Dependable In Doctrine - May 27

Read 2 Timothy 2:15

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Reflect

Why is it important to live in obedience to God’s Word? Does right doctrine really matter?

Barna Group published research in 2017 called “Competing Worldviews Influence Today’s Christians.” As part of that study, they polled practicing Christians who regularly attend church and consider their faith to be an important aspect of their lives. They found that only 17% of those Christians actually hold to a biblical worldview.

Let me emphasize something. That is not 17% of the entire population. That is 17% of people who go to church often and consider their Christian faith to be an important part of their life! Other ideologies that influenced the other 83% were mostly New Age spirituality, postmodernism, Marxism, and secularism. But the point is, many Christians in the US today don’t believe the Bible is authoritative or should be the standard for their morality.

Why does this matter? Is there a right and wrong way to interpret Scripture?

The apostle Paul would argue that yes, there is a right and a wrong way to interpret Scripture. In fact, in his many letters to the early church, he spent a great deal of time presenting and defending true doctrine, the right way of interpreting Scripture. In addition, he called out false teachers who interpreted Scripture the wrong way and addressed the heresies they brought into the church.

In today’s passage, Paul urged his protege, Timothy, to strive to be a pastor who “rightly handles” God’s Word. Many commentators pointed out that in the original Greek, this phrase would literally mean “cutting it straight.” Just as other trades and disciplines require attention to detail and absolute accuracy, so does teaching the Bible.

In his study Bible, John MacArthur commented: “Precision and accuracy are required in biblical interpretation, beyond all other enterprises, because the interpreter is handling God’s Word. Anything less is shameful.”

Unfortunately, when many people study the Bible these days, I am afraid they forget (or don’t believe) that they are reading the very words of God. We should never allow our own opinions, feelings, and experiences to influence how we understand and interpret His Word. We have to cut it straight!

This is critical because, ultimately, our beliefs drive our actions. If we believe that the Bible is God’s Word and that it is true, it will change the way we live. It will shape our opinions and form our worldview. God’s Word is a powerful thing so we should make sure we handle it correctly.

Later in his letter to Timothy, Paul wrote: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:15-16).

As we seek to live faithfully, we must be faithful with God’s Word. We can’t take liberties with it, we can’t ignore it, and we can’t pick and choose which verses we believe are true and which ones are not. Faithful believers rightly handle God’s Word. They read it regularly and they “cut it straight.” As a result, they are dependable in doctrine.

Respond

Lord, thank You for the gift of Your Word. You, Yourself, have taught us how we can be saved and what it means to live faithfully to You. Help me to carefully read, understand, and share Your Word with others. I want to cut it straight. I want to be dependable in doctrine. Amen.

Reveal

Have you thought much about the doctrines you believe and their sources? If they are derived from the theories of man, they are likely false. Pray that as you spend more time in God's word that God will reinforce His truths in your heart and mind.