What is godless chatter?

What is godless chatter?

The term godless chatter is used by the apostle Paul when he exhorts Timothy to, “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 wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some” (2 Timothy 2:16-18, NIV).

In context, this passage of Scripture is dealing with the godless chatter of false teachers who were sneaking into the church and trying to corrupt the truth of God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:14-3:9). Paul clearly warns Timothy about them when he points them out by saying, “Their teaching will spread like gangrene” (2:17). Paul likens the godless chatter of false teachers to gangrene, which was a deadly disease that spread rapidly and ate away at a persons flesh. This Greek idiom truly emphasizes the repulsiveness of the ministry of the false teachers, as well as the dangers of their contaminated message spreading into the hearts and lives of others.

The Greek word for “godless” is bebēlos, and is used 5 times in the NT, and is used to describe something that is, “unhallowed or profane. It is the opposite of sacred.” The Greek word for “chatter” is kenophōnia, and is used to describe, “empty, foolish talk, talk which lacks significant content, i.e. fruitless discussion.” Paul combines these two words together to describe a false teacher.

There are four individual’s that serve as examples in Paul’s letter to Timothy that help demonstrate what godless chatter is. They are Hymenaeus and Philetus (2 Timothy 2:17-18), and Jannes and Jambres (2 Timothy 3:8). Hymenaeus and Philetus wandered away from the truth in the worst possible way, by teaching that “the resurrection has already taken place”, which destroyed the faith of certain individuals (2 Timothy 2:18). Jannes and Jambres were men who opposed the ministry of Moses. These men resisted the truth, because of their corrupt minds, and their folly was made known to all (2 Timothy 3:8-9).

Errant teaching doesn’t appear to be the only area that is classified as “godless chatter”. Paul seems to indicate to Timothy that striving about words that are of no profit (2 Timothy 2:14), as well as being quarrelsome and harsh with others, impatient, and proud while teaching others (cf. 2 Timothy 2:24), appear to be included with godless chatter as well. Also included with these are, “profane and old wives’ fables” (1 Timothy 4:7), and “idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge” (1 Timothy 6:20).

It would appear that godless chatter is any type of foolish, insignificant, or fruitless discussion, that has the ability to wreck the faith of others (2 Timothy 2:18), and or, lead to more ungodliness (2 Timothy 2:16).

How do you avoid godless chatter?

The way to avoid godless chatter is also laid out in Paul’s letters to Timothy. In order to avoid godless chatter, you must “not strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers” (2 Timothy 2:14), and you must also “reject” (1 Timothy 4:7), and “avoid” profane and idle babblings and contradictions to the truth of Scripture (1 Timothy 6:20). Here we see that the way to avoid godless chatter is to not argue about things that are unprofitable, and to reject and avoid those who teach contrary to the truth of God’s Word. Paul’s final exhortation to Timothy about false teachers in this passage (2 Timothy 2:14-3:9) is really the key to avoiding godless chatter, and that exhortation is, “from such people turn away!” (2 Timothy 3:5)