They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words…
Summary: Paul’s comment about words provides us with a powerful insight into the importance of meaning.
What is the opposite of a “quarrel about words…”?
Words are the building blocks of language. Language is the bridge that connects one mind with another. The words we choose and how we use them are the key to unlocking understanding and unity.
Of course, the opposite is true as well.
If we don’t want unity, if we are looking for control rather than understanding, then instead of building bridges with the words we use, we can pick them up and throw them at people.
Paul has just told Timothy some things he is to “teach and insist on” (1 Timothy 6:2). Sadly, through bitter experience, Paul knows that there will be people who oppose his “common sense” instructions.
Think about that for a moment.
Paul fully expects that Timothy will be confronted by people who will undermine Paul’s teachings on church administration.
Instead, they like to argue about words.
Why?
Because words are the key to unlocking the mind. He who controls the words can control the minds of others.
Is that a “sin”?
Let’s look at it this way:
When God created man, he gave him dominion over the earth and all that is on it:
“God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’” (Genesis 1:28)
The one thing God did not give man dominion over was other people. The first Great Commandment is to love God above all else. The second one is to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-40).
It is not possible to love (agapē) someone and at the same time try to control or enslave them.
Why is this important to understand?
Because people do it all the time. If we can control the meaning of words, we can control what people think. That is the battlefield of the mind.
Remember Satan’s first temptation in the Garden of Eden? God had told Adam that if he ate from the forbidden tree, he would die. Satan contradicted him. In effect, he redefined the word of God.
God meant that sin would cause Adam and Eve to “die” spiritually (Luke 15:11-32). Satan twisted God’s words to mean that they would not die physically, which was true. But that is not what God meant. The result, as we know, was that Satan deceived Adam and Eve and tricked them into rebelling against God, becoming spiritually separated, and, as far as God was concerned, dead.
Perhaps that is why Paul says that “controversies and quarrels about words” are “unhealthy…”
Application: Seek God’s definition of words.
Food for Thought: What other areas of life do you see the meaning of words being used as weapons?
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