A military superpower with forces scattered across the known world.
Unceasing political scandals and public corruption. 
A society obsessed with sex, wealth and violent entertainment.

Friday, I went with my wife to the eye doctor. I glanced at the cover of a magazine, and saw this headline. My first impression was, "Yep! That sure describes the United States of America." Then my brain began to talk to me. Doesn't your brain ever talk to you? At any rate, my brain said, "Hey knuckle head, you read that statement years ago about some other nation!"

As I sat in that semi-dark room waiting for the doctor to come in and shine a bright light in my wife's eye, I kept staring at the magazine cover, trying to figure out where I had seen that quote. Let me tell you, my brain began to expand some files that had been archived for years. Then all of a sudden that search engine made a hit. A long time ago when I was studying the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, and that was a long time ago, that was the exact description of the Roman Empire just before its collapse.

The Roman Empire:

The USA fits that mold to a "T"! I wonder if in 1,000 years, someone will remember reading that description concerning the rise and fall of the United States of America?

That had very little to do with the lesson today, but I figured if I was going to spend a couple a thousand bucks in that office, I should at least come away with something I could use in my sermon. Try as I might, I couldn't find a place in the sermon to work in that description, so I stuck it right at the first. That way, it didn't have to fit with anything.

Not really! It has a lot to do with our lesson of today. Our nation and society have become so corrupt that no other nation in history can even compete for the status of being "First Place in Corruption". The USA wins the corruption race hands down. We are so corrupt that we may have won both First and Second Place in moral and spiritual corruption. This depraved condition does not speak well of the many Believers who live in this nation, and are supposed to be the moral light and salt of the world.

The preserving power of the salt of the earth does not seem to exert much restricting force against the onslaught of moral corruption in our nation. Sad to say, far too often, Believers are a part of the corruption of the world, instead of being a purifying and preserving quality. It is no wonder our nation and the world are falling into spiritual corruption. After all, that is all an unsaved person can do. The unsaved can only move farther and farther into spiritual corruption and ungodliness.

1 Timothy 6:3-6 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, 4 he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, devil suspicions, 5 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
gain (Greek)
to cause a thing to get on well; to carry forward; to acquire; to bring about or procure for one's self

In 1 Timothy 6:3-6, we see that the religion of mankind is corrupted, and it is so easy to bring the religion of the world into the church. As amateur of fact, we must be on constant guard, or the ungodliness of the world will naturally be a part of the church. The Holy Spirit makes a very strong statement in this passage against those that want to, or try to teach anything but "the doctrine which is according to godliness".

Before we look at what that person, who is teaching anything but "the doctrine which is according to godliness", please remember! I did not write this. I don't have the intestinal fortitude to write something like this. The Holy Spirit wrote this, and it shows how easy it is to bring the corruption of the world right into the church through the teaching process. I hope you're not in a hurry, because the Holy Spirit wasn't when He described these teachers of the world's religion who bring corruption, similar to what's in the world, into the church.

These teachers of anything but "the doctrine which is according to godliness", did not bring profanity, lewdness, drunkenness, etc. into the church. You know, all those things that we good Christians don't do. However, we are going to find that God does not think of these teachers as very good Christians.

It is important that we keep in mind that there were, are, and will be these teachers of the world's way within the church. Their teaching presents a system that, they say, will bring godliness. These are not the ones we would tag as false teachers. These are, in the popular opinion, the good guys. In the second letter to Timothy, the Holy Spirit says of these teachers, who were bringing the religion of the world into the church and selling it as godliness, that they only:

2 Timothy 3:5 have a form of godliness but deny its power. And from such people turn away!

In both references, we are told what attitude and action we should have towards these, who want to teach anything but "the doctrine which is according to godliness". In 1 Timothy 6:5, we are told to withdraw from them. In 2 Timothy 3:5, we are told to turn away from such teachers.

Folks, please hear this!
It is so easy for this insidious condition to sneak into our church
under the guise of godliness,and it is always closer than we think!

Stay with me! In a lesson or two, you will see why I've put this right in the middle of the subject of forgiveness, which is right in the middle of being transformed into the likeness of Christ. Don't despair! I know where I'm going, despite the popular opinion to the contrary. We need this background to understand what we should not do in our effort to be like Christ, even if we are sincere when wearer doing what we are not suppose to do.

Back to 1 Timothy 6:3-6. Once again remember, I didn't write this!

Proud

proud (Greek)
to wrap one's self in the smoke of conceit; to make smoke while being consumed without a flame; to blind with pride or conceit.

Anyone who attempts to teach anything but the doctrine which is according to godliness has wrapped themselves in a cloud of smoke produced without real fire. Therefore, they have been blinded by their own pride and conceit. Those who think that teaching something other than the Word of God will bring about godliness in the lives of those taught are so conceited that they have placed themselves above God and the Word of God. As we will see later in the passage, they even have a false concept of godliness, even though they may be very religious and moral. You haven't forgotten that I didn't write this, have you?

Knowing Nothing

nothing (Greek)
has the implication that something is forbidden; literally impossible to gain something

Any person who teaches anything that is not "the doctrine which is according to godliness", will find it impossible to know or gain knowledge of true spiritual things. If a teacher substitutes human experience or philosophy for the doctrine of godliness they are forbidden, by God,from knowing real spiritual truth. That is frightening to me, as a teacher of the Word of God. I must be constantly checking to make sure that what is taught is "the doctrine which is according to godliness". Please don't forget, this is not my epistle, and this is not the only place God so states this truth. It is found in dozens of passages throughout the New Testament.

1 Corinthians 2:13-14 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

If you are an aspiring teacher of the Word of God, please listen up! You are just spitting into the wind, you need to be a farmer to understand that one, if you attempt to teach anything but the pure Word of God. And you are hurting yourself beyond measure.

You may be sincere, you may be dedicated to the task, you may have a desire to reach others for Christ, but you will find it impossible to personally know spiritual truth. Oh, yes, you may think it's spiritual, you may even think it sounds spiritual, but if the Holy Spirit knows what He's saying , it not spiritual! The sad thing is, you will be so wrapped in the smoke of your own conceit that you won't even know that you "know nothing" spiritually.

You can't learn or teach spiritual truth by human means.
You may be an excellent teacher of secular things,
but that does not qualify you as a teacher of spiritual things.
You maybe able to sway people to follow your presentation,
but if you are not following the Biblical principles,
those whom you are teaching are not learning how to follow spiritual truth. 
Therefore, you are teaching, and your students are following the pattern of the world.
What a horrible thing for any Believer to be engaged in!
What terrible thing for the Church to promote!
Acts 18:24-26 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

Here was a man with all the equipment needed to be an excellent teacher. He was:

but he knew only the baptism of John.

As a result, he was teaching false doctrine, even though, from a human standpoint, he had all that was needed to be wonderful S.S. teacher. It was not his desire to teach false doctrine., but he was. As soon as he knew the way of God more accurately, he became a great teacher of spiritual truth, a helper to Paul and a fine ambassador for the cause of Christ. This is an area in which many Christians fail. They are so proud of their abilities and knowledge that it is difficult or impossible to explain to them "the way of God more accurately".

Don't be so proud and conceited as to disagree with the Holy Spirit in this matter. You may be a great researcher and have a memory like a bear trap, but that does not qualify you as student of spiritual things. If you are so conceited as to argue with the Holy Spirit on this point, then you are one of those being addressed in this passage.

If you use the method of teaching and study prescribed by the Holy Spirit, then your native abilities can become an advantage when under the control of the Holy Spirit, in the same manner as Apollos. But if you place the native or natural means of study and teaching above and contrary to the Biblically prescribed methods, you and your students are losers in the spiritual realm.

Folks, this passage is not easy, unless we are willing to yield to the teaching of the Holy Spirit, and then it becomes a blessing. Too many are far more interested in pleasing people and their own pride, than pleasing God and following His instructions. That's why I keep reminding you that I didn't write this.

It is easy to think that I'm concocting all this on my own, and therefore justify your anger towards me. However, if we are not willing, or, even eager to comply with the teaching of the Holy Spirit, we should never even consider becoming a teacher of the Word of God. It is dead wrong just to have many teachers for the sake of having teachers.

James 3:1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.

Obsessed

obsessed (Greek)
to hanker after; a malady or disability; signifies to be ill, to be ailing, whether in body or mind; hence, to be taken with such a morbid interest in a thing as is tantamount to a disease; the primary meaning is to be foolish, the evident meaning in this respect is to be unsound.

Ouch, the choice of words by the Holy Spirit concerning this matter is a little on the tough side. That indicates just how important the Holy Spirit thinks this subject is. We must keep in mind the setting in which the Holy Spirit uses these descriptive terms.

That setting is:

1 Timothy 6:3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness...

It is significant that the Holy Spirit used the term wholesome words when speaking of those things that are "the doctrine which is according to godliness". That in contrast to obsessed when referring to those words that are not "the doctrine which is according to godliness."

wholesome (Greek)
to be uncorrupted; to be healthy; to be in good health; to be whole or complete.

Please note again...

obsessed (Greek)
to hanker after; a malady or disability; signifies to be ill, to be ailing, whether in body or mind; hence, to be taken with such a morbid interest in a thing as is tantamount to a disease; the primary meaning is to be foolish, the evident meaning in this respect is to be unsound.

We have 168 hours in a week. At best we may take 3 to 4hours to turn our minds to Biblical things. However for most, the time for Biblical things is 1 hour or less. Yet, some are obsessed with spending that 1 hour, or even those 4 hours presenting the things of the natural, rather than the pure teaching of the Word of God.

Folks, we need to think a little and come to spiritual reality in these matters. The Holy Spirit, knowing this tendency of the human mind, warns us that such an attitude and action is a spiritual disease caused by this morbid interest, in contrast to the wholesome words of the Bible, which are spiritual health.

Shall we perpetuate a spiritual disease, or will we chose spiritual health?

Someone told me once, that they had far more Biblical knowledge than they could use. The implication was: "We need less Biblical knowledge and more practical knowledge." Oh, that's not good, when we call the knowledge of the Word of God non-practical. Just because some do not, by faith, apply the Biblical knowledge to their lives, does that mean, we should stop giving Biblical information until that person catches up?

Romans 3:3 For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect?

Folks, these things are so important! If we are attempting to make disciples, and we are, then we certainly do not want to give them teaching that is spiritually unhealthy, unsound, diseased and that will lead to more ungodliness. Nor can we, by following the pattern of non- Biblical information, be transformed in our minds and conduct to the image of Christ.

This matter of living the Christian life, and proclaiming that spiritual life is called, by God, a battle. In a battle, we had better be sure of our tactics and our weapons, just to name a few things we must be sure of, if we don't want to be a casualty on the battle field.

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

This battle is not to conquer territory, or destroy lives. This battle is far greater, and exceedingly more complicated than that. This is a battle to restore lives to God and godliness, and we must use God's weapons through God's means.

(Please look back and read 1 Timothy 6:3-6 again.) Teachers, who teach other than "the doctrine which is according to godliness", are obsessed with several things and several sub-things according to the Holy Spirit. These teachers are obsessed with disputes and arguments, even if they are not aware of their obsession.

Disputes

disputes (Greek)
in a good sense: to seek; to inquire. in a bad sense: to question or debate in a manner of controversy; to plot against

The word disputes is used here in the bad sense. By the very fact that these teachers are teaching other than "the doctrine which is according to godliness" shows they are obsessed with questioning for the purpose of controversy, and are using that information to plot against the doctrine of God, even if that is not their stated purpose.

This may not be the conscious purpose of the teacher, but in like manner as we read of Apollos, the Holy Spirit says by the very fact of what they are teaching, it shows that their minds are obsessed. It is so important what and how we teach, because what we teach will posses us, and we will be obsessed by it.

These teachers were also obsessed by arguments.

Arguments

arguments (Greek)
to wrangle about empty and trifling matters; contention in words that are used wholly or almost wholly without the real awareness of their meaning or that have little or no actual relation to spiritual reality

What a tragedy to listen to a teacher, who has a given great presentation, but the material the teacher presented has little or nothing to do with spiritual matters or godliness. What the teacher presented may have good value in the physical, moral and psychological realm, but that teacher has not presented spiritual truth through the living Word of God. Therefore, those words are of no spiritual profit to the student or the teacher. The fact that through this type of teaching, the Word of God is not presented in orderly form is bad. However, that is not where the damage of this type of teaching stops.

The Holy Spirit goes on to say that this type of teaching leads to envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wrangling. What a tragedy when the teaching of a church leads to those things, instead of godliness. What we teach and how we teach makes a big difference in time and throughout eternity. We need to look at the things this type of teaching leads to, and they are nasty words.

Envy

envy (Greek)
ill will; a lessening of reputation or esteem; the feeling of displeasure and desire to have, produced by the witnessing or hearing of the advantage or prosperity of others

Envy shows up in many forms, depending on the person doing the envying, or the deportment of the person being envied. What we need to see today is that the presentation of anything other than the Word of God in our teaching can produce envy, or the feeling of displeasure and/or desire to have the advantage or prosperity of others described in the teaching process.

The teaching of the Word of God brings conviction to holy living in the hearer. However, when we teach from human experience, that produces the desire to have or belike the one who had the experience, and often leads to ill will, and many other sinful things. This should not be the purpose of our teaching!

Acts 4:36-5:6 And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), Levite of the country of Cyprus, 37 having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. 2 And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 4 While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God." 5 Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell dow nand breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.

Here is an example of what happens when a person is attracted to the experience of another person, instead of being transformed by the power of the Word of God through the working of the Holy Spirit.

This experience of Barnabas was not used as a public presentation in the church at Jerusalem during the morning service. It was simply observed by these two, and envy set in because they wanted the same testimony as Barnabas.

As we see from our passage, this is one reason we must be very careful when using the human experience in the teaching process. The hearer of experiential teaching will want to be like the person who had the experience, instead of being like Christ. We need to teach Christ, His word, and the word given by the Holy Spirit to the transcribers of the epistles.

We are to present Christ, not good peoples' experiences.
The human experience will make the human or sin nature feel better.
But the presentation of Christ will benefit the spiritual life,
even though it will make the human or sin nature feel worse. 

Some may envy the lifestyle of another Christian under any circumstance, but we are never to use personal experience in our teaching as the example or guide for others to follow in order to live in holiness.

There are some very narrow areas in which personal experience can be properly used, but never as part of, or as a substitute for the doctrine according to godliness. Personal experience is to be used mostly on a one to one basis when needs arise in the life of a Believer, but not as a teaching tool of the Word of God.

2 Corinthians 1:4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Back to our nasty words in 1 Timothy 6. It would be good if you looked back and read again the passage in 1 Timothy 6:3-6.

Strife

strife (Greek)
a quarrel i.e. wrangling; strife is the expression of enmity or hostility

Reviling

reviling (Greek)
impious and reproachful speech injurious to divine majesty; vilification especially against God; translated most often as blasphemy

Once again, notice the end results of teaching and believing other than "the doctrine which is according to godliness". Our teaching should put God in a proper light, not cause speech that reproaches divine majesty and vilifies God.

Suspicions

suspicions (Greek)
suspicion; to conjecture; to surmise.

These evil suspicions are hurtful conjectures. The results of teaching and accepting anything other than the truths of the Word of God, produces the exact opposite result of the intended purpose for expounding the Word of God in a public manner through the church.

Useless Wranglings

useless wranglings (Greek)
useless occupation; empty business; denotes a constant or incessant negotiating, disputing or quibbling in the sense of wearing down through the process

Unless we stick with the pure Word of God for our teaching material, our teaching will soon degenerate into a "useless occupation of quibbling" over things of no value or questionable reality. Early in church history, we find the account of the church fathers wrangling uselessly over "how many angels could stand on the head of a pin".

We must not become caught up with the what if questions of the Word of God, such as: "What if Adam hadn't eaten the forbidden fruit?". These satisfy the human curiosity, but do not build spiritual character. There is far too much valid, clear information in the Word of God that needs our attention, to wrangle away our spiritual opportunity on quibbling.

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Let's look again at our base passage for this lesson.

1 Timothy 6:3-6 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, 4 he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, devil suspicions, 5 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

We have looked at several qualities of the teachers who do not use the Word of God as their textbook. Those who accept the teaching from these teachers share these same qualities. We saw that they were proud, lacking knowledge, obsessed with disputes and arguments, etc.

We certainly would not put those qualities or those teachers in the classification of things or people we should avoid or turn away from because they are corrupt. That shows the difference between God's view and human view. Our attitude seems to be that we will at least tolerate them, if not honor them. Our definition of a corrupt mind is someone who fills their mind with smut, pornography, violence, etc. Certainly those would have a corrupt mind.

corrupt (Greek)
to rot thoroughly; to shrivel; to wither; to ruin.

The mighty empire of Rome collapsed from internal corruption on all fronts, and the United States is headed in that direction as fast as we can go. Likewise, the Church of Jesus Christ is filled with corruption, of a slightly different kind, but that different corruption will produce a similar result, spiritual collapse.

God wants us to know that spiritual corruption is caused by many things that we look at as incidental or sometimes even admirable qualities. The spiritual fabric of a life or a church will shrivel into ruin very soon after the removal of the constant application of "the doctrine which is according to godliness".

If we are to strive for holiness in our conduct,
we must have the right perspective of what holiness is,
and the proper attitude towards those things that makes holiness possible.
1 Timothy 6:-63 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness....who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
gain (Greek)
to cause a thing to get on well; to carry forward; to acquire; to bring about or procure for one's self.

The Holy Spirit sums up this portion by showing the end results of these who teach and accept other material than the Word of God as their spiritual direction. The Holy Spirit tells us that these people suppose that godliness is a means of gain.

When we leave the pure Word of God as our base, it is easy to think that I am going to live godly, so that it will cause things to go well in my life, or by living in this supposed godliness, I will procure for myself some great benefit.

The purpose of godliness or holiness is not for my benefit, or personal gain!
If that is my attitude, it is corrupt thinking, and will bring spiritual ruin to myself and those around me.
The purpose of holiness and godly living is for the benefit of Christ, the cause of Christ and others.

Anything less is spiritual corruption, and will destroy true spiritual living. When we are really living for Christ, the cause of Christ, for others, and we are content with this service of sacrifice, God will provide great gain for us in this life, and the one to come.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Without this willingness to live godly for Christ and not for self,
we will never know the transformation that will bring God's holiness into our conduct.
© Clyde White, Austin TX, 1998