The Word of Truth
2 Timothy 2:14–15
A worker . . . rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
The Bible is given by God in order to provoke a personal response in us. Consequently, if we do not allow that to happen, we inevitably misuse the Bible (even in studying it) and so pervert its intention and misinterpret it. We have an example of this from Christ’s day in his words to the Jewish leaders, as recorded in John 5. On this occasion Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. . . . How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” (vv. 39–40, 44).
No one could fault the Jews of Christ’s day for any low opinion of the Scriptures, for they actually had the very highest regard for them. Nor could they be faulted for a lack of meticulous study. The Jews did study the Scriptures. They prized them. This was an acknowledged fact. The difficulty lay in the fact that in their high regard for the Bible they quite easily passed over its intention. Their lives were not changed. As a result, although they gained honor from men for their detailed knowledge of the Bible, they did not gain salvation.
We have a contemporary example of this error in those who have a high degree of biblical knowledge—those who can name all twelve apostles, the cities Paul visited, the list of the Hebrew kings, and so on—but who have missed what the Scriptures have to teach about sin, justification, the Christian life, and obedience. Many others make this precise mistake in a preoccupation with prophecy.
Jesus said that we will know the truth about him only if we are willing to do his will, that is, allow ourselves to be changed by the truths we find in Scripture. He said, “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will [that is, determine to do it], he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority” (7:17).
And we must pray. We must ask God the Holy Spirit to do his work of enlightenment in our hearts. The Spirit’s presence is given to us to make the careful and diligent study of the Word of God effective. Without the Spirit, even with the best of minds, methods, and intentions, nothing is possible except error and unbelief.
In the Bible, God speaks. So we must allow him to speak; we must listen so that we may hear what he will say to us and we must be willing to be changed by it.
Taken from Come to the Waters by James Boice ISBN 9798887790954 used with permission from P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg NJ 08865
Scripture quotations are from the ESV (the Holy Bible English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.