2 Timothy 2:24
24 And [de] the servant [doulos] of the Lord [kurios] must [dei] not [ou] strive; [machomai] but [alla] be [einai] gentle [epios] unto [pros] all [pas] men, apt to
teach, [didaktikos] patient, [anexikakos]KJV-Interlinear
24 And the
Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach,
patient when wronged, NASB
In this world we have
one master from the two possible masters that exist. And there are only two masters that exist in
the universe.
First there is the
cosmos or the world or the sin nature or the carnal state, however you wish to
describe it.
Second there is Christ.
You are never the
master of yourself. You are ruled either
by your sin nature or by doctrine. There
is no third choice.
And the best master one
can have is Christ, thus we become the servant through our commitment to Christ
through doctrine.
All masters have a
stated policy.
The sin nature’s policy
is evil and the wickedness activities of evil.
This includes all of the temptations, lusts, arrogance and hates and bitterness's
and self righteousness and self pity and a long list of attitudes and beliefs
that could go on for a mile.
Christ’s policies are communicated
through doctrine.
The cosmos policies
evolve from the sin nature and whatever things that are imagined and originated
from the sin nature.
The spiritual side of
life gains you an inheritance of a new universe to come and more.
The carnal side of life
loses you everything, leaving you with nothing.
Therefore, when you
interact with people, be kind, be polite, be courteous.
Don’t be argumentative,
or debate, or try to force your will or opinions on others.
The carnal side of life
loses everything and thus that side will argue to no end, to get its way. It struggles and struggles because it has no
ability or destiny and the struggle is a constant losing battle. Yet the carnal person will keep up the fight,
trying to force their view on others, learning nothing. Ever struggling to have that which they will
never have.
Evil cannot win over
converts because it is not the truth, therefore it must use deception and lies.
Doctrine, on the other
hand, offers the truth and simply allows others to accept it or reject it. Christians should never try to enforce their
will on others. Should never try to
legislate their beliefs on others. Should
never try to enforce or intimidate or superimpose Christianity on others.
This practice is often
the means of getting people to dislike Christianity, because too many
Christians do not know enough about their own faith to know better, or even how
to act.
To be gentle, ‘epios,’
means to be affable, kind, pleasant, sociable.
To teach, ‘didaktikos,’
means to be instructive through objectivity and factual methods, to communicate
information. This is not a forced
dictator approach, this is not a group forum or discussion or committee
approach, but instruction by means of authoritative (accurate) knowledge and
understanding.
Patient, ‘anexikakos,’
means tolerance, forbearance, patience, enduring.
So, do not order or
demand, but teach or communicate through whatever conversation presents itself,
and do it with tolerance and patience, because most people who lack doctrine,
will have their own ideas, will have their own counter arguments, will have there
own doubts, will even challenge your credentials, as though credentials are somehow
the only qualification for knowing truth.
Unfortunately folks
that do have credentials of any sort, are numbered among the wicked or naïve crowd.
To push your position
risks your pushing yourself into the argument, which risks your going out of
your spiritual sphere, which risks your loss of spiritual benefits. And why would you risk losing a fortune in
exchange for nothing?
It is far easier to be
humble and polite, than it is to be pushy and arrogant.
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