Our culture is driven by conflict. The Apostle Paul warns against “a sick obsession with debates and arguments.” Can debates and arguments hinder our spiritual growth?
Scripture:
2 Kings, chapters 11-12; 2 Chronicles, chapter 24; 1 Timothy, chapter 6
1 Timothy 6:3-10 (CEB):
If anyone teaches anything different and doesn’t agree with sound teaching about our Lord Jesus Christ and teaching that is consistent with godliness, that person is conceited. They don’t understand anything but have a sick obsession with debates and arguments. This creates jealousy, conflict, verbal abuse, and evil suspicions.
There is constant bickering between people whose minds are ruined and who have been robbed of the truth. They think that godliness is a way to make money! Actually, godliness is a great source of profit when it is combined with being happy with what you already have. We didn’t bring anything into the world and so we can’t take anything out of it: we’ll be happy with food and clothing.
But people who are trying to get rich fall into temptation. They are trapped by many stupid and harmful passions that plunge people into ruin and destruction. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some have wandered away from the faith and have impaled themselves with a lot of pain because they made money their goal.
Observations:
The Love of Money
This passage from 1 Timothy is probably most familiar because of verse 10: The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. People have misquoted it (“Money is the root of all evil”). We often misunderstand it. Money is a tool, not a goal. When we remember that, we can keep material things in proper perspective. We didn’t bring anything into the world and so we can’t take anything out of it: we’ll be happy with food and clothing.
Debates and Arguments
However, I’m focusing today on a different part of the passage. In the beginning verses, Paul warns about those who teach false doctrines and who disagree with the truth. They don’t understand anything but have a sick obsession with debates and arguments. That phrase really grabbed my attention! A sick obsession with debates and arguments describes so much of what passes for public discourse today. These debates and arguments go further than simply disagreeing. We don’t argue for the truth; we argue because we want to be “right.” I think that’s what Paul means by a sick obsession with debates and arguments.
So much of what we read and hear today – in both traditional media and social media – demonstrate that sick obsession. Social media is worse, because the goal is to “get clicks,” to be noticed. This is not limited to “news” sites. Any public forum or post is a target for those who look for things to criticize. A sick obsession with debates and arguments, indeed.
Application: A Sick Obsession with Debates and Arguments
I am an avid cyclist, so my Facebook feed features ads dealing with bikes and accessories. Not too long ago, I saw an ad for a device to raise your handlebars, to allow you to ride more upright. I know that’s not what everyone wants. If you’re looking for speed, you want to be more aerodynamic, not more upright. But the comments about the ad demonstrated what I mean about a sick obsession. Some commenters pointed out that sitting more upright would create more wind resistance. Others responded that not everyone is riding to race. Still others argued that adding this tube would change the safety of the bicycle, and would be more likely to fail in a crash. (My thought: if I have a crash that bad, it probably won’t matter.)
The point runs deeper: people comment to show their superiority. “I know more about this than you.” “Have you considered this factor?” I say that they do it to show their superiority because the tone of the comments is rarely instructive. “Snarky” is the word that best describes them. And I realize that some people may take this post in the same vein, believing that I’m trying to demonstrate some level of superiority over others. All I can say is that I recognize that I can be as guilty as anyone else in this regard; that’s probably why God directed my attention to this verse.
I write primarily for those who are either following Christ or are exploring that life. I try to be honest in acknowledging my own challenges in that journey. Christians are not flawless. When God addresses something with me, I want to be open about that as I try to be obedient to him. The point that God is making with me today, that I’m sharing, is that this sick obsession with debates and arguments is not a healthy part of following Jesus. That doesn’t mean that we lock ourselves away and refuse to engage with our world. It simply means that we need to guard our hearts and minds. As Paul warns us in verse 5: There is constant bickering between people whose minds are ruined and who have been robbed of the truth.
Prayer:
Father, protect us from an unhealthy obsession with debates and arguments. Our world has become more and more combative; you call us to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). Help us to heed Jesus’ statement to Peter: “What difference does that make to you? You must follow me” (John 21:22). Amen.
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