1 and 2 timothy and james leadership bible study for teens

During the Second Great Awakening, William Miller calculated that Jesus’ Second Coming was going to happen in October of 1844. But if we’re honest, they were born out of the sort of debate that Paul was specifically talking about in 2:18. When you read this, please remember all that I have said that put Adventists in the camp of conservative evangelical Christianity. Sometimes the argument accomplishes nothing but discord. It’s important for us to know why we believe what we believe (like, exactly what Revelation means, or which version of the Bible is the best to read out loud, or how many pastors a church should have), but that doesn’t mean that we debate people fiercely and publicly about each and every matter. Paul is telling Timothy to make sure that he doesn’t “die on the wrong hill”. As the saying goes, there are some hills to die on, but most are not. Remember from 1 Timothy that some of these false teachers were literally making things up and then arguing about them. But there are some fights that aren’t worth it. Paul cared a great deal about the details. Paul argued about fine details throughout his ministry and his letters.

Some Christians might argue that these debates aren’t a big deal, but I would counter that they are. What’s my point here? Hopefully, I have demonstrated that not every argument about words is meaningless.

1 and 2 timothy and james leadership bible study for teens