"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." -2 Timothy 2:15
2 Timothy was the last book written by the apostle Paul and I believe was the last book written in the Bible, God did not place it doctrinally as the last book of the Bible, but through much time and typing it could be seen and proved clearly through sound doctrine that 2 Tim. was the last book written and that of the apostle Paul.
Paul is writing to local churches and the leadership in those local assemblies how they need to operate and lead. Paul writes and commands to all Christians especially to the leaders in the church, the one new man, the Body of Christ to "study". But how? "Rightly dividing the word of truth."
Let's think about this for a second. God is completing His Word, the full canon of Scripture and He tells Paul to write to "study" and that by "rightly dividing the word of truth". God's Word Is Truth, all of it, no if, and's, or but's about it. However, God desires for His Word that is all truth to be "rightly divided" and in return that that man or woman who "rightly divides the word of truth" will be an approved workman of God, that workman will not be ashamed as well. But why?
Lets take a look at 2 Tim. 2:14,
"Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers."
Paul commands "these things" to be "put...in remembrance". What are the these things? Let's go one step back and take a look at the "these things".
2 Tim. 2:11-13, "It is a faithful saying: for if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him: if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us: if we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself."
There is a greater context, but this will suffice for this very short survey. Paul says, it is a "faithful saying" that if "we be dead with Christ", "we shall also live with Him." Read Romans 6. Then he goes on, "If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him". Let's read Romans 8:17, "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together." If we suffer with Him, which is Christ, but His sufferings not only that happened on the Cross which are for our salvation, but the suffering of Christ marked through the apostle Paul for our sanctification.
"For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake; having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me." -Php. 1:29-30
"Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh (Paul's body) for His (Christ's) body's sake, which is the church: whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;" -Col. 1:24-25 (verses earlier talk about Christ's sufferings in His body)
Paul numerous of times mentions that Christ is speaking through Him and the sufferings that Paul is going through is not His sufferings, but Christ sufferings that Paul bears for the church, the Body of Christ. How did these sufferings come about? Paul preached Christ according to the revelation of the mystery, what God kept secret since the world began, some information, some good news God hid in the inner counsel of His will until due time, and that due time was when God revealed it to Paul through Christ on the road to Damascus. Paul didn't preach Christ according to prophecy to sit on David's throne, he mentions that He will, however Paul preaches Christ as Head of the Body, which is not "true Israel" or "reformed Israel" or anything like that it is a different "new creation" of God that He thought up of before the foundation of the world. This preaching of Christ went not only to Jews as Christ came only to "those under the law" the Jews during His earthly ministry, but this preaching of Christ went to all mankind, all nations, all Gentiles. This preaching of Christ even the 12 disciples did not know about and caused them to question, look down, and even go against Paul and what he taught about Christ according to the mystery. Paul's sufferings that he went through were the sufferings of Christ as Paul shared sound doctrine of His Body, the church and how so many rejected it and those in it were abusing it. Anyways, I can go through Scripture for all this, but just wanted to explain what Paul is saying in Timothy.
He goes on, "if we deny Him, He also will deny us" this has nothing to do with salvation, this is tied to the suffering that Paul just mentioned. If Christians today do not follow the Lord Jesus Christ through their God ordained apostle, the apostle Paul and the suffering that will follow that, they will not suffer on earth, but suffer at the "bema" seat or judgment seat of Christ. This judgment is not a judgment unto condemnation, however it is judgment that will happen, but the believer will still be saved, but that through fire. 1 Cor. 3:9-23.
Verse 13 of 2 Tim. 2 says, "If we believe not, YET HE ABIDETH FAITHFUL: HE CANNOT DENY HIMSELF. " As you believed in Christ for salvation that He died for your sins, was buried, and rose the third day according to the Scriptures, you became a part of the Body of Christ, it is this intimate position in Christ that seals you and even if you were to believe not in Christ anymore, YET HE ABIDETH FAITHFUL, why because, HE CANNOT DENY HIMSELF. This is grace, not an excuse to stop believing or live a sinful life, but God's Riches At Christ's Expense, that teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts.
It is "these things", plus more in verses before this one, that Paul wants to "put them in remembrance". But, why does Paul want "these things" to "put them in remembrance", well because there were men in the local assembly "Hymenaeus and Philetus" who erred concerning the truth and overthrew the faith of some (v. 17-18), so Paul is telling them "to put in remembrance" "these things" really the things Paul taught them concerning Christ. 2 Tim. 2:7, "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things." Overall men are in the local assemblies "strive (they dispute) about words to no profit", but what it really does "but to the subverting (overturn, catastrophe, demolition, apostasy, are all connected to this "subverting") of the hearers, and most do not know and most congregations do not know today. Men were going against Pauline authority what he had taught them and really what the Lord Jesus Christ was teaching them through Paul. Therefore, Paul commands that everyone is to "study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
Paul taught them all things they needed and these men were "saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrew the faith of some." The resurrection that Paul taught, 1 The. 4&5. The Body of Christ is to consider what I (Paul) says; and the Lord give (not will give, but "give") thee understanding in all things. We as the Body of Christ have Paul as our apostle today, just as the children of Israel had Moses as their God given authority and whose office was still intact even after he died, an office that even Christ told His disciples to observe. The office we are to observe is Paul's and when we see Paul as our God given authority, since Christ is not on earth, we are to follow Paul and what we really do are following the Lord.
Finally, Paul says to "rightly divide the word of truth" that our faith in what Paul has said about our Lord Jesus Christ will not be overthrown. Also that things like: baptism, tongues, gospel, works, circumcision, healing, and so much more will be recognized as truth, but be put in their proper context allowing the believer to be approved of God, because they are following what He is saying to follow and do and believe today, instead of what He was saying to follow and do and believe in the past or future.
It is unfortunate that many leaders let alone many Christians today do not recognize Pauline authority, they do not recognize God's one and only command in how to study His Word and to do it.
Yes, God's Word goes against not only the grain of our worldly system our carnality, but God's Word goes against our ungodliness our religiousness. God's Word rightly divided does not fit orthodox Christianity, I am not worried nor is God worried about His Word fitting tradition and mainstream, He desires that you be approved and a workman for Him by taking Him at His Word and rightly dividing His Word by having faith in what He says is alone truth.
It is unfortunate that some have entered in the Body of Christ, but to only be overthrown into the sea and winds of doctrines, having their faith overthrown almost immediately, some knowingly and willingly, some not. I pray that you would take God at His Word and to be an approved workman for Him, rightly dividing the word of truth and by considering what Paul says. I pray also, 2 Tim. 2:20-21, "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to hour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work." I pray for all believers that you and I would be vessels of gold and silver, of honour now, prepared for the master's use now. We will all be purged for the master's use either now by "rightly dividing" and doing the will of God today spelled out by your apostle Paul in Romans through Philemon, or you will be purged for the master's use by fire at the judgment seat of Christ, yourself being saved.
P.S. When the Bible talks about "rightly dividing the word of truth" and "Paul your apostle" it is not saying do not believe the OT, the NT, Christ's earthly ministry, or Heb. - Rev. Those things are no doubt and no question the "word of truth", however since the Bible with the exception of Rom. - Phi. is God dealing with Israel and with Gentiles through Israel's rise, they are not to us, but are for our learning (Rom. 15:4). Rom. 15:4, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." The scriptures afore are for our learning, that we may learn of our God and what He was doing in time past and how He gave the covenants and through those covenants sent Christ and it is through that same Christ that we Gentiles through Israel's fall have received salvation not under a covenant, but under grace. The scriptures show us about God-given authority in Moses and how the children of Israel rebelled and murmured against that authority. This teaches us not to rebel and murmur against our God-given authority of the apostle Paul, because if we do it is rebelling and murmuring against God. All the Bible all 66 books are for us and I believe all 66 books. I study the OT like I have never studied it before and continue to get a grasp, but finally understand that I am not a Jew nor apart of Israel, but I understand what He is doing with the nation of Israel to accomplish His plans and purposes with the earth and I am a part of the Body of Christ to accomplish His plans and purposes with the heavenly places. Both are focused solely in Christ and the centrality and the salvation comes solely in Christ, however there are two programs of God, it is the manifold wisdom of God. All 66 books are for our learning, however God was not always dealing with us Gentiles and it is only in Rom. - Phi. that He is dealing with us apart from Israel and it is these 13 books that are written TO us. The Word of Truth, is all truth, it is all of God, but it needs to be "rightly divided" to be understood and obeyed, otherwise the result is confusion, overthrowing of faith, overthrowing of sound doctrine, a tossing to and fro by winds of biblical doctrines. Listen to Paul your apostle and consider what he says and the Lord give thee understanding in all things, take Him at His Word, not only will you see the divisions that need to be made and that rightly, but your Bible study will be fruitful and your understanding will rest in God and not in men.
