowledge of God and Jesus Christ.
Cavilling and contention with believers or unbelievers is not the work given to God's people to do. Their work instead is to lift up their thoughts and heads and rejoice that the Lord is coming, and to repeat that joyful news in their homes and tell it to those they meet.