Blowhards and Windbags

“He is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words” (1Tim 6:4).

Just turn on the radio. Click on cable TV. Go online. They’re absolutely everywhere. Blowhards. Windbags. They absolutely no clue of what they’re talking about. They have a sick obsession with stirring up trouble. There’s nothing they love more than drawing you into a war of words. 

Did you realize this was a problem long before Rush Limbaugh, Rachel Maddow, Sean Hannity, and Ed Schultz? Even before mean-spirited political campaigns. It goes way back. I mean WAY back! Like 2,000 years back. First century Ephesus may have been a crossroads of cultures on the west coast of what we know today as Turkey, but talk radio, 24-hour cable so-called “news,” and the interwebs were nowhere to be seen or heard. But the loudmouths certainly were. Instead of on the air and online, they were stirring up trouble in the church. 

This is exactly the kind of blabbermouth Paul warns Timothy about. “He is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words” (v4). And you thought you were hot stuff when you posted something similar about (insert name of your most hated talk show here) on your Facebook wall. The apostle desperately wants the young pastor not to get suckered in by these arrogant gasbags and their sick craving for controversy. That’s some handy advice for you and me today, don’t you think?

Let’s fire up the Flux Capacitor and set a course for Ephesus in 62-64 AD. Paul is fresh out of prison while waiting for a trial on trumped up charges. He’s made a beeline back to E City where he planted a thriving church before getting tossed in the joint (Acts 19). While the apostle was behind bars, a team of spiritual con artists weaseled their way into the congregation and distracted folks from following Jesus with all sorts of offbeat myths, bottomless genealogical searches, counterfeit spirituality, and downright demonic doctrine (1Tim 1:3-7; 4:2-3). Needing to deal with a crisis in the Macedonian churches, Paul hands Tim the wheel of the Ephesian church to continue the cleanup. As part of the reform, the apostle tells him there’s a zero tolerance policy when it comes to windbags and blowhards.

It probably comes as no shock that the man from Tarsus describes these troublemakers as “puffed up with conceit” (v4). They only want to talk about stuff that doesn’t really matter. These pompous preachers teach a phony gospel that contradicts what Jesus has to say and eventually drive folks further from the Father (1Tim 6:3). Instead of Good News, this is incredibly bad news. When it comes to God’s grace, accept no substitutes!

They are “puffed up with conceit” (v4). Paul uses a Greek verb (Gr. tupho’o) that means to be crazy with conceit, insanely arrogant, and totally bloated with pride. The word literally means to blow smoke. Matthew drops a variation of this term when describing Jesus’ gentle touch as being so delicate as not to extinguish a “smoldering wick” (Mt 12:20). Earlier in this very same letter, the apostle tells Tim that a pastor or overseer “must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit (Gr. tupho’o) and fall into the condemnation of the devil” (1Tim 3:6). In his sequel, Paul warns Timothy to be on the lookout for people who are “treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit (Gr. tupho’o), lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2Tim 3:4).

Sadly, you and I know exactly the kind of windbags Paul’s talking about. They’re really nothing but smoke and mirrors. They’re proof that sometimes when there’s smoke, there’s absolutely NO fire. If that’s not bad enough, they actually fool themselves into believing they’re hot stuff. Now that they’ve duped their followers into buying that big steaming pile they’re selling, their head swells and ego bulges. Yup, they’re smoke-blowers. Gasbags. 

You do realize God won’t put up with anyone who’s pompous, don’t you? “He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble” (Prov 3:34 NIV). Just in case you missed that, Jesus’ kid brother James quotes it again. “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). And if you missed it a second time, Pete the Apostle hammers that nail a third time (1Pet 5:5). Think you’re all that and a bag o’ chips? Then God is you’re enemy. Just in case you’re wondering, God’s enemies always lose. Every. Single. Time. Why don’t we climb down off your high horse but somebody gets hurt? And by “somebody,” I mean you and me.

A characteristic of a know-it-all is someone who actually “understand nothing” (v4). They may think they’re a walking Wikipedia when in fact they’re nothing more than a “page not found.” Check back to the opening lines of this letter. These particular hucksters don’t know have a clue what they’re talking about (1Tim 1:7). Filling your head with facts doesn’t make you wise. “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know” (1Cor 8:1-2). As a matter of fact, knowledge and love are an unbeatable tag team. You may be the smartest one in the room and have more degrees than Fahrenheit, but if you don’t have love, you got nothing (1Cor 13:2). Knowledge minus love equals a big fat zero.

Being humble is being teachable. It’s shutting my big yapper and listening for a change (Prov 12:15; 17:28; 18:2; 29:20). It’s realizing I don’t have the answer to every question or the solution to every problem. It’s turning to God as the ultimate authority. He tells the prophet Isaiah, these are exactly the kind of people He’s after. “But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at My word” (Is 66:2). In His most famous sermon, Jesus says His Dad gives us everything when we realize we’ve got nothing apart from Him. “God blesses those who realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them” (Mt 5:3 NLT). 

These worthless windbags have “an unhealthy craving for controversy” (v4). They have a sick obsession with stirring up trouble. Paul calls it “unhealthy,” which is the Greek word noseo. It means to be sick, unwholesome, or to suffer from a disease. Like certain unnamed talk show hosts, they have morbid desire to argue about everything. I mean EVERYTHING. 

The apostle goes so far as to say they love nothing more than “quarrels about words” (v4). The phrase actually comes from one word in the original language (Gr. logomachia). It literally means “word fights.” We’re not talking about a healthy discussion that draws us closer together and closer to Christ. These are screaming matches. They love to drag someone into the octagon and beat them senseless with a 10-pound Bible and their entire theological library. If that’s you, stop using your study Bible as weapon. Put it down and walk away.

The sad news is that our churches are full of folks looking to argue over every doctrinal difference. Young earth versus old earth. Hymns versus modern worship music. Bible translations. Do I need to go on? Paul reminds Tim in his second letter to “have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies” (2Tim 2:23). “Avoid foolish controversies” because they are a total waste of time (Titus 3:9). These discussions aren’t always bad. But if you’re always arguing and folks hate to see you coming, you might have “an unhealthy craving for controversy” (v4). Do us all a favor. Give it a rest.

You would think hanging out with fellow Jesus followers would be one place we could escape the endless river of verbal garbage from talk radio and politics. While it should be, it rarely is. Paul tells us the sort of folks we should avoid and, if not, send packing. I absolutely love how The Message paraphrases this verse. “Tag them for what they are: ignorant windbags who infect the air with germs of envy, controversy, bad-mouthing, suspicious rumors” (v4 The Message). 

Let's cut to the chase. Don’t be the loudmouth. Don’t be the blowhard. Don’t be the know-it-all. Ask yourself, do you have a sick obsession with stirring up strife wherever you go? Do you argue about every little factoid that doesn’t jive with your personal flavor of theology and doctrine? If so, I’ve got news for you. Paul says don’t be that guy.