As Christians, we are often told, that we must study to show ourselves Approved unto God as workmen not ashamed but rightly dividing the word of truth. But, what if, as the image displays of the little boy reading his Bible, we are unable to understand what we read. What about those who don’t read that well or those can’t read at all, are they not approved of God?
2 Tim. 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
The NIV translates 2 Tim. 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.
The actual translation of this passage lies somewhere in between the KJV and the NIV.
The word “study” is the word sp??d??? spoudazó (spoo-dad'-zo), which means, to make haste, give diligence, be eager, be zealous; to “shew”, not “show”; which is the word, pa??st?µ? paristémi (par-is'-tay-mee); which means, to present, or come up to by presenting thyself” – unto God as one approved.
And that word approved is d???µ??, ?? dokimos (dok'-ee-mos); which means acceptably approved by having been tested.
d???µ??, ?? dokimos is used for the proving or (testing) coins, i.e. confirming they were genuine not counterfeit.
A worker ????t??, ??, ? ergatés (er-gat'-ace); meaning laborer, more specifically a field laborer.
The phrase does not need to be ashamed is one word ??epa?s???t??, ?? anepaischuntos (an-ep-ah'-ee-skhoon-tos); meaning, having no cause to be ashamed, because of having discharged your responsibility of that which is assigned.
Rightly dividing the word or correctly handling is the word ????t?µ?? orthotomeó (or-thot-om-eh'-o); which means, to cut straight, the Word or “logos”. Logos, means the inspired, expressed thoughts of God. Christ was called the “Logos” John 1 manifested in flesh.
Truth is ????e?a, a?, ? alétheia (al-ay'-thi-a). This is not merely truth as spoken; but divine truth revealed to man.
So, in correctly interpreting 2 Tim. 2:15, we see it is more accurately interoperated,
Be diligent, eager or zealous, to come up to, or present yourself before God, as a laborer, having been tested and approved, without having a cause to be ashamed, willing to discharge your Christian duty of God’s Divine truth revealed unto you.
Contrary to what many of us have been taught and told; the interpretation of 2 Tim. 2:15 has little to do with academia in terms of reading, memorizing and knowing scripture from a mental assessment point of view. This is not to say we are not read, meditate and memorize God’s Word.
I remember many years ago, I sat down and had a long conversation with a “proclaimed” Satanist. He knew scripture, chapter and verse. Could quote scriptures better than many of us. He also believed that Jesus was truly the Son of God. Because he could quote scripture, did this make him a workman not ashamed because he studied the Word of God? Obviously not.
What about BTK, he was the head deacon at his Church and he could quote scripture chapter and verse; yet, was one of the worse serial killers.
What about those who are not that academically astute?
I remember many years ago where I went to a meeting for all those wanting to start a new ministry as well-known Church I used to attend. There was this lady, who presented her ministry of feeding the homeless. She lived on a fixed income, but twice a week she would prepare meals and deliver them to the homeless. She said, “I don’t really know how to preach, I don’t even read that well, but every time I give someone a bowl of soup, I’m giving them Jesus!” I shouted Hallelujah and Amen! Fund that woman’s ministry!”
Is she not a workman, not ashamed rightly handling the word of truth?
What about Harriet Tubman, she was illiterate throughout her life. She was incapable of herself studying the word of God from an academic perspective, because she could not read. However, this did not prevent her from believing God, being led by the Spirit and dispatching her God given task, as a workman not ashamed, rightly dividing the revealed Word of truth, which led her. She was stirred, moved and lead by God to accomplish her mission of freeing slaves.
How, many slaves could not read or write, but they gave us some of the most beautiful spiritual songs and poems praising God. They also established a Christian Church community that is still thriving today.
What about Smith Wigglesworth, one of the most renown evangelist of the modern era. Throughout the majority of his ministry, he could not read or write, he was illiterate. Yet, most of the modern western world has been impacted by Wigglesworth Christian revival. It was Wigglesworth who coined the phrases, “I am not moved by what see, I am only moved by what I believe.”
Furthermore, we must realize the first Christians’ literacy rate was approximately 3%, no higher than 5%; meaning 3 or 5 out every 100 people were able to read and write. A town in which there is only one who reads; he stands up, reads (the Torah), and sits down, he stands up, reads and sits down, even seven times. In other words, in some towns there was only one person who could read the Torah, which is a highly (Hebrew) religious reading.25 This rule appears also in t. Megila though with a slight difference: instead of ‘town’ it says there: ‘a synagogue of which there is only’, etc.
Now, here’s the problem most people have, is they do feel or have cause in themselves to feel ashamed, wrongfully, because they feel or think they are required to fulfill so many hours of God community service to count it as “study” or they are supposed to read so many passages or take so many notes, etc., and when they don’t meet those requirements as they believe they should, they feel ashamed.
Many Christians have only been taught that 2 Tim. 2:15 means “study” in the academic sense of doing schoolwork, homework, reading, taking notes, etc., in order to present themselves before God. And, that is not at all what this passage says or means.
Now, the NIV has a better interpretation of the transliteration of sp??d??? spoudazó: when it says, “Do your best” than the King James Victorian English translation of sp??d??? spoudazó to mean “study”. The word simply means to give diligence to, be eager, be zealous when presenting yourself unto God.
Faith in God, comes from God, which – “faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes from the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17).
There are a many ways to hear the Word of God. I can read my Bible. I can go to Bible Study. I can go to Church and hear a sermon. I can listen to preaching and teach on the radio, t.v., or even this youtube video.
The key is “hearing” (????, ??, ? akoé (ak-o-ay'): in terms of (spiritual) hearing that goes with receiving faith from God. You can do all the the aforementioned studies, sermons, listening, reading, etc., all you want, as many do, and never “hear” God.
Because hearing God is not mental assessment of academic efforts or strenuous practices – “study”.
What many Christians let interfere with “study to shew thyself approved” is their approach; and therefore, miss hearing God. What do I mean? Well, 1 John 2:20-21 says:
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.
When we accepted Jesus and was born again, the Holy Spirit gave us His anointing, and we know the truth – (????e?a, a?, ? alétheia (al-ay'-thi-a) truth or we would not have received the a rebirth.
1 John 2:27 says,
As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.
It says, “His anointing teaches you about all thing….” There it is! Faith does not come from your intelligence, your academia, your knowledge, your practices or rituals. Not your “studying” as many are lead to believe and think. It comes from “hearing” ? akoé (ak-o-ay'), and that hearing must be of the anointing (Holy Spirit) from within you. It is the Holy Spirit that will teach you “about all things”. The phrase “all things” is the word: p??, p?sa, p?? pas; which literally means, ("each, every") means "all" in the sense of "each (every) part that applies." Simply meaning, what you need to know and understand, when you come to that part, the Holy Spirit will teach it to you, bringing you to a whole. You can do all the reading your Bible, hearing all the sermons, take all the notes, all you want. If, you do not receive from the Spirit, that which you are to receive of the Spirit, what does it benefit you?
Now, we said all of that to simply say, “it’s not reading your Bible, taking notes, highlighting your Bible, listening to what the preacher said, etc., that is studying or do your best. It’s sp??d??? spoudazó (spoo-dad'-zo), give diligence to, being eager, have a zeal for “hearing” (????, ??, ? akoé (ak-o-ay'), whether it’s reading my Bible, listening to the preacher, going to Bible study, it is the allowing the Holy Spirit to bring understanding to me.
It is not the reason or knowledge of man that brings understanding, but the anointing that resides in me that brings the truth of what I heard, hear or read. This is what is meant that “you don’t need anyone to teach you. But His anointing teaches you about all things”.
God is not limited in how He teaches us.
Your studying can come from God teaching you from the mouth of babes (Matt. 21:16); from the mouth of an ass (Num. 22:23-35); through experiences (Lk. 22:32); through tribulation (Rom. 5:2-5); from preaching (Rom. 10:14); from reading His word (Acts 17:11); to humbling your heart to His wisdom (2 Chron. 34:27). God is not in a box, the Holy Spirit is able to teach us in many ways, but in no ways outside God’s Word, but our coming to God’s Word.
Presenting ourselves before God as a workman not ashamed has nothing to do with intelligence, academia, reading or writing, going to Church or Bible Study, taking notes or researching scriptures.
Acts 4:13-14
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. 14 And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.
Here’s the thing. The word “unlearned” is the Word: ????µµat?? agrammatos (ag-ram-mat-os); which literally means, unlettered, illiterate, without learning. Peter and John, it tells us, couldn’t read or write, at least not in any educated form.
It also says they were “ignorant”, the Greek word ?d??t??, ??, ? idiótés, where we get the English word – “idiot”. idiótés actually translates, unlettered laymen.
But, Acts 4:13 goes on to say the Pharisees and teachers of the Law “took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” –
“faith cometh from hearing, hearing cometh from the Word of God” Amen! Hallelujah! They didn’t need to study, read, write, take notes, make notes, do homework, etc. They were with Jesus! They received the Word of God in them! Amen!
Now that we have come to the right understanding of what “study to show myself approved of God” has to do with my haste, eagerness, diligence and zeal for hearing the Word of God, I must then know what it means to “rightly divide” the Word of truth.
Make sure to join us next week as we present “rightly divide or correctly handle the Word of truth.
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