2 Timothy 2:15

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth ~ 2 Timothy 2:15


Paul is talking to a young church leader, Timothy, but whether Timothy was young or old, the wise words are for every person who teaches God’s word to others. As a preacher, there have been times when I have quaked as I have brought a tough message to a group. My quaking was on the inside, fearful in one way as to how my words would be interpreted, but on the other hand with the full confidence in God that what I knew the Gospel said was true and that I would speak it no matter how I internally was feeling or how the listener reacted. My principle guide is always God’s word and speaking the truth of that word. The object is not for me to please others, but to please God, and this is what Paul is telling Timothy. My approval ultimately comes from God, and so should it be so for all who speak His word. But we must study the word and be careful not to take it out of context. The words of the Bible must always be set against the whole of the Bible. To take a verse without looking at that subject in the whole is very liable to misinterpretation. We must always guard against that. The words above say we should correctly handle the word of truth. In other versions it is called “dividing the word of truth”, which in effect means to cut straight with the word. In Revelation the words of Christ emerge as a “sharp two-edged sword” which will cut nations and judge them. That is what truth does – it divides itself between untruth, between hypocrisy, between error and falsehood. As listeners, we are to judge the speaker and be discerning, to know if he or she is correctly presenting the Gospel message. Too often we hear what we want to hear, and leave the hard part untouched, but a follower of Christ will take all the words of the Gospel to heart and learn from them and grow. As Paul said, we are to learn to eat the meat and come off the milk. God’s word will cut to the heart of the matter, we need to have the ears to hear! 

Pastor Julia 

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