“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, as a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” — 2 Timothy 2:15
People have opinions. That’s what makes life interesting. Sometimes, we agree with each other in our opinions; more often than not, we disagree. The disagreements can be interesting, fun even, as long as we keep in mind that each person is entitled to an opinion and that the worth of the person is not centered on their opinion.
Sadly, we seem to be living in a world and a nation that seems to imply that disagreements are far more sinister than they used to be. Now, we seem to think that the opinion different than our own is not only different, but it is wrong. Not only is it wrong, but is diametrically opposed to our core beliefs, and that this opposition is out to destroy all that is good and wholesome and worthy in my world.
This is particularly true in the world of politics, but I find it creeping in to other areas of life. One area where we should always be open to different opinions is in the Church. Our beliefs are founded on the seeking after truth (John 8:31-32; 14:6; Philippians 4:8). Unfortunately, we are finding that disagreement in the church is becoming cause for severing fellowship.
It needs to be said that much discussion is superfluous, that much of it is words that really don’t mean anything. I was listening to a sports talk show and one of the radio personalities asked another one who his favorite basketball player was. The second one replied, “Bill Russell,” which caused the first person to become almost unglued. How, he wanted to know, could Bill Russell be someone’s favorite basketball player if that person had never seen Bill Russell play in a basketball game? (Both of the men in the discussion were too young to have seen any of Russell’s actual basketball games live.) This discussion went on for several days.
But how can an opinion be wrong? If you ask me what my favorite food is, I can tell you. You may disagree, but that doesn’t make me wrong. It just means you and I have different favorite foods.
As Paul is writing to Timothy, Paul is trying to guide Timothy into how to be a better minister. One of the things Paul tells Timothy is to avoid foolish and meaningless arguments. Regarding the members of Timothy’s church, Paul writes, “Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly” (2 Tm 2:14, 16).
In between these two verses, Paul tells his young pupil to be someone who “correctly handles the word of truth.” And that’s really what I want to focus on. In order to handle the word of truth correctly, we need to know what the word of truth—the Bible—is and what it isn’t.
- The Bible is God’s message of redemption and fellowship to a lost world.
From the first words of the Bible—“In the beginning, God created”—to the last—“The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all God’s people. Amen”—the overarching aim of the Bible is God telling us of His great love for us and the actions He has taken to redeem us and restore fellowship between Him and us, and between each other. Part of the message is God showing us how we have failed Him; hence, the many passages on sin and the results of sin. But God tells us of sin so we will understand its consequences and appreciate the way of escaping sin’s destruction. John 3:16 becomes a more powerful verse for me as I grow older and in my understanding of God and His infinite grace. The wonder of His patience and long-suffering when it comes to His dealings with us as individuals exceeds my ability to fully comprehend. We use the Bible to “teach, rebuke, correct and train” (2 Timothy 3:16). We need the Bible to be reassured of God’s actively working in our lives and in our world to bring about His ultimate will. We need the Bible to show us His commands and the basis for our obedience. We obey not out of a sense of obligation, but out of a sense of appreciation for His love and as a response of our love for Him.
The writer of Hebrews tells us that “. . . the word of God is living and active. Sharper than a double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Of course the Word of God is Jesus Christ (John 1:1), and the Word is manifested through the Spirit of Christ, through the Creative Word (“and God said. . . and it was good” Gen. 1; cf. John 1:3), and the Written Word (2 Timothy 3:16). A swordsman spends years of practice to become skilled in the use of his weapon, and rightfully so. A swordsman who isn’t very good with a sword is one who will not survive battle, no matter how great his faith or his ardor for the thing in which he believes.
We, then, need to be skilled in learning the message of the Bible and conveying that message to the lost and dying world. We need to share that word with the saved and the righteous, encouraging and teaching them, correcting them, rebuking them, training them. We must use the Bible with confidence and accuracy. When we proclaim God’s word instead of our opinion, then any argument that arises is an attack or dispute with Scripture, not us.
- The Bible is not the final answer on all matter pertaining to mankind.
That may sound completely antithetical to what I just wrote, but let me explain.
Go back to the idea of a sword. If we were to go to a swordsman’s house and started looking at the chores he had to carry out, we could quickly see that he has to do some gardening, change a hinge on a door, hang some pictures and wash the dishes. The last thing we would expect the swordsman to do is to use his sword to dig in the garden, to screw in screw, to hammer in nails and to wash the dishes. We would expect him to use a hoe or rake, a screwdriver, a hammer and a dishrag or dishwasher. And if we suggested to him that he should use his sword for all chores, he’d look at us as if we were insane. And rightfully so. While the sword could be used for almost all those chores, there are much better tools. The misuse of the sword may damage it in a way that would make it ineffective for its true purpose.
The same is true of the Bible. The Bible has elements of science, history and other areas of study, but the Bible is not a history book, a science book, a math book or any other kind of book other than God’s message of redemption. Sure, the Bible gives an historical account of Israel and the Church, but it’s not written as we understand history. Its main purpose was to convey how God was and is working in history.
The Bible has science, but it is not a science book. Look at Genesis 1-3. The emphasis from the Bible’s perspective is to tell us that God is the Creator, and that there was a purpose in His creation. The “how” of creation is not addressed in the Bible; just the “who” and “why.” We have science books that explore the “how” and people of faith can read the science books with open hearts and minds. It’s not a choice between Scripture or science. It’s a blending of the two together. Since God is the Creator, He created science, too, and we can see His hand in the many laws and theories of science.
CONCLUSION
God wants us to be true to Him, true to His Word. He expects us to be faithful, to be people who correctly handle His word in such a way that He can speak through it to the world in which we live. When we try to dig in the garden or screw in the screws or nail in the nails with His word, we are not accurately using it. Let us commit to using the Bible as the message of God to a lost and dying world that fellowship with God is available through the Living Word, Jesus Christ, as revealed in His Written Word, the Bible.