How beautifully this is expressed: ‘The sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Some need a long time, others a shorter time, to get enthralled by the simplicity and straightforwardness of Jesus’ words.
But here is required more of us than only to get enthralled: ‘If anyone does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ…’ If we only get enthralled by His words, we turn to meaningless talk and get ensnared by the devil, who is also well-versed in Biblical truths (Luke 4:1-13), but does not submit to the sound instruction of God.
When we know the Bible and do not get any further than talking fondly about it, then naturally the consequences follow. We will then enjoy to say, ‘I beg to differ.’ We will like to argue and we will feel elevated above anyone with a different opinion. In other words, everything listed in the fourth verse will then not be alien to us. And all this just because we did not simply agree, we did not submit to the sound instruction of Jesus.
When we are like this, godliness becomes a means to personal gain instead of the source of salvation for others. When the godly teaching – learning to respect our heavenly Father like a loving child – not suits us anymore, we become willful children who know how to talk pompously about God, and in the meantime we exalt ourselves instead of bowing down before Him with heartfelt awe. Oh, once the lust of gain has got hold of us, then we want to enrich ourselves and we sink into materialistic cravings.
Who will then still ask for the narrow road to life, that Jesus points out to us?