Sermon, Proper 24C, 2 Timothy

Today I thought we'd ramble through 2 Timothy. There were a couple of passages in this letter that got me thinking, and since I really didn't want to sermonize about the whiny widow, I thought spending some time in Timothy would be a good thing.

The first thing I want to point out is that this letter, along with 1 Timothy and Titus, are pretty well considered to be inauthentic letters; that is, most scholars don't think these three were written by Paul. Some of the vocabulary is similar, but the style of the letters are just ..... different. So it seems that these were written by another person, probably a follower of Paul, in his name.

There are some people for whom this is a big deal. “If Paul didn't write it, then how can I believe anything else in the Bible?”

This is the wrong attitude. The issue isn't whether or not this is an authentic Pauline letter, the issue is the fact that the Church Fathers thought it was an important document worthy of being classified as Scripture and that it appears in our canon. The specific authorship doesn't matter; the fact that it's classified as Scripture does. And in this letter, the author, who I will just call Paul for argument's sake, says that all scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, reproof, correction and training. He doesn't say, “Only Scripture written by certain people,” or, “Only Scripture that you agree with,” or, “Only Scripture that comforts you.” He says, “All Scripture.” If we insist on limiting authorship to just Paul, then we also must insist that other people can't be inspired by God.

As I said and as Paul wrote, “All Scripture is inspired by God.” What this means is simply this: All Scripture. If you haven't noticed, there's a lot of stuff in the canon. From Genesis to Revelation, there are a lot of books, letters and writings. Some of it seems to contradict itself. That is, if we focus on specific verses and if we ignore the big picture of Scripture. In this second letter to Timothy, Paul is trying to get across the idea of the Big Picture of the gospel. Paul talks about his aim in life: his teaching, his faith, his patience, love and steadfastness. He is pointing this out because the gospel is both a way of life and life changing. The Gospel is too big to be relegated to a few verses. The Gospel is contained in All of scripture.

And just what is the Gospel? Condemning people to hell for being different, proclaiming a litmus-test salvation where only the most holy people are allowed in or insisting that you will know God loves you if you are rich is not the gospel of scripture. The Gospel of scripture includes the defeat of death and resurrection to new life; it includes a Trinitarian formula that is based on a complete reading of All of Scripture; it includes the belief that through Jesus Christ we have new life; it includes loving God, neighbor and self; it includes radical hospitality; and it includes looking at the Big Picture.

This is important because if we lose sight of the Big Picture, if we start focusing on certain verses to hold up our position, then we fall into the trap of idolatry. We fall into the trap of making an idol out of certain words out of certain passages and we forget that God and the Gospel are so much bigger than that. If we look at the Big Picture, then we let God out of the box and realize that all we can do is let God be a part of us and our life. If we focus on certain words of certain verses, then we can keep our god in our box and we get to keep control. But keeping control isn't part of the Gospel; giving up our control is.

And Paul knew this. What happens when we get caught up in minutia? We argue. “Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does not good but only ruins those who are listening.”

How many times have we been caught up in fighting for what's right because the Bible says so RIGHT HERE? How many times have churches been torn apart because a group of people find one or two or seven or eleven verses that verify their particular belief about a particular issue? We get into those arguments and we lose sight of the Gospel. That is why Paul is telling Timothy (and us) to have nothing to do with stupid and senseless controversies because they only breed quarrels.

Before you know it, we aren't talking about the Gospel anymore, we are arguing about which group is more holy and more right than the other one. Or we are arguing about which group is more exclusive and more heretical, and then we excommunicate each other.

That doesn't mean, however, that anything goes. It does mean that we need to watch out for people who corrupt the Gospel message of death, resurrection, love and inclusiveness. We need to be on our guard against those false teachers that Paul warns us about. He gives us an indicator of what these people are up to in their moving from place to place, moving away from the Gospel and upsetting people, gossiping and getting involved in those small controversies.

Contrast this with the urging of Timothy to remain steadfast, not be quarrelsome, to show patience and gentleness. We need to follow Paul's advice and proclaim the Gospel at all times, but we must do it with patience and gentleness.

This is why I don't offer easy answers, because the Gospel is bigger than a few specific verses. This is why I'm constantly trying to get you to look at the Big Picture. This is why I am willing to talk with people who disagree with me. This is why I teach that being a disciple is a daily process and that evangelism over time is better for everyone in the long run.

So here are a few things to remember from this inauthentic letter of Paul's: All scripture is important; read it all. Be steadfast, patient and gentle. Avoid arguing over particular words. Focus on the Big Picture of the Gospel – the death and resurrection of Jesus, our new life in Christ, and the radical hospitality of God.

The Lord be with your spirt. Grace be with you.