STUDY TO SHEW THYSELF APPROVED UNTO GOD, A WORKMAN THAT NEEDETH NOT TO BE ASHAMED, RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH (II TIMOTHY 2:15).
In this last installment of our study of II Timothy 2:15, we’ll be looking at the entire verse and how the last dependent clause further defines what should be the standard we seek as we study the Bible. In yesterday’s post, we discussed that it is important for us to approach our prayer and Bible study time with the same zeal and attention that we approach our jobs with. Last night, while at our Wednesday night Bible Study at Gospel Light Baptist Church, it was even discussed in our study of II Peter that often we treat the things of God with a casual attitude. I know that in my own faith, as I determined back in 2004 to actually pursue the study of the Bible with the same intensity as I did with my study of history as a historian, I have experienced spiritual growth, trials, and blessings.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
As discussed in the second part, we study so that we can be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear (I Peter 3:15). We need to be able to explain our faith in unwavering clarity without stumbling and with understanding. The second dependent clause, rightly dividing the word of truth, explains why those who diligently study the Bible should not be ashamed. The word “dividing” in modern English means to separate into parts, sections, groups, or branches, but it had a different meaning when it was used by the translators of the King James Version. The word “dividing” and “division” first appears in the English language during the Middle Ages and generally meant “to apportion among a number, to sector into units of measurement.” There are even occasions when the word was used as a way to describe surveys conducted for new roads that were to be cut into the English countryside.
While generally, each definition does have a similar meaning, it is the application of the word that makes the difference. When I was returning from my overseas assignment in Germany in 1992, I was temporarily assigned to Fort Jackson (South Carolina) for about three weeks. Not being a fan of the military chapel and its religious services, I chose to attend a small independent Baptist church nearby. I do not remember the name of the church, but the pastor actually had a good illustration about this verse. He told the story of a churchgoing woman that was facing a serious problem in her life. She had really never studied the Bible but remembered her pastor telling her how God has the answers to all her problems within its covers. All she had to do was to read the Bible and do what it said. She decided to flip it open and pick a verse at random: And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself (Matthew 27:5). Totally horrified in what she thought that God would have her do, she decided to close her Bible and randomly choose another verse: And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise (Luke 10:37).
No one would agree that the lady in the joke is “correctly dividing” the Bible nor is she correctly conducting a survey of the Bible. Back when I was working on my B.A., I needed some extra income to pay for books and car repairs so I took a part time job with a construction company in Leesville, Louisiana. It was hard work and it taught me a lot about myself and has provided a lot of experiences where biblical application can be made. When we would prepare a lot for a foundation, the lot would be surveyed, the owner consulted, the architect provided plans for the building, and we laid out the foundation based on the building’s blueprints. Each footing had to be dug exactly to the right depth, it had to be level, and it had to be built to code. The foundation was never laid out, prepared, poured, and finished in the same day, but was completed in stages over time. This is identical to what I believe Paul was trying to convey to Timothy and Christians everywhere: we should be able to “rightly divide” God’s word into smaller parts that would: increase and enrich our own understanding of our relationship with God; edify, encourage, and strengthen the saved; and effectively witness to the lost.
Additionally, when we diligently study the Bible, it can give us confidence within our own faith. Paul wrote to the Christians at the church at Jerusalem, Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). As Christians, knowing the promises of God and knowing the mind of Christ allows us the ability to ask God for the things we need without apology or fear of embarrassment. Some years ago, I served on a jury in Natchitoches (Louisiana), and witnessed the difference between a well prepared attorney and one that did enough to get by. At one point in the trial, the defendant’s attorney presented a motion to dismiss the case, and for what seemed like an eternity, proceeded to present case reference after case reference where courts within the state had made similar rulings to what he was requesting. The plaintiff’s attorney, totally unprepared to present his client’s interests, was unable to sway the judge to continue hearing the case, but instead, asked for the trial to resume another day (the judge actually granted the defendant’s motion and dismissed the case). It was easy to understand that the judge made the decision simply because the defendant’s attorney was well-prepared for the trial.
As Christians, we need to have that same determination in our Bible studying. It should never be about how many times we can read it through in a year; I would rather intently and deeply study three chapters of any book of the Bible in a year and develop a deeper understanding of my faith than to read the entire Bible through five times. According to various studies in psychology and sociology, it takes approximately 80 hours of personal contact to develop basic friendship. These contact hours are not considered as the casual meetings in a hallway or at a local merchant’s shop, but meaningful contact where ideas, dialog, and conversation are exchanged. When we engage in intense Bible study and prayer, we are literally engaging in personal contact time with our Savior and God. We are building a friendship with the Lord Jesus Christ based on intimate conversation through prayer and the reading of the Bible.
