Last week we considered the question,

“How to Study”This week we practice with a verse,

 

2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,

rightly dividing the word of truth.

Studying the bible 2Ti 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2Ti 3:16  All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Duet 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. Rev 22:18-19 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Accuracy in Study is important!

Obviously, we must be careful to not read our own biases into scripture. This sounds obvious, but it probably happens more than we think.

We all have presuppositions that we approach scripture with. The important thing is to properly establish biblically accurate ones..

What is a presupposition?mcQuilken pg 17-18, 44 prgh2

Webster’s 1828

PRESUPPOSI'TION, n. Supposition previously formed.Supposition of something antecedent.

PRESUPPO'SE, v.t. presuppo'ze. [Eng. pre and suppose.] To suppose as previous; to imply as antecedent.

Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones...

…There is nothing so dangerous as to come to the Bible with a theory, with preconceived ideas, with some pet idea of our own, because the moment we do so, we shall be tempted to over-emphasize one aspect and under-emphasize another

Key presuppositions about the bible Its commands, prohibitions, and principals are instruction in Gods will for us,

therefore, they are morally binding. Sufficiency of Scripture - “sola scriptora” - The scriptures are the complete

message of God for us. The Bible can be understood in plain language, with the spirits illumination, and

with hard work. The bible can interpret itself, and it alone is the final authority on what it does or

doesn’t say. Inerrancy – There are no errors at all. Scripture (not necessarily the translation) is

infallible. Therefore – there are no contradictions in the bible. If we see one, it is in our

interpretation or understanding. Scripture is both divine and human – (from God to men)

Goes both ways – understand God presuppositionally, and man historically Two old folk look at each other – they just had a conversation – they know each other)

3 stages in using your bible effectively, •Observation; reading the whole book • Big picture, main point

• Interpreting the original intent through consideration of all relevant contexts, • Rightly divided…

•Applying the eternal truths to our immediate context (5 stages of learning)

• Observation - a complete and careful (re)reading of the whole book, Hearing the message in its complete context

Read the Scriptures actively not passively;repeatedly, interrogatively, acquisitively and purposefully.

Try to understand the author’s perspective, and the train of thought as a whole.

What is the mood, the tone, the emphasis? What is the main point?

Observation – purposeful careful Reading;

Interpretation – accurately determining the original intended meaning

A proper interpretation is not, “what we think it means,”

or worse, “what it means to us, now”, but the accurate discovery of the authors originally intended meaning

Again, an accurate interpretation brings out…

…the intended meaning, And the one correct interpretation.

      We must ask,  “What did all this mean to him”

before we ask ourselves, “What does it mean to us.” 

As narrow as it may sound, every passage of Scripture has only one intended meaning

and only one correct interpretation.

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth

Okay, so what does this mean… ?

3 stages in using your bible effectively,

•Observation; reading the whole book

• Interpreting the original intent through consideration of all relevant contexts,

• applying the eternal truths to our immediate context

The questions we must answer;

Read it as a whole• Who wrote 2nd Tim?• What was the objective of the letter?

Interpret it in its context• Historical and cultural context• What is the immediate literary context around the actual verse?• Grammatical context – entomology and verbs..• Explain as explicitly as you accurately can, just what the verse says?

Apply it to your life• Is it relevant to us now? • Why or why not?• What can you do to implement this into your life?

Read the book• What is 2nd Tim about?

• Being a workman of God approved unto good works foreordained• What it takes to be established in truth – the word and endurance• What it takes to guard and defend it - the word and endurance• What it takes to pass it on - the word and endurance

• Who wrote 2nd Tim?• Paul; the master missionary (gather, establish gospel, appoint elders/who will pass it on)

• What was the objective of the letter?• Encouragement and instruction to Tim for the health and multiplication of churches

• The main points• Tims gift and calling• Enduring suffering for the faith• Entrusting the faith to others• Sharpen and use the sword carefully for “surgery” to prune sheep and to shave the goats• Scripture is the substance; foundation and cure for all these “ good works” we are called to

Historical Culture context• Times

• Beginning of the church age• Paul in jail now for the last time after 3 missionary trips, 4yrs already in jail,• Having already gathered, grounded in gospel, and established with “house order” the

churches• Persecution stirring• Jews about to revolt – temple will be destroyed in 3 years and church scattered

• Culture• Pharisees, pagans, heathens; outside, and even inside the new church

• Author• Paul; the one given the revelation and ministry of communication and establishing self

edifying and self replication churches• This is his last letter and he knows it will be… 

• Audience• Timothy, pastor at Ephesus, the biggest church and the then central one.

Contextual context• 1 tim is about establishing the church with elders etc• 2nd tim is about guarding and strengthening and equipping it to reproduce• 2 tim 1:2 son tim, 5-6 your faith/gift, 1:8 don’t be ashamed of MY

suffering for faith but be a partaker, 9 god saved US to this calling, 11-12 im a preacher of gospel so I suffer, you (too) 13 hold fast the word, • 2nd tim 2:1-2 be strong, commit word to faithful men, 3-5 endure hardness

like a focused/accurate, soldier, 9-12 you will suffer for the truth• KEY VERSES related to our study verse; 2:14, 16-18, 22-23, 24-26, 3: esp,

5, 7-8, 10-12, 14-15, 16-17, 4:1-5• Plus the grammar of the verse…

Grammatical - It’s still Greek to me• 2 Timothy 2:15 Study <4704> (5657) to shew <3936> (5658) thyself

<4572> approved <1384> unto God <2316>, a workman <2040> that needeth not to be ashamed <422>, rightly dividing <3718> (5723) the word <3056> of truth <225>.

• What does the word “Study” mean?• The word, “shew”

• How do we know study refers to the word?• 2nd tim 1:6, 9-14; 2:9, 23-26; 3:5, 7, 10-, 14-17; 4:2-5

So what does the verse actually say?Amplified?

Make haste diligently (in the word) that you might present yourself unto God as being a good workman/laborer (for good works foreordained) not shamefully (to your own destruction) BUT able to fully and accurately, without distortion, interpret the word of truth

What does the context add to the meaning?• Paul, at the end of his ministry, reaches out to tim pastor of Ephesus,

knwing the evil of men and the weakness of the saints… hands the caretaker baton to Tim, reminds him of the gift God gave him, charges him to hold fast to the word given, 2:1-2  to pass it to faithful men who will teach others also, 2:3,10 to endure hardship – it’s part of the job, THIS VERSE-  shun babblings and foolish Q’s, 2:24-26 the servant of the Lord, perilous times coming and wicked men – ever learning but not the truth , the godly shall suffer but the ungodly get worse, you must continue in the word I gave and the scriptures of your youth 13-14 – they will make you wise unto salvation 15 (practical) 3:16-17 all scripture give/useful, I charge to preach always; rebuke reprove, exhort with long suffering and DOCTRINE 4:1-2, for itching ears are coming soon 3-4, prove your ministry 5 …

Note; this is within a church… (context is king)

Sheep to feed and protect – goats and wolves both… )• Read 2:19-21 • Two kinds of people,• those who know the word and have one kind of life (sheep)• Those who don’t know the word and have a different kind of life (goats/wolves)

• There is an intersection in the overlapping lives• Word people are potentially defiled by the “words” of the “talkers”• They must be able to discern and defend them selves from error

• Talkers offend word folk• They must be corrected, even for their own sake

• Read 2:24-26 – we cant strive, they are in their own way…

Summing it up• Paul is desiring to equip tim for what all good workmen will need and

will face; the word, and endurance in suffering and persecution.• The word is the tool by which God sharpen us to be workmen• Being a good workman require haste and diligence in the word• Being a goodworkman means you can “discern” what God said• Being a good workman makes you “acceptable” to God• Note: We are accepted already

• Not being able to rightly divide is being, “not” a good workman• Not being a good workman is shameful

• Good workmen teach the saints, and refute heretics…

What does it mean for us?Are we to be workmen too? (Eph 2:10)

Are we to teach and guard the faith; (great commission)

• for ourselves to be wise unto salvation (2nd ptr 1:3-4)

• In family; husband to wife, parents to children (eph 5:22-6:4. col 3, 2nd pt3 duet 6, psalm 78, malachi 4:6/lk 1:17, prov 22:6)

• In church; eph 4 one-anothering, with gifts (rom 12, 1 cor 12,)

• Before the world; to give an answer for the hope we haveAre we in a church with weeds and goats…Do we want to be wise unto salvation (dead weeds and sprouts growing)Have we been saved unto good works, should we too be thoroughly furnished unto that end of good works foreordained? 2:1, eph 2:10

So what does the verse actually say?Amplified?

Make haste diligently (in the word) that you might present yourself unto God as being a good workman/laborer (for good works foreordained) not shamefully (to your own destruction) BUT able to fully and accurately, without distortion, interpret the word of truth

How can you apply it to your life?• Is it relevant to us now? • Why or why not?

• What can you do to implement this into your life?

How to study the Bible ?

Again, the point of discovering truth is that we might walk in it!

“Walking in truth” requires accurately knowing it!

James 1:22-25New American Standard Bible (NASB)22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, this man will be blessed in what he doesnot having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, 

So what should we do?• ?• ?• ?• ?

• Is this verse relevant to us?• Is there an eternal principal that reflects an unchanging God• And is personally, morally binding?

This was …

… An example of how to study

•Observation; reading the whole book • Big picture, main point

• Interpreting the original intent through consideration of all relevant contexts, • Rightly divided…

•Applying the eternal truths to our immediate context

• Pil 3:7-16 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss [c]in view of the surpassing value of [d]knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, [e]for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and [f]the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 [g]in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on [h]so that I may lay hold of that [i]for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are [j]perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; 16 however, let us keep [k]living by that same standard to which we have attained.