BE DILIGENT WITH THE SCRIPTURES

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

LIGHT FOR THE NOW: Diligence in bible study is a quality every believer must possess.

Studying is a crucial part of our Christian life which influences or affects our spiritual growth as believers. You cannot aim to grow spiritually as a believer and neglect studies; moreover, you cannot aim to know God without reading your bible. This is because all of God’s revelation has been communicated in a written form called the bible; meaning, the written word reveals God to us. If the bible reveals God to us, it will therefore imply it has to be read. Reading should be the culture of the believer. When the believer does not know the written word, he can be misled. Hence, Paul’s letter to Timothy shows us the essence of studying; it is by studying that Timothy was going to be able to rightly divide the word of truth. Now, the word “study” in 2Timothy 2:15 from its word implies diligence; that is, to be diligent, to be eager, to make effort. It speaks of putting in hard work. Hence, it goes beyond just reading the bible. That word “study” is the same word Paul used in 2Timothy 4:9 and 2Timothy 4:21 translated as diligence. Thus, the word diligence gives the clear interpretation of the word study.

Notice that this was an instruction to Timothy (a minister of the gospel). Thus, the minister of the gospel ought to be diligent with the scriptures if he must rightly divide the scriptures. That was why the next thing Paul said was “…a workman…” The word “workman” implies a toiler or a labourer. This further buttresses the importance of hard work in studying and consequently teaching from the scriptures. It is by this (that is, studying laboriously) that the scriptures can be rightly divided by the minister of the gospel and the one listening to the gospel. The word “rightly dividing” implies to cut straight or to cut properly. The translators who used the word (“rightly dividing”) allude to something: Paul used the word as a direct opposite of innovation.
In other words, when studying and subsequently teaching from the scriptures, you cannot innovate what was not included in a text. Your role in bible study and bible teaching is to bring out what is already there. An innovation is when thoughts are already on your mind, and then you look for scriptures to back them up. That certainly is the mother of errors. Studying the scriptures is not innovating into the scriptures, it is excavating from the scriptures. You are not to add to the scriptures, neither are you to subtract from the scriptures but you are only to extract from what is already available. Your creativity is only important outside the bible; you cannot be creative with the bible. Moreover, it is in the place of studying the bible that one can consequently understand and interpret what was studied. This means that if you cannot read, you cannot study; if you cannot study, you cannot understand and if you cannot understand, you cannot interpret or explain. No wonder our Lord Jesus in the synoptic gospels will always say, “Have you not read?” (Matthew 12:3; Matthew 19:4; Matthew 21:42; Mark 2:25). Meaning that reading is very important in the life of every believer and this must be the culture of every believer.

INSTRUCTION: Never ignore studying if you want to grow spiritually.

PRAYER: I study the word, I understand the word and I am diligent in interpreting the word. Studying has become my culture and I rightly divide the word at all times, in Jesus Name. Amen!!

FOR MORE LIGHT, get the message ‘The Gospel of Christ’

QUOTE: The degree to which you study is the degree to which you understand and consequently the degree to which you can explain.

DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: 2TIMOTHY CHAPTER 3; EVENING: EPHESIANS CHAPTER 3