What is meant by "rightly dividing the word of truth?"

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ScottA

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2 Timothy 2:15
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

I might just come right out and say what is meant, but perhaps we could hear what others say.

What say you?
 

Giuliano

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It's not translated right. The Word divides things, like light from darkness, etc. The Word itself cannot be divided. It is better translated as "correctly handling" or "rightly handling."
 

Willie T

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Concerning all of the "What does _________ mean...…. questions.

Somehow, we either forget... or we just can't seem to understand, that few words or phrases in the Bible mean what we take them to mean by utilizing today's definitions.

First of all, the Bible was originally written in a few languages that never used idoms the way they are meant in our modern language.

Secondly, the 4 hundred (or more) years old meanings most of our Bibles are written with are ALSO usually far outdated.

Yet, so many of us refuse to admit that Jesus really didn't speak Elizabethan English.
 

amadeus

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2 Timothy 2:15
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

I might just come right out and say what is meant, but perhaps we could hear what others say.

What say you?
For me for a very long time it has meant to study in order to be obedient to God rather than to learn the Truth. Learning the Truth comes by or through following the lead of the Holy Spirit. God may through the Holy Spirit give us Truth when we study but study even of the Bible in the flesh or in the wrong spirit gives the results described by Solomon a thousand years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem:

"And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh." Ecc 12:12

The Way to Truth is described here...

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" John 14:26

Too many people miss the Truth, God's Truth, because they misunderstand what Paul wrote and expect to find it by being the best of Bible students.

God want us to read the Bible, but first He wants us follow Him. Even in reading the Bible, we should always be led by the Holy Spirit. The lack of this is certainly one of the primary reasons we have so many different church groups/denominations with opposing doctrines and beliefs based on the same Bibles.
 

Enoch111

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"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
Obviously the Word of Truth is the written Word of God, from Genesis to Revelation. But we need to go back to the King James Version to bring out its meaning.

Study* to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.

*From spoude; to use speed, i.e. To make effort, be prompt or earnest -- do (give) diligence, be diligent (forward), endeavour, labour, study.

While the Greek word Σπούδασον (spoudason) means to hasten, it is used here in connection with being a workman and rightly dividing the Word of Truth. So let's see what rightly dividing** [ὀρθοτομοῦντα
(orthotomounta)]
means.

**Strong's Concordance

orthotomeó: to cut straight
Original Word: ὀρθοτομέω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: orthotomeó
Phonetic Spelling: (or-thot-om-eh'-o)
Definition: to cut straight
Usage: I cut straight; met: I handle correctly, teach rightly.


Just as a surgeon must cut straight with a scalpel in order to examine what is beneath the skin, the student of Scripture must cut straight by properly handling Scripture to understand what is revealed. So how does one correctly handle or rightly teach the Word of God without diligently studying it? Therefore the KJV translators were divinely led to use the word "study".

This verse is telling us the Scripture must be rightly handled, which means rightly interpreted. And what we see in Christ and the apostles interpreting the Word was that they took it in its plain literal sense first, then made applications from there. They also quoted extensively from the Hebrew Tanakh (not the Septuagint, where the correspondence is 10% or less), which means that we are to compare Scripture with Scripture to arrive at a correct understanding.

However what happened after the apostles was that people like Justin, Origen etc. began to allegorize and spiritualize the Scriptures.While there are allegories and parables in the Bible, Bible truth is generally presented in its plain literal sense.

What has further complicated matters is the introduction of modern bible versions which are based upon corrupted Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. Modern versions have resorted to the LXX in the OT, which has been seriously corrupted. They have also resorted to a handful of ancient Gnostic corruptions -- Aleph, A, B, C, D -- and changed the Bible through that.

The only uncorrupted English language Bible in current use is the KJV, since the underlying manuscripts are the traditional Hebrew Masoretic text and the Greek Received Text. The King James 2000 Bible addresses the issue of archaisms.
 

FHII

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"dissecting". Looking into and understanding what the Crux is and how it works.

If you decide or dissect a heart (the organ), you learn it has 4 Chambers and valves that close and open at certain times. You learn it lives on the very blood it pumps and relies on the same Artie's, veins and cappilaries it feeds. When you dissect the heart muscle, you learn how it works, and can teach others. That's what Paul wanted Timothy to do with the scripture. He wanted him to be a master of it the way a cardiac Sergio knows the heart.

Unless you have dissected a heart (or read about what was discovered from dissection). All you know is that it pumps blood. Well, that's ok... But it doesn't help much when things go wrong.

Now apply that to the whole living organism! Paul wanted Timothy to dissect the heart, lungs, circulatory, skeletal, nervous and endocrine systems of the Bible... And to rightly do so. And to study and prove he knew what he was talking about.
 
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Invisibilis

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"Knowing" the truth, by faith, which is obvious, doubtless, and nourishing to one's soul. As opposed to knowledge of the truth, by reasoning and logic, which is theoretical, tentative, and only bolsters self-validity.
 

ScottA

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Impressive - thank you!

But rather than address my objections, of which there are some, I will just state what ought to be obvious:

In order to be "rightly divided", the word of truth must certainly be divisible by some means. In other words, there is something about it that can be divided, and should be.

God's word itself offers many examples, most in twos, some in thirds, some sevens, as well as others. But then again, Paul does not say to rightly separate the word, as if there were multiple parts, but rather speaking in simpler terms he just says "divide." He might have elaborated, but didn't. Which would make the best right answer, to "rightly divide" in two. Such as: light and darkness, day and night, good and evil, wheat and tares, sheep and goats, Jews and Greeks, male and female, bond servant and free, old and new, flesh and spirit, God and man, heaven and earth, heaven and hell, etc.. Take any two of those and with two different colored highlighters, go through all the scriptures marking the words and passages that pertain to each...and I would venture to say, much would be revealed. But I recommend flesh and spirit, and God and man.

The result of such and exercise would render a clear(er) distinction of what in scripture pertains to living in the world and our time under the sun, as opposed to those things which are not of this world, but of the kingdom, and of God. One would follow a timeline, and the other not.

And then in our reading..."seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." Let there be a clear distinction.
 

Stranger

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2 Timothy 2:15
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

I might just come right out and say what is meant, but perhaps we could hear what others say.

What say you?

I would point out this first of all.

Can we not assume, due to this verse, that it is possible to 1.) wrongly divide the word of truth? 2.) And that for that we should be ashamed? 3.) And for that we would not be approved of God?

Stranger
 
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ScottA

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I would point out this first of all.

Can we not assume, due to this verse, that it is possible to 1.) wrongly divide the word of truth? 2.) And that for that we should be ashamed? 3.) And for that we would not be approved of God?

Stranger
If you don't believe Paul had any right to suggest such a thing, that the very idea is shameful...you'll have to ask him.

Meanwhile, are you asking the rest of us not to believe Paul had a reason to state it so? I for one believe he had a reason.
 
B

brakelite

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I think we need to remember what it is we are dividing... The word of truth. And scripture is presented to us as a vehicle through which we may find Christ. The truth which we discern through the holy Spirit divides us away from the wrong Christ... Of which there are many.
 
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bbyrd009

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2 Timothy 2:15
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

I might just come right out and say what is meant, but perhaps we could hear what others say.

What say you?
2 Timothy 2:15
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

I might just come right out and say what is meant, but perhaps we could hear what others say.

What say you?
not give us your observations or your best guess, but say?
hmm
cant help but feel like im around some...naval intelligence or something
:)
 

The wind

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2 Timothy 2:15-18 King James Version (KJV)
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly INTERPRETING the GOSPEL.

16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;

18 Who concerning the GOSPEL have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
 
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brakelite

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Yes, every religion has there own do they not...
Indeed. The book of revelation reveals Jesus walking among the candlesticks...I would imagine much of His time during His walks is spent correcting those living in the light of those candlesticks Who He is. But He uses the scriptures to do it. Luke 24:32
 
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Waiting on him

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Every time I read this bit of scripture my mind immediately goes to the book of John, where Jesus says I AM the Vine.
His Father is the Husbandman.

We move along in our Christian lives growing like branches on a grape vine drawing nutrients from the vine(reading and studying the Word). The Husbandman comes along and and removes the branches that are growing only to sustain them selves( yielding no fruit) but the ones that have clusters of fruit the Husbandman purges, to the point where there are only a few leaves left making the nutrients and vine sole focus ( the fruit)
It’s the reading an study that in our behalf that is a collaborative effort along with Him to accomplish this

Focus on the fruit.
 
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Waiting on him

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2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV
[16] All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [17] That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

This is in my opinion what Holy is. The Husbandman cuts, separates, and divides.
Tecarta Bible
 
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