1 Timothy 6:2b-5 (ESV)
Teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.
This section begins right in the middle of a paragraph. Paul has just told Timothy to make sure those in slavery serve their masters, especially if their masters were believers. Paul does not address salivary but he does move right into false teaching. Since slavery was a false teaching for centuries, Paul is addressing it in the greater message of false doctrine. Paul warns young Pastor Timothy to not get caught up in false teachings, but rather exposes it for the pride, arrogance and evil intentions it represents. He doesn’t, here, dissect the teaching, he exposed the hearts of the teacher. False doctrine flows from corrupt hearts and minds. We can fight the technical side of false teaching all day. We can probably win most arguments. But in this text, Paul does not go there (he will in other places ... Galatians for one example). In this case he simply takes on the spiritual condition of the false teaches vs the spiritual teaching of the false teachers. Perhaps this is Paul’s growth in his life long battle to expose false teaching. In the Galatians letter (one of his first) he attacks the character and the doctrine of the false teachers. Here he only attacks and exposes their hearts. He wants Timothy to know what he is up against. Remember, false teaching comes from an unrighteous heart, not yet sanctified by God, through Christ’s blood.
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