“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
II Timothy 2:15 KJV
God is pleased with our efforts when we study hard to gain His approval. What does He want us to study? His Word. We will never be ashamed by studying and learning the Word of God because…
- God’s Word is pure. Psalm 12:6 “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”
- God’s Word is life. John 6:63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
- God’s Word is light. Psalm 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
- God’s Word is sharp. Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
- God’s Word is everlasting. I Peter 1:25 “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”
- God’s Word is a saving power. Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
And God stands by His Word. Isaiah 55:11 says, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
Romans 15:4 says, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”
When we study God’s Word, rightly dividing it, we compare Scripture with Scripture and look to God for instruction and wisdom to understand the things He wants us to know.
- God’s Word is infallible. It is the Word of Truth.
- There are no contradictions in God’s Word. It is reliable.
- The Holy Spirit of God is the teacher.
John 16:13 says, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth…”
Notice that He’s called “The Spirit of Truth.” And He will guide you into all truth. The only place on earth where you can find “all truth” is God’s Word. (Not a book about God’s Word.)
You can only believe about fifty percent of what you read in the newspapers. That means that at any given time, the article you are reading is peppered with errors. So how do you separate the truth from fiction? Without investing the time to research the facts yourself, you will pick and choose what you think is true and what is fabricated. That’s true about conversations, documentaries, magazine articles, books. Even the well-written and well-researched ones have mistakes.They were written and produced by a fallible human being, so they have errors in them. The only place that you can find all truth is in the Bible, so what’s keeping you from that truth?
In Matthew 4:4, Jesus said, “…It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
If Jesus declares that we need “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God,” that tells us that it’s vital that we know the truths in God’s Word. That will only come from studying it and allowing God’s Holy Spirit to teach us. Filling your life with “all truth” will never bring you shame.
Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
- Study God’s Word.
- Know God’s Word.
- Understand God’s Word.
- Apply God’s Word.