Poison in the Soul

Poison in the Soul
Words of Faith 7-20-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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2 Timothy 2
[16] Avoid godless chatter because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. [17] Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, [18] who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.
It is quite telling that so much attention was given by leaders in the early church to issues of "the tongue." In the Pastoral letters to Timothy and Titus, there are several examples where Paul warns against the damage done by quarreling, wrangling, or empty words. Apparently, it was quite a problem!
In the book of James, written by the leader of the church in Jerusalem (the half-brother of Jesus), we find references to the danger of the tongue in every chapter! 1:19 "Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger." 2:12 - "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom." 3:5 - "The tongue is a small part of the body that causes a world of trouble." 4:11 - "Do not slander and do not judge." 5:9 - "Do not grumble against each other."'
Here, Paul addresses "godless chatter." The Greek here means "empty babbling." But this was much more than a matter of church gossip or even a slanderous comment. The danger was that of heretical teachers. One paraphrase of this verse says-- "Give a wide birth to irreligious and frivolous hairsplitting." The Message Paraphrase renders-- "Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they're not backed by a godly life, they accumulate as poison in the soul."
We must be cautious about the teaching we listen to. Paul warns that "their teaching will spread like gangrene." Wow. That is a powerful image. Gangrene is the death or necrosis of tissue that once was alive. The dying tissue spreads because of the breakdown of circulation and support systems around nearby tissue. Paul could not have been more graphic in describing the danger. When we let false teaching in, we lose the life-giving circulation of fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Tissue in the Body of Christ starts to die.
Paul specifically identified two men-- Hymenaeus and Philetus. Hymenaeus was mentioned in the first letter to Timothy. Paul had "handed him over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme (1:20). These two had wandered from the truth. Specifically, they were declaring that the resurrection had already taken place. They were spiritualizing the resurrection as a symbol of being born again. Paul could see that this was subverting the faith of many who placed their hope in the eventual resurrection of the dead.
Paul was clear on this one in his letter to the Corinthians. "But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless, and so is your faith" (1 Cor. 15:12-14).
The truth is that we need to stick to the Truth. We may be tempted by the tickling of our ears from a new or novel idea. We may get excited about some unique teaching or brand new "revelation," but we must not depart from sound teaching. We must correctly handle the Word of God and the truth of the Gospel.
Paul's advice is powerful. Steer clear of this stuff. It is poison for the soul.
Father God, keep me focused on You and not distracted by something new or novel. Keep me close to the cross of Jesus and the life found there. Keep me declaring sound truth. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2023 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.
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