The term "confute" refers to the act of proving a statement or belief to be false or invalid, often through logical argumentation or evidence. In a biblical context, confuting involves the defense of truth and the refutation of false teachings or erroneous beliefs. This concept is integral to the Christian duty of upholding sound doctrine and correcting those who stray from biblical truth.

Biblical Basis for Confuting

The Bible emphasizes the importance of sound doctrine and the need to refute false teachings. In Titus 1:9, the Apostle Paul instructs church leaders to "hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it" . This verse highlights the dual responsibility of church leaders to both teach and defend the truth.

Similarly, in 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul exhorts Timothy to "preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction" . The call to correct and rebuke implies a need to confute errors and guide believers back to the truth.

Examples of Confuting in Scripture

Throughout the New Testament, there are numerous instances where Jesus and the apostles confute false teachings and misconceptions. Jesus often engaged with the Pharisees and Sadducees, confuting their misunderstandings of the law and the prophets. For example, in Matthew 22:29, Jesus tells the Sadducees, "You are mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God" , thereby correcting their erroneous beliefs about the resurrection.

The Apostle Paul is another prominent figure who frequently engaged in confuting false teachings. In Acts 17:2-3, Paul reasoned with the Jews in the synagogue, "explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead" . His efforts to confute their misunderstandings about the Messiah were central to his missionary work.

The Role of Confuting in the Church

Confuting is not merely an intellectual exercise but a spiritual responsibility. It serves to protect the church from heresy and to ensure that believers are grounded in the truth of God's Word. Ephesians 4:14 warns against being "tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming" . By confuting false teachings, the church helps believers remain steadfast in their faith.

Church leaders, in particular, are called to be vigilant in this task. As seen in 1 Timothy 1:3-4, Paul urges Timothy to "command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer" . This directive underscores the importance of confuting as a means of maintaining doctrinal purity within the church.

Conclusion

While the Bible does not use the term "confute" explicitly, the concept is woven throughout Scripture as an essential aspect of defending the faith. Through the examples of Jesus, Paul, and other early church leaders, believers are encouraged to engage in confuting as a means of upholding the truth and guiding others in sound doctrine.(v. t.) To overwhelm by argument; to refute conclusively; to prove or show to be false or defective; to overcome; to silence.1246. diakatelegchomai -- to confute completely
... to confute completely. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: diakatelegchomai Phonetic
Spelling: (dee-ak-at-el-eng'-khom-ahee) Short Definition: I utterly ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1246.htm - 7k

1651. elegcho -- to expose, convict, reprove
... convict, convince, rebuke, reprove. Of uncertain affinity; to confute, admonish --
convict, convince, tell a fault, rebuke, reprove. (elenxai) -- 1 Occurrence. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1651.htm - 7k

He Proceeds to Confute the Work of Pelagius; He Refrains as yet ...
... A Treatise on nature and grace, against pelagius; Chapter 7 [VII.]"He Proceeds to
Confute the Work of Pelagius; He Refrains as Yet from Mentioning Pelagius ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/chapter 7 vii he proceeds to.htm

Enough Has Been Said in These Remarks to Confute the Charge of ...
... Chapter XXVII. Enough has been said in these remarks to confute the charge
of treason against your? Enough has been said in these ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tertullian/apology/chapter xxvii enough has been.htm

How, I Ask, Can You, Seeing that Your Commentaries Contain Such ...
... How, I ask, can you, seeing that your Commentaries contain such doctrines, put them
forward to prove your soundness in the faith, and to confute those ideas ...
/.../24 how i ask can.htm

He Proceeds against his Opponent with the Choicest Arguments, and ...
... If you were an assertor of the Arian or Sabellian heresy, and did not use your own
creed, I would still confute you by the authority of the holy Scriptures; I ...
/.../cassian/the seven books of john cassian /chapter v he proceeds against.htm

Letter Lxxxiii. From Pammachius and Oceanus.
... You will also confute and overthrow all statements in the sheets which we have sent
to your holiness that are ignorantly made or contradict the Catholic faith. ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter lxxxiii from pammachius and.htm

Whether one Ought to Dispute with Unbelievers in Public?
... an unbeliever. On the other hand, it is praiseworthy to dispute about
the faith in order to confute errors, or for practice. On ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether one ought to dispute.htm

Charity and Rebuke.
... He goes to the hypocrites and Pharisees, He says, "Ye say ye are the children of
Abraham""(it was as difficult for Jesus Christ to confute the professors of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/booth/godliness/chapter iv charity and rebuke.htm

Allegation 2 "We Teach that God Ordained Men to Hell-Fire, and ...
... second allegation. You think that you blunt and confute it by a distinction
in the second act of reprobation, but it is not so. For ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 3/allegation 2 we teach that.htm

Letter cxliv. From Augustine to Optatus.
... go so far in maintaining the derivation of souls as to deny that they are made and
formed by God, you may use this argument as a weapon to confute them so far ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter cxliv from augustine to.htm

It Frequently Happens that a Creature who is not Entirely Hardened ...
... suitable for establishing the slander, but have omitted and quite taken away those
things which, in the most manifest manner, betray and confute the calumny. ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 1/article xxiii iii it frequently.htm

Confute (2 Occurrences)
... false or defective; to overcome; to silence. Multi-Version Concordance Confute
(2 Occurrences). Titus 1:9 holding -- according to the ...
/c/confute.htm - 7k

Convince (7 Occurrences)
... 2. (vt) To overcome by argument; to force to yield assent to truth; to satisfy
by proof. 3. (vt) To confute; to prove the fallacy of. ...
/c/convince.htm - 9k

Refute (6 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (vt) To disprove and overthrow by argument, evidence,
or countervailing proof; to prove to be false or erroneous; to confute; as, to ...
/r/refute.htm - 9k

Reason (438 Occurrences)
... 6. (n.) Hence: To carry on a process of deduction or of induction, in order to convince
or to confute; to formulate and set forth propositions and the ...
/r/reason.htm - 39k

Confuted (2 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (imp. & pp) of Confute. Multi-Version Concordance
Confuted (2 Occurrences). Acts 18:28 for he powerfully ...
/c/confuted.htm - 7k

Control (88 Occurrences)
... parental control. 4. (vt) To check by a counter register or duplicate account;
to prove by counter statements; to confute. 5. (vt ...
/c/control.htm - 33k

Convict (12 Occurrences)
... 5. (vt) To prove or show to be false; to confute; to refute. 6. (vt) To demonstrate
by proof or evidence; to prove. 7. (vt) To defeat; to doom to destruction. ...
/c/convict.htm - 12k

Confusion (71 Occurrences)

/c/confusion.htm - 39k

Confute: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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