“A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.” —2 Timothy 2:24-25 NLT
“The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient, instructing his opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance leading them to the knowledge of the truth.” —CSB
“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.” —ESV
2 Timothy 2:24-25 holds a difficult lesson for me. We live in a culture that LOVES to argue heatedly and unproductively. We can get so wrapped up in right and wrong that we forget about love, grace, and gentleness. We stop seeing the person on the other side of an argument as a person. All we see is a viewpoint that needs to be squashed or an action that needs to be corrected.
This verse teaches us something very radical. It’s not in our job description as Christians to change someone else’s heart. That’s God’s job. He is the only One who has the power to change hearts and minds.
The more heated we get in an argument, the less productive and beneficial that argument becomes. In this passage, we are instructed to approach people with gentleness, kindness, and patience. We share the Truth with gentle instruction. If someone doesn’t accept that Truth, we pray that God will work on their hearts.
I find immense freedom in the reminder that God does the heart change. I don’t have to force someone to understand the Truth; I just have to share the Truth. What they do with that information is their choice to make.
In light of these verses, this is my prayer to the Lord and my reminder to myself: May I never get to a place where I can’t see the humanity of the person on the other side of an argument, and may I never think it’s my responsibility to change hearts.
