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Godless Chatter

               Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” (II Timothy 2:16-19)

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes. (Proverbs 26:4-5)

                As we noted on Thursday, not quarreling about words doesn’t mean not discussing important or difficult ideas. Avoiding godless chatter is similar. It doesn’t mean pretending it isn’t there. The verses in Proverbs that seem to contradict one another provide wise advice. Don’t answer a fool according to his folly. Don’t join him, don’t entertain his nonsense as deserving of consideration. If you do this, you  have engaged in godless chatter and encouraged those who indulge in it to become more and more ungodly.

If, instead, you answer a fool by making it clear that his folly is nonsense, you haven’t engaged in godless chatter or contributed to the ungodliness of those who do. What’s more, even if the fool dismisses your counter argument, the lurkers around you, who might not say anything, may gain the wisdom that will lead them away from ungodliness. Let it be noted, however, that the means to do this probably isn’t by calling someone names or otherwise abusing them. There may come a time for that, but the goal is not to make yourself feel superior. It’s to dissuade the other person from folly. That’s not likely to happen if you hate them, abuse them, or shame them. The goal is to show them a better and true way, not beat them up, because beating them up, shaming them, mocking them, ridiculing them, and abusing them is just another form of godless chatter unless you are very careful.

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