“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is childish folly. Long after broken bones have healed, broken spirits often remain broken. Words are powerful things. With them, we can lead people to life-freeing truth or life-imprisoning falsehood. Words are dangerous, especially in the mouths of charlatans and the duplicitous. That’s why Paul was concerned about certain men in the church who had “gone astray from the truth” (2 Timothy 2:18). They were teaching lies and Timothy needed to counter both—the men and the lies—by presenting himself as an approved workman of God, “accurately handling the word of truth” (2:15) and always keeping in mind that God is building a “firm foundation” (2:19).

2 Timothy 2:14-19

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