2 Timothy 2:24-26 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle to all men, apt to teach, patient, I. THE TRUE TEMPER OF THE MINISTER OF CHRIST. 1. Negatively. "The servant of the Lord must not strive." This does not mean that (1) he is not to contend earnestly for the faith (Jude 1:4); but (2) that he is not to fight about trifles, nor to argue with acerbity of temper, nor for mere victory. The "bond of peace" must be maintained in controversy. 2. Positively. (1) "But be gentle unto all men;" cultivating a spirit of habitual conciliation, while using arguments of the greatest cogency. (2) "Apt to teach;" showing capacity and disposition to instruct the ignorant and the obstinate. (3) "Patient;" bearing with the infirmities of weak brethren, with the irritating oppositions of adversaries, and with the reproaches of evil men generally. (4) "In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves" to the truth as it is in Jesus, thwarting or perverting the gospel. The minister must be ready to instruct such persons in a meek and humble spirit, because they may be ignorant, or ill-informed, or deeply prejudiced from the circumstances of their early training. II. THE BENEFITS THAT WILL ACCRUE FROM SUCH METHODS OF INSTRUCTION. "If God peradventure will give them repentance unto the knowledge of the truth, and they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by the Lord's servant unto the will of God." 1. A meek and gentle address may bring such errorists to repent of their sin and accept the true doctrine of faith. It is possible to repel them by our harsh reproaches. We ought rather to show them the truth without passion, and enforce it with all the kindly urgency of true affection. The necessity of repentance in such a case marks the essentially sinful character of opposition to the truth. 2. The servant of the Lord may be the means of recovering out of error as well as sin. (1) Error is the devil's snare as well as sin, for it leads downwards to sin. It acts like a stupefying drink. (2) Some errorists awake out of their intellectual intoxication, if they are wisely dealt with, and open their eyes to the blessed truth of the gospel. (3) The will of God once established in such hearts, as the guiding principle of life, completes the recovery from error. - T.C. Parallel Verses KJV: And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,WEB: The Lord's servant must not quarrel, but be gentle towards all, able to teach, patient, |
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