2 Timothy 2:16-18 16But avoid worthless empty chatter, for they will progress to great ungodliness, 17and their word will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18who have departed from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened, and they have ruined the faith of some.
Paul’s warning to Timothy about the false teachers in Ephesus continues. The false teachers had gotten caught up in empty speculation and worthless empty chatter. Empty chatter is a compound of “meaningless” (keno-) “noise” (-phōnias) that does not build people up or lead them closer to God. It has no eternal purpose and only leads to great ungodliness, which will show up in moral compromise, division, and scandal. The image of gangrene in verse 17 gives the sense of a slow growing disease like cancer that will eventually lead to death. Speech based opinions, speculations, and self-glorification will only lead to the condemnation of those who speak it and can spread and cause serious harm to those who listen. The imperative avoid is in the present tense, implying that Timothy needed to be constantly aware of this issue and not compromise even in the smallest way.
Paul names two people who show this type of behavior, Hymenaeus and Philetus. Hymenaeus is mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:20 as someone who seared his conscience and wrecked his faith. Philetus is only mentioned here but followed the same path of destruction as Hymenaeus. These two heretics had three problems, each leading to the next. The first was the major issue of departing from the truth of the gospel. They followed empty speculations and got caught up in trivial matters. There are many interesting ideas in the world that cannot be known for sure. The danger is becoming deceived by nice sounding ideas that are actually wrong. We must know the truth and focus on what matters.
Second, one wrong idea they got caught up in was what theologians call an “over-realized eschatology” by thinking that the resurrection already happened. These two men may have spiritualized the resurrection and not believed in a bodily resurrection similar to the heresy in Corinth (1 Corinthians 15). They fundamentally misunderstood the power of the resurrection of Jesus and his victory over sin and death. They blurred Christian doctrine with the philosophies of their time.
Third, because these men compromised the truth of the gospel by having the wrong interpretation of resurrection, they were ruining the faith of other people. If the resurrection has already happened, then how a person lives does not matter. An over-realized eschatology can lead to a false sense of spiritual security. Wrong doctrine can lead to moral compromise.
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