2 Timothy 2:14, “Keep reminding God's people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.”

Interesting points:
1. In this verse, Paul urges Timothy to remind those he led in Ephesus about the lessons Paul has brought out so far in this letter and instruct them to avoid bickering. This advice is reminiscent of 1 Timothy where Paul addressed this issue about arguing fruitlessly.

2. Paul helps us understand why arguing over words is unhelpful. First, as captured in 1 Timothy 1:3–4, there is no benefit gained in arguing over irrelevant Scriptural details. This does not mean we ought to take a shallow view of the Bible; rather, it means we should avoid conflict over doubtful issues – for example, the false teachers in 1 Timothy attempting to re-interpret the Torah to make Christians obey Jewish laws.

3. Second, Paul said arguing about words "only ruins those who listen", implying the misdirection of false teachers harmed the faith of believers in Ephesus. The Greek word used is “katastrophē”, and communicates the idea of destruction or being overthrown. False teachers arguing over interpretative issues caused many problems among the Christians Timothy led in Ephesus just as arguments about non-essential tenets of our faith undermine the unity of the body of Christ and distract us from focusing on living righteously.

Application.
Brothers, what a great reminder to stay focused on the essential tenets of our faith and to live our lives full of grace when our brother differs from our understanding on the non-essential parts of our faith (for example, the exact wording of a prayer of confession, need of total immersion for baptism, whether we should have Christmas trees/celebrate Christmas, etc.)!

God looks at the heart rather than the outward trappings of ritual and religion. The central truths of our faith were captured in the Nicene Creed concerning the identity of our Savior, Jesus Christ, in whom we are saved from eternal damnation when we accept Him as our Lord.

The beauty of our Bible Study is that we cover a lot of ground, both the essentials of our faith and otherwise. Where we may have difference of opinion, we can safely listen to the different perspectives (and the Scripture that reinforces that perspective) and in doing so, we sharpen our own understanding as we listen to what the Holy Spirit says to us about how we apply the Word in our lives.