Rev. Don Campbell
2 Timothy 1-4
THOUGHT FOR TODAY, DECEMBER 24, 2019
“CUTTING UP YOUR BIBLE”
One time my dad was discussing the Bible with a man and quoted a passage about baptism. The man replied, “That’s not in my Bible.” He was right! He had not purchased his Bible from a cut-rate publisher who failed to proof before printing; he had cut the offending passage out of his King James Bible. When Paul told Timothy to rightly divide the word, he used a word that means to “cut straight” (2 Timothy 2:15), but he didn’t mean to carve up the Word to our liking.
Paul’s exhortation does make it clear, however, that contrary to the oft-stated mantra, “The Bible needs no interpreting, just obeying,” the word must be interpreted. Hermeneutics is the science of biblical interpretation, and some spend their lives studying how to study.
Here we simply offer seven aids to understanding the Bible:
Reverential fear (Proverbs 1:7)
Willingness to submit to the Word (John 7:17-19)
Humility (John 9:28-34)
Honesty (2 Timothy 3:13)
Diligence (2 Timothy 2:15; Heb 5:11-14)
Openness (Acts 17:11)
Perseverance (1 Timothy 4:13-16)
CONNECTIONS
1. Do people sometimes look at the Scripture as a menu from which they can pick and choose what they will believe and obey?
2. When Jesus asked a lawyer, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” (Luke 10:26), was he not asking for the man’s interpretation?
