24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
In verses 24-26, Paul continued to show how a faithful expositor of God’s Word is to reach people with doctrinal error.
able [skilled] to teach,
An emphasis of a servant of the Lord is to develop his skill in teaching God’s Word. If he can communicate the truth accurately, he will protect the congregation from error. He must develop assiduity in his teaching, and a Christian leader must be competent in what he does.
patient,
The word “patient” is tolerance. A teacher should take the approach of forbearance toward others. A pastor must be patient with his congregation. Resentment produces nothing.
It is one thing to contend for the truth and another to be contentious with other believers. The purpose of ministering is to build believers, not to tear them down.
2:25
in humility [meekness] correcting [instructing] those who are in opposition,
Timothy was to take a humble or meek approach in correcting other leaders about debatable issues. Meekness is inwrought grace or forbearance; that is, we need to look at our own vulnerability before correcting others. God gave us grace when we failed Him; we must give grace to others when they fail.
Those “in opposition” refer to false teachers who purvey “foolish and ignorant speculations” in the church (2 Tim 2:23).
if God perhaps will grant them repentance,
It is not enough to refute false teachers; the goal is to bring them to the point of “repentance.” Repentance is not sorrow for sin but a fundamental change of thinking and direction.
The heretics in Ephesus fell under the influence of Satan (2 Tim 2:26). The purpose of correction is to bring repentance, not punishment. Timothy was to note that it is God, not the human instrument, who grants repentance.
so that they may know [fully know] the truth,
Repentance is a radical change of attitude of those opposed to the truth; they must expose themselves more fully to the truth of God’s Word. Coming to a full grasp of revelation is such a change in thinking that it alters one’s behavior. The purpose of correction of a believer is always remedial, not punitive.
Belief conditions one’s behavior, but behavior also conditions belief. Repentance involves a change in both.
2:26
and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare [trap] of the devil,
Those to whom God grants repentance will be brought to their senses and escape the devil’s snare. These false teachers were trapped in the devil’s system of belief and needed to escape from that orbit of belief.
having been taken captive by him [the devil] to do his will.
The devil takes some believers into captivity to do his will. He executes this by laying a doctrinal trap for them of inadequate Bible exposition. After this, he brings these people as pawns into captivity for his own purposes and will.
PRINCIPLE:
We need to understand that false teachers fall under the influence of Satan.
APPLICATION:
The devil traps people in his system of belief and takes them captive to do his will. His false doctrine will always divide the church. Since this is true, it affects their character and actions; they follow “his will.”
God will restore people captivated by the devil by faithful teaching of God’s Word, which He will use to bring them to “repentance.” God will be faithful to His Word. People need to cultivate from Scripture what to avoid.
