2 Timothy 2:16, “Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.”

Interesting points:
1. In this verse, Paul reminds Timothy to be judicious in joining discussions, careful to avoid fruitless, harmful and unwholesome subjects that both ruin his testimony and sow seeds of discord, temptation/sin and heresy.

2. In verses 14 and 15, Paul distinguishes between defending important truths and bickering over lesser issues. In fact, a person cannot correctly handle the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15) unless they stay away from engaging in spiritually dead disputes. In other words, Timothy should not involve himself in arguing with false teachers who focused primarily on shallow and unspiritual ideas. Paul helps us understand that becoming entrapped by such discussions does not draw others to Christ but actually drives them away! As godliness/righteousness is the goal of every believer, especially those who seek to lead others in the church, we must be very discerning of whether a topic is worth discussing.

3. Understanding the many warnings of the Old Testament prophets concerning ungodliness, Paul provided similar warnings in Romans 1:18 and underlined Jesus’ role in turning godlessness away from Jacob (His people) in Romans 11:26. In Titus 2:12, Paul tells Titus to refuse “ungodliness and worldly passions". In Jude 1:15, we read that our Lord is coming to “judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts that they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."

Application.
Brothers, James warned us in James 3:5-6 that our tongues are like the small spark that sets a great forest on fire and that it corrupts the whole person. The best way to rein in our tongue is to think before we speak and definitely before we decide to engage in a fiery discussion that does not bring glory to God. If we must say something, pray and speak the truth of the matter clearly and say nothing more: well chosen words can quell an argument but, remember, saying nothing halts it in its tracks altogether!

We live in days where people speak “their truth” with little regards to consequences and like a pebble thrown into a mirror-like pond, the ripples spread far beyond their control.
May we learn to speak His truth wisely when we discern that our words will be seriously considered. Otherwise, we had best say nothing at all so that we would not be distracted by ungodly chatter that drives others away and reveals just how foolish/ignorant we really are to engage in slippery-slope topics!