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“Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion.” (1Tim 1:6).

“Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion.” (1Tim 1:6).

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Their lips are flapping but they’re not saying a thing. The person talking spews an endless stream of worthless words. We’ve all been sucked into one of these fruitless conversations. Well, it’s not really a conversation in the basic sense. Because they’re only ones doing the talking. Okay, I’ll admit it. I’ve also been the source of them on more than one occasion. It reminds you of the wah-wah-wah-wah of Charlie Brown’s teacher. All noise. No sense. This drone can be much more deadly than anything the U.S. military flies.

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That’s just what Timothy’s dealing with as the pastor of the church in Ephesus. His mentor Paul tells his spiritual son the source of the problem without dropping specific names. “Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussions” (v6). He doesn’t have to name names. Tim knows exactly who’s stirring up trouble. These undisclosed knuckleheads have intentionally turned their backs on Jesus’ message of love for others and started flapping their gums about matters that don’t really matter.

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Let’s be clear about one thing. We’re NOT talking about about folks who have legit questions about what it means to follow Jesus. A lot of people come to faith through a genuine curiosity about what are at best secondary issues when it comes to the true Gospel. We should be on our toes to gently discuss those topics and leverage them as opportunities to assist these seekers to discover what’s ultimately the most important. These are anything but worthless words. Instead, we’re talking about people who really should know better. Folks who intentionally attempt to sidetrack you and me from a deeper relationship with the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter from Galilee.

If you’re hoping Paul will identify these troublemakers, you can just stop right there. It’s not happening. He simply refers to them as “certain persons” (v6). These are the same “certain persons” he describes back in verse 3. I have a sneaking suspicion they’re co-conspirators with Hymenaeus and Alexander whom Paul has previously kicked to the curb before heading off to Macedonia and leaving Tim in charge (1Tim 1:20). Despite being tossed out on their ear, they left behind a few well-placed followers who are still stirring up trouble. Tim was to shut up and shut down this posse of false teachers who’ve weaseled their way into the Ephesian church. They’ve hijacked the conversation from Jesus’ tsunami of grace in our lives by sidetracking everyone with stuff that’s not only a distraction but destructive to faith in Christ.

The apostle says these undisclosed instigators are “swerving from these” (v6). By “these,” he’s talking about “a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” that results in love in verse 5. This is a great reminder to each of us about the overriding importance of our personal relationship with Jesus. What’s happening inside me has a direct effect on the outside. King Solomon warns his son, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Prov 4:23). That’s why Jesus tells His followers that it’s not what you eat and drink but what comes out of your mouth that’s the problem (Mt 15:11). I keep a clear conscience by staying in a state of constant humility and repentance with Christ. And ultimately its about have a legit trust in who Jesus is and what He’s done for me. In other words, I place my faith in what He’s done. Not what I have to do in order to be saved.

These folks have left the Triple Crown of love in their rearview mirror. They’ve “swerved” away from them. Paul uses a Greek word (Gr. astocheo) that means to deviate from, miss the mark, go astray, or get lost. They’ve lost their way. They’ve gotten off course. Think of God’s Word as giving you very specific directions on how to get to very important destination. You make the mistake of thinking you know a short cut. You think you know a better way. You swerve wildly off His well marked route because you’ve got a better idea than God about how to get there. Can you say “epic fail”? Be sure, the Lord will you go where you want. You just won’t like where you end up once you get your “swerve” on.

This wasn’t a gentle turn away from God’s truth either. The apostle writes how these false teachers have “wandered away” (v6). He uses the verb ektrepo, which describes avoiding or twisting away from something radically. It’s actually a medical term that doctors would use to describe sprained ligaments and dislocated limbs. The writer of Hebrews uses that image when describing our walk with Jesus. “Make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint (Gr. ektrepo) but rather be healed” (Heb 12:13). When we turn so quickly away from following Jesus, we’re like an athlete that cuts violently and shreds his knee. We don’t realize we’re tearing our spiritual ACL. 

Let’s listen in and hear exactly what everyone is talking about. I don’t know about you, but I hear a lot of noise but absolutely no content. Paul calls it “vain discussion (Gr. mataiologia)” (v6). It’s the only time this word appears in the NT and literally means words without any oomph. Empty talk. Words without purpose. Fruitless chatter. Blabber that benefits nobody. Just about every different Bible translation comes up with something a little different. “Meaningless talk” (NIV, NRS). “Fruitless discussion” (NASB). “Vain discourse” (YLT). “Idle talk” (NKJV). “Talking foolishness” (NLT). But I think my personal fave is in the good ol’ King Jimmy. “Vain jangling” (KJV). That’s a lot of words to describe nothing but flapping gums. We’re talking about verbs in a vacuum. 

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Don’t get sucked into the wormhole of worthless words. Oh, the topics look tempting, alright. Folks seem to be talking about stuff that matters. But it’s just a smoke screen. It’s just the old bait-and-switch. Yeah, folks may be talking about stuff from Scripture but it actually has nothing to do with the Gospel. How did Noah get all those critters on the ark? Does the Bible have a cure for my IBS? Could Jesus microwave a burrito so hot that even He couldn’t hold it? It just doesn’t matter. What a powerful encouragement that keeping the main thing the main thing is the main thing! 

For folks who have a real curiosity about spiritual issues, let’s use these amazing opportunities to tell them about the Good News of Jesus. The Holy Spirit may just be using what seem to be goofy questions as a means to put them in your path in order to hear all about God’s descending one-way love for us. We need to remember that God is total control of His universe and He can certainly use what we think is the weird and wacky to draw people to Himself.

But don’t let troublemakers hijack you into stupid controversies that aren’t worth a hill of eternal beans. And do whatever you can NOT to start arguments over ridiculous semi-biblical disputes. It’s a waste of words. You’ll end up sounding like Charlie Brown’s teacher. You’ve gotta love the Message’s terrific take on this verse. “Those who fail to keep this point soon wander off into cul-de-sacs of gossip” (v6 The Message). Round and round they go. Where they stop, nobody really cares. 

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