Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. - Proverbs 13:10
There is not a lot of advice taking during a quarrel. Not a lot of wisdom either. We can only see our side; our pride. Suddenly our feelings or our hurt become stronger than Christ in us. Thankfully, Paul outlines for us in these verses to Timothy how to avoid quarrels. Paul advises that a quarrel is the end result of an argument. Does that mean we should never have a disagreement or debate with someone? Absolutely not! Paul goes further to say that there are two specific types of arguments we should have nothing to do with as Christians. These two types of arguments are what lead to quarrels.
The first example Paul speaks about are foolish arguments. How many quarrels can you remember that essentially started out as a foolish argument? The dictionary defines foolish as:
Lacking forethought or caution. Trifling, insignificant or paltry.
This certainly describes a lot of our arguments with each other. We jump head first into the disagreement with very little forethought or caution. We either attack or are reacting defensively to what we feel is an attack. We do not play it out to the logical conclusion in our minds. When we find ourselves in arguments, there is usually little caution being used. We are no longer cautious of the words we use, the tone in which we use them, or how they might hurt the person we are arguing with. It is foolish to engage in any argument without forethought and caution.
What also makes an argument foolish is if the subject matter is not important. If it is trifling, insignificant or paltry. We can tend to argue over the most obscure, irrelevant, and ultimately mundane things. In the Gospel of Luke we see that after the Last Supper and before Jesus was to go to the cross, the disciples began arguing. Was it about some great teaching Christ had imparted to them? Was it about how to organize the church following His crucifixion? Was it a matter of great theological depth and importance? No. They were arguing over which of them would be considered the greatest. Jesus showed them in His response how what we often consider important, is really backwards to God's thinking:
And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.' But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves. Luke 22: 25-27
Can you picture this? Right after the last supper, where Jesus shares His body and blood and announces that one of the 12 will betray Him, we find the disciples arguing over which of them will be considered greatest. A trifling matter in light of their current circumstances. A matter of personal pride and pleasing man. Yet there we can find ourselves too. Charged with the Great Commission, being salt and light to a dying world, and improving our witness and walk on a daily basis, we too can fall into the same types of foolish arguments. Arguments centered on ourselves; our pride.
