Clean Teaching

2 Timothy 4:3
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;”

“The time is coming,” said the Apostle Paul to his young protegé, Timothy, “when people will not endure sound teaching.”

There are many who would say – and I would not disagree – that the time has now come. The church often seems to be full of aberrant teaching on a whole manner of subjects. The reason for unsound doctrine (an older word for teaching) is a failure to ground ideas in the truth of Scripture. Pioneers of the creation movement have often remarked that a failure to accept the early chapters of Genesis as literal truth is one of the major contributing factors to opening the door to other unbiblical errors.

The Greek word that is translated as sound in the phrase “sound teaching” is hugiano (???????), from which we get the English word hygienic. The implication in the apostle’s letter is that there is something unhygienic and unhealthy in doctrines which are not derived from Scripture.

“How can a young man keep his way pure?” the Psalmist asks rhetorically. “By guarding it according to your word.” Purity is evaluated by comparing it against what Scripture says. Therefore, the Scripture is a preventative medicine for tackling the issue of unhygienic doctrine.

Those who live in unhygienic conditions will get ill. Our spiritual health depends on us clinging to clean teaching from God’s word.

Author: Paul F. Taylor

Thank You again, Lord God, for Your wonderful, inspired word. Make all our doctrine, we pray, clean, hygienic, and sound, according to Your Holy word. Amen.

Ref: Gill, J. (1763), Exposition of the Bible. Image: Rembrandt, The Apostle Paul, Public Domain.