Paul and the Timothy Letters

Part 1: The role of teachers is that of passing down the wisdom gained to one who is beginning. The problem with 21st century teachers is that some of the ‘wisdom’ is not wisdom at all, but rather, false teachings. If one examines 2 Timothy 2:14-26, it discusses dealing with false teachers. “Avoid godless chatter…their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have departed from the truth” (Stedman, 2011).

These false teachers will destroy a person’s faith like saying the resurrection has already happened. Or, in the case of modern times, that there is no God and the soul does not exist. In such instances, these teachers become what many see as false prophets, filling the minds of people, with information that causes chaos more than order. What one must do to circumvent such destruction is to adhere to the truth within God.

“Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (Stedman, 2011). What people know as the truth within, can overcome any misinformation, even the wrong lessons of false teachers (Binnyuy, 2017). God’s law is different from societal law. Those principles are ingrained in the hearts and minds of people.

That is why even though Paul faces execution, he calls to Timothy to remain following the principles of Jesus no matter the risk or sacrifice (International Bible Society, 2010). Being the final of Paul’s letters and most personal, the letter encourages Timothy to deal with corrupt teachers, thereby, accepting his calling. Faith and hope in Jesus’ resurrection, can be carried out through proper teaching to future spiritual leaders.

Spreading the ‘good news’ even in today’s society, means allowing for one’s own personal faith and morals to remain amidst such chaos and corruption. Response #1 Gina mentions a great point in the discussion, that Paul was Saul, a man who was ruthless and did not believe or practice God’s law. He was a man that practiced societal law. If people had to be persecuted and executed, he would do the government’s bidding because that was what he was taught.

Yet, when he encounters God through Jesus and becoming blind, he gained a wisdom that he did not have before. The spiritual knowledge Gina explains is what is lacking in today’s recent influx of false teachers. False teachers practice and give information people want to hear. The transition to the traditional method of teaching also provides insight into how the current world faces a major problem is misinformation and poor education.

By continuing to adhere to a model that does not work, children are not receiving the proper education they need to be able to understand the world and not buy into the false teachers of today. By adding that a possible solution is student-directed learning Gina goes back to the Timothy chapter. Saul was a student of God through his encounter with Jesus. However, he then became a teacher and passed on what he learned through his letters.

However, the transition back to Paul felt as though it did not cover adequately what the chapters were about. Rather it felt like it was a discussion on the need to change and implement better practice in today’s education system. It was great in the sense that it was highly informative, but did not really mention anything about the false teachers, a key aspect of the problems within modern society and what Paul experienced during his journeys. Response #2 Melissa begins her response with reflection.

Similar to Gina, there is reflection on the current state of teaching, however, it does not tie back to Paul’s words to Timothy. Like for example, she states: “Paul knew Timothy’s heart and his potential.” But how? Where does that show in the chapters? Also she mentions Paul saw Timothy as his successor. Did he? From what was written, an interpretation of Paul’s work could be that he wanted to spread God’s word to as many people as he could.

By teaching Timothy, he was fulfilling his duty that he became aware of after encountering Jesus. While yes, Paul was facing execution when he wrote to Timothy, it did not feel like he was passing on his wisdom in hopes Timothy could serve like he did. Rather, it felt like it was one of his responsibilities he chose to fulfill with God. The part where Melissa states: “…with passion, patience, and perseverance”, this is very true.

When Paul taught the word of God to others and about Jesus’ resurrection, he had to be patient. People did not believe him. They did not want to see what he saw. So he had to.