Food for Your Faith April 29, 2012
Posted by Bishop McDuffie | Posted in default | Posted on 29-04-2012
2
The Word of Truth
By Larry Ollison, Ph.D.
Second Timothy 2:15 says, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
In this scripture we find where we are told that we are to be workers for God, not ashamed and that we are to rightly divide the Word of truth. What’s interesting about this statement is that if the Word can be rightly divided, then it can also be wrongly divided.
When I was young in the ministry, I would wonder why there were so many different Christian denominations. If we all believed in the same Jesus and if we all taught from the same Bible, then why in the world did we have so many different beliefs within Christianity?
As I grew older and matured in the Word, I realized that even though we all used the same book as our guide and manual, that not everybody studied this book.
In fact, one minister that I met in college ordered his sermons through the mail and only used his Bible as the folder to hold them as he preached. Too often we develop a belief and then search the Bible to find a scripture to back up what we have predetermined as the truth. With some, it doesn’t matter if it is out of context; it only matters if a phrase matches our belief.
Recently on the national news, on the nation’s largest news network, a reporter asked a seminary professor at one of the nation’s largest Protestant universities this question. He asked, “Why is it that there are some ministers who seem so strong in their views on abortion and homosexuality and why is it that they will not compromise what they believe?”
The seminary professor’s reply stunned me. He said, “One of the problems we have in modern theology and in many of our churches today is that there are some ministers who actually believe that everything in the Bible is true and that it is the ultimate code for their lifestyle and the lifestyle of their congregations.”
How sad it is when the men training ministers don’t believe the Word of God is completely, 100% pure truth.
Titus 1:2 and Hebrews 6:18 both tell us that it is impossible for God to lie and John 8:44 says that Satan is a liar.
I know that rightly dividing the word means so much more than what I am stating here. However, the first step to rightly divide God’s Word is to believe that the Bible is inspired by God Himself and was written by men only by the direction of the Holy Spirit. It is the Word of Truth.
Amen! I’ve run across a lot of people who claim that they do not believe in the Bible due to “lost books” and “contradictions”.
When I first started studying the Bible at a very young age, I thought there were many contradictions too. My mom used to say, “don’t question God about His works”. But, I just couldn’t receive that in the way that she meant it. Later, I came to understand that when God is working through human beings, He is subject to articulating things in the way that we can say them. He can only use what’s in us. BUT, if we’re attentive, He can draw our attention to things around us to make connections as well so that we will be able to better convey what’s in His Word and what’s on His heart. But, His anointing makes for every listener to be able to hear what is on His heart for them.
I remember one time I just couldn’t help asking Him about something I’d read. I mean who would know better than the person who inspired it? I was so puzzled – almost bewildered into unbelief. I looked to Him in great confusion trying to keep believing He was the loving God I’d heard He was and I asked Him expecting an answer and He spoke to me, “don’t give up on Me just because you don’t understand. I AM just. There is no defiled way in me. It’s about the blood [line].” And I will never forget that. He was very present. And to this day I haven’t given up on Him.
But, that’s the attitude that I address others with. Don’t give up on Him just because you don’t understand. Just settle within yourself that God cannot lie and that God is a God of justice. Truly, if we stick with Him, He gives us pastors after His own heart to feed us on knowledge and understanding and as we mature, we are able to study better on our own…rightly dividing the Word.
God hates a false balance but a just weight is His delight.
…And let me be clear: God is not subject to anything or anyone as in ~being inferior to~ because He’s God but He’s often times limited in what He can do in us and through us because He can’t violate our will; our will to position ourselves to hear from Him better, etc.