14-18 Repeat these basic essentials over and over to God’s people. Warn them before God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith. It just wears everyone out. Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple. Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they’re not backed by a godly life, they accumulate as poison in the soul. Hymenaeus and Philetus are examples, throwing believers off stride and missing the truth by a mile by saying the resurrection is over and done with.

19 Meanwhile, God’s firm foundation is as firm as ever, these sentences engraved on the stones:

god knows who belongs to him.
steer clear of evil, all you who name god as god.

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17 Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus(A) and Philetus, 18 who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place,(B) and they destroy the faith of some.(C) 19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm,(D) sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,”(E) and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord(F) must turn away from wickedness.”

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