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"Charging them before the Lord, that they strive not about words to no profit, but to
the subverting of the hearers."
"Foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the
servant of the Lord must not strive."
The word "unlearned" is the negative form of the word "instructing" in verse 25.
There are questions that minister grace to the hearer, but there are also questions that
gender strife--such are unlearned, not encouraging growth and understanding. The
Scripture is plain concerning such questions, its words are, "avoid" and "must not". The
servant of the Lord must be willing to be misunderstood because of silence rather than to
achieve a passing reputation for cleverness. We are His servants; we seek His glory, and
the liberation of our fellows, and no pains are too great with such a goal in view.
The exhortation not to strive is negative; the apostle goes on to speak of the positive
qualities which are necessary. He must be gentle unto all; he must be apt to teach; he
must be patient; and he must instruct with meekness those that oppose themselves. Such
qualifications are not to be found in the old nature; they are the product of grace.
The word here translated "patient" is anexikakon, from anechomai = "to bear", and
kakos = "evil". Anechomai occurs in I Cor. 4: 12: "Being persecuted, we suffer it."
It is not our purpose to criticize the teaching or actions of other servants of God, but for
the truth's sake we must say that such a word compels us to "avoid" the teaching of those
who, in the name of "overcoming", adopt an attitude which is the very reverse of a
patient endurance of evil. There is a scriptural "undergoing" as well as a scriptural
"overcoming" and, whatever views we entertain, the Scripture here is clear, that if we
would be used to liberate others, we must be gentle, we must be meek and we must be
ready to suffer evil.
We next observe from the words of the apostle the one great power for setting the
captive free: "apt to teach"; "in meekness instructing"; "repentance to the
acknowledging of the truth". Those who minister in the sphere of the kingdom, who are
among those who must preach the gospel of the kingdom for a witness among all nations,
will meet circumstances comparable to those of the Gospels and the Acts. Such will
encounter evident demon possession, and must act appropriately. To such we have no
word to say, but to those who minister the truth of the dispensation of the mystery, we
ask if there is a single reference to demon possession or to the casting out of demons in
the whole of Paul's prison ministry. We certainly read of demons in I Tim. 4:, but not
of demon possession. What is stated there is entirely in harmony with the teaching of
II Tim. 2: 24-26:--
"Giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of demons" (I Tim. 4: 1).
Those who "believe and know the truth" (I Tim. 4: 3) are proof against such
demonism. No allusion is made to the casting out of demons; it is simply an application
of the Lord's words: "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."