The Argument Against Arguing

Have you ever had an argument with someone about God? If so, what happened?

List three activities that you think are useless. What makes them useless?

But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.

Titus 3:9

We learn in Titus 1 that Titus had to deal with many rebellious people. These people talked a lot without saying much, especially those who were holding on to old Jewish laws, and they were starting a lot of arguments.

Paul warns against engaging argumentative people, not because these people are right or because they should be feared, but simply because arguing is a giant waste of time.

Even if you are completely correct, even if you are a skilled debater, even if you know you could prove the other person wrong, there is still no point. Arguing with someone like that almost never sways the other person to your point of view. And when you are arguing about God, there’s a very good chance that the other person has no interest in the truth.

Instead, God wants us to proclaim the truth through our actions. Walk away from the opportunity to argue with someone and walk toward the opportunity to love someone else. This is how we prove God’s truth to others.

PRAYER

Dear God, help us to avoid foolish arguments. Help us to demonstrate your truth by the way we live. Amen.

From the book