How Do You Rightly Divide The Word Of Truth

[Guest]

I am sorry I thought I was dealing with reasonably spiritually mature men and women here...

 

That'll get you points for your argument...Nope you're the only one.

[Guest]

 

This phrase always concerns me a bit. Not because I do not believe that the Holy Spirit does lead us through scripture, but because I have often heard it spoken a bit flippantly. For instance, I was at a friends house some time ago where there were various people that are not only not KJV-only, they are pretty much any version but the KJV. I asked them how they know which version to use at any given time and they said the Holy Spirit guides them. Well, I believe the Holy Spirit has led me to the KJV. Since God is not the author of confusion someone is OBviously mistaken.

You left out the more important part. Flippantly...you weren't at my house.

 

I let the Holy Spirit lead me...

 

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

 

...if it's still fuzzy...I consult other sources I trust.

"This phrase always concerns me a bit." Well, then I suggest... Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

[John81]

With regards to the Holy Spirit leading us in our study of the Word...

 

When it comes to actual born again followers of Christ who are seriously taking the time to pray, listen for, discern and pay heed to the Holy Spirit, that's the most excellent practice and those doing so are good to listen to when they speak of the leading of the Holy Spirit.

 

We all know there are many, some saved and some not, who do wrongfully toss around the "leading of the Holy Spirit" claim, when what they really mean is they are following their own spirit and since they feel good about it they believe that makes it right, and in their own eyes that would mean it would be right with the Holy Spirit as well.

 

Knowing Dave as I do from our time on OB, I would say that when he mentions following the leading of the Holy Spirit, he's speaking of the biblical application of such.

[Nom de Plume]

You left out the more important part. Flippantly...you weren't at my house.

 

This wasn't a personal attack on you. I was simply commenting on the phrase "I let the Holy Spirit lead me..." and how I have seen it used. Sorry if it came off as a personal attack...it wasn't.

 

With regards to the Holy Spirit leading us in our study of the Word...

 

When it comes to actual born again followers of Christ who are seriously taking the time to pray, listen for, discern and pay heed to the Holy Spirit, that's the most excellent practice and those doing so are good to listen to when they speak of the leading of the Holy Spirit.

 

We all know there are many, some saved and some not, who do wrongfully toss around the "leading of the Holy Spirit" claim, when what they really mean is they are following their own spirit and since they feel good about it they believe that makes it right, and in their own eyes that would mean it would be right with the Holy Spirit as well.

 

Knowing Dave as I do from our time on OB, I would say that when he mentions following the leading of the Holy Spirit, he's speaking of the biblical application of such.

 

Again, if Dave is "I am chief" I wasn't pointing fingers.

 

People sure are sensative here.

[John81]

Nom de Plume,

 

Knowing you are new here, I was just pointing out that Dave (I am chief) is a man speaking rightly of such things. Being new, you wouldn't know that.

 

Yes, there can be some sensitive aspects here because many have been here of late who are quick to attack and take matters to a personal level. While we should all be more gracious and careful, we are all subject to getting somewhat defensive at times.

 

In any event, welcome to OB, please have patience with us and hopefully we will do the same towards you.

[Covenanter]

Many of you already know how I and some others rightly divide.  we divide by time/ages/dispensations and by group Jews, Gentiles and the Church of God.

But do you, do I, rightly divide? And what does Paul mean? Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. The divisions of the OT Scriptures were accepted, so Paul must mean more than simply Law - Prophets - Psalms. He must also be saying more than "read a section from the three main divisions." Has anyone got an early 16th C dictionary as used by the translators? What is the significance of translation of ὀρθοτομέω as rightly dividing?

 

OBviously we can divide by time, etc. None of us stop at simple division but interpret Scripture according to our divisions. Once "interpretation" is applied we are in fact saying that Scripture CANNOT be understood by simple reading or simple division but needs an interpretative system imposed on it.

 

And therein is our disagreement.

As we study, how does the Holy Spirit guide you into all truth ? Why then do we not agree, even on a Bible-believing forum? How do we rightly divide ?

 

BUT, when a word & a concept appears once in Scripture, we have to be careful not to build too much on it - especially as the context has its warnings:

¹⁴ Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. ¹⁵ Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

 

AND what do we righly divide with ? We have a weapon designed for right division - the Word of Truth, aka the Bible - the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God - 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. - And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

 

With the Word we divide truth from error, divide sinners from their sin, & ultimately the Lord will divide in judgement the wicked from the redeemed. Words to great profit, eternal profit. 

[TheSword]

OBviously we can divide by time, etc. None of us stop at simple division but interpret Scripture according to our divisions. Once "interpretation" is applied we are in fact saying that Scripture CANNOT be understood by simple reading or simple division but needs an interpretative system imposed on it.

 

And therein is our disagreement.

As we study, how does the Holy Spirit guide you into all truth ? Why then do we not agree, even on a Bible-believing forum? How do we rightly divide ?

 

If "rightly divide" does indeed refer to interpretation, wouldn't it be God saying that it can't be interpreted by simple reading? Rather, isn't He saying that you need to earnestly study His Word in order to truly understand it? People who only do a surface reading of Scripture and take a quick-and-easy-find-something-to-make-me-feel-good approach miss the real messages of the bible. Further, unbelievers who read, or even study, without the Holy Spirit are incapable of grasping it's deeper truths beyond the Gospel. How many times do you hear an atheist quote scripture and talk about what the Bible says and then immediately respond with something like "Well that's not what that passage really means. They're twisting it."

 

I don't think you have to impose a system, but you do need to understand that regardless of how you approach Scripture you come away with an interpretation of what it means. I wholly agree that Scripture is the best interpreter of Scripture. That doesn't negate our need to diligently study it in order to rightly understand/interpret it though; if anything, it makes it more important, which is what I think is the whole point of 2 Tim 2:15.

[Genevanpreacher]

So far no one has laid out any processes on how they study.

 

If the only division is OT and NT then why command us to rightly divide.

 

OBservation, Interpretation/Exegesis and Application is a Study formula and a good place to start

 

One who divides by ages or by Jew, Gentile or Church of God does not necessarily miss out on any applications that seems to be an assumption. 

 

Ok let's outline the above OIEA study formula and see what we can come up with.  Whenever studying out using this method you will need a piece of paper or your favorite word processing program and chart out your results.

 

1) OBservation of the Text is first thing Read your text and re-read your text.  Then get out your divine tool box god has built into your heart.  those tools are in the form of Questions the six W's and an H.  Who, What , When, Where, Why and Which and then How these are your tools.  Always ask who the text is speaking too historically, then Doctrinally and lastly Spiritually do this with each tool.  An important question to ask also in what type of literature am I studying.  You will find these following literature types in the bible and they will be mixed at times. 1) Narratives (historical narratives if you like), 2) Poetry, 3) Proverbs, 4) Prophecy, 5) Parables and 6) Epistles.  these are divisions of the word of truth in and of themselves or which I also use.

 

2) Interpretation/Exegesis of the text.  This is rather redundant because the AV Bible is already interpreted for you from the TR.  which included Hebrew texts, Greek text and from some Latin text.  Also available was Byzantine text such as Syrian and Ethiopian Bibles.  However many like to interpret for themselves and this is where restating the text or interpreting the text into your own understandable language for those who don't understand the thee's, thous' and the eth's and est's.  Exegesis is nothing more than and interpretation of the AV Text so say or repeat the verse in your own words.

 

 

 

3) Application once you have answered all the questions and determined who the text is for then you can develop and application from what you have learned from the text.  Now not all applications of text will be for today such as animal sacrifice, building an Ark, flaying animals in two and then you and your agreeing party walking between them to close a deal.  things like that.

 

A word of advice here let the text bring out the meaning and don't force an idea into the text.  Start out with a blank slate and allow the scripture to reveal the truth don't force an preconceived idea into the text.

 

Once you studied the text and determined an application you can stop there.  But that is not all the truth you will find in the Bible

 

You can take it a bit further and chart out times elements of the Bible text, that is divided the ages of the Bible like creation, fall, pre-flood, post-flood, pre-law, law, church age, tribulation (law reinstated), Millennial Kingdom then you can list which things apply in those time periods.  I assume many of you are familiar with this Division of the word of Truth.  In these times historically you can place the

 

So far we can see divisions of the word of truth in the types of literature, In time periods, and divisions of people groups Jew Gentile and the Church of God (which is the body of Christ).

 

Within literature types you will also find figures of speech similes, idioms, allegories, hyperboles, comparisons, personifications, aporisms, metaphores etc. . , also you need to keep you eye open for alliterations and others as well.

 

If you go through Psalm 119 you will find some words in the text that refer to God's word it is here you will find the first uses of the term "word of truth" a direct cross reference to 2 Tim 2:15.  Every verse has at least one of these words in them and you can divide also by these too.  1) Testimonies/testimony, 2) Ordinances, 3) Precepts, 4) Statutes, 5) Laws, 6) Commandments, 7) Judgements, 8) words/word, 9) ways/way and 10) works/work.  Here we have word's of the word of truth of which we can also divide with. this is a little more narrow that the others but they are good to study out how these words apply to the God's word.

 

Ok so far we have four ways we can divide the word of God and there are other ways too.  For example when you get to the book of Revelation (no newbe should even start with this book until they have mastered the OIEA study method first on a number of other books) when you get to it, you can divide it into some things too.  Like pre-letters to the churches, the letters, and the prophecy.  Once into the prophecy area you can divide it even more into Heavenly and Earthly.  Remember this when studying this book, Prophecies should never be spiritualized to do so will cause errors innumerable. 

 

Please add to these as these are basic rightly dividing the word of truth formulas and can be expanded on.

 

I could be wrong, but dividing the word of truth aright, could be:

                1) Reading it for fulfilling your spiritual strength,

                2) Read it for strengthening your knowledge for edifying others,

                3) And increasing your wisdom for 'proving' yourself in front of others, that what God says is what you believe. 

After all the previous verse does say to "strive not about words, which is to no profit...".

 

We do get the word 'hearken' from two words: hear, and ken (ken, interestingly, being the word in Scottish for 'know') So the word hearken, or harken, means 'to hear to know'.

 

Paul said, also in verse 2: "And what things thou hast heard of me by many witnesses, the same deliver to faithful men, which shall be able to teach other also."

 

Studying is, to me, to read God's word till you understand the strength of what it says, to send it forth to others by the word of your mouth.

 

We just need to know it.

 

No real 'process' as per se.

[Genevanpreacher]

Many of you already know how I and some others rightly divide.  we divide by time/ages/dispensations and by group Jews, Gentiles and the Church of God.

 

Throughout our conversations I have asked repeatedly for those who oppose my and others way of rightly dividing to show us how they are rightly dividing.

 

Well here is the thread for you to do so.

 

Knowing how you rightly divide helps us to know how you are studying and helps us to understand some of the statements you have made concerning certain issues that have arose.

 

Please tells us 'How you rightly divide the word of truth"?

MY LAST COMMENT SHOULDVE GONE WITH THIS QUOTE!

Sorry!

[Guest]

Nom 

 

This wasn't a personal attack on you. I was simply commenting on the phrase "I let the Holy Spirit lead me..." and how I have seen it used. Sorry if it came off as a personal attack...it wasn't.

 

 

Again, if Dave is "I am chief" I wasn't pointing fingers.

 

People sure are sensative here.

Nom, I did misunderstand your comment as more personal. I don't hold 'grudges' I am a forgiving person; my Savior forgave me and I'm, as far as I'm concerned the epitome of 1 Timothy 1:15. I won't even recall the misunderstanding...no need to apologize. Happy posting and God's grace to you brother.

[EKSmith]

You only read your Bible at Christmas time?

Anishinaabe

Brother I read my bible daily 7 days a week, my bible never closes my friend

[EKSmith]

I could be wrong, but dividing the word of truth aright, could be:

                1) Reading it for fulfilling your spiritual strength,

                2) Read it for strengthening your knowledge for edifying others,

                3) And increasing your wisdom for 'proving' yourself in front of others, that what God says is what you believe. 

After all the previous verse does say to "strive not about words, which is to no profit...".

 

We do get the word 'hearken' from two words: hear, and ken (ken, interestingly, being the word in Scottish for 'know') So the word hearken, or harken, means 'to hear to know'.

 

Paul said, also in verse 2: "And what things thou hast heard of me by many witnesses, the same deliver to faithful men, which shall be able to teach other also."

 

Studying is, to me, to read God's word till you understand the strength of what it says, to send it forth to others by the word of your mouth.

 

We just need to know it.

 

No real 'process' as per se.

Thank you brother

[prophet1]

Brother I read my bible daily 7 days a week, my bible never closes my friend

Who then is this "Holly Spirit", of which you speak?

Anishinaabe

[LindaR]

Who then is this "Holly Spirit", of which you speak?

Anishinaabe

A typo....I'm sure EKSmith meant "Holy Spirit"
 

[AVBibleBeliever]

I suppose you could keep the strict literalness of the word, but I disagree that is what the context calls for. Such a strict rendering would be closer to what swathdiver put forth sarcastically as cutting it up. You have to either take the word woodenly literal and get your scissors out and go to work or you have to accept that a literal interpretation involves a figurative use of words and take the plain sense of the sentence. The context of the whole chapter is Paul's exhortation to Timothy on how to effectively minister.

 

If you stick to the woodenly literal interpretation of each word, you must also accept that Paul is telling Timothy to should be a literal soldier (v. 4) and a farmer (v. 6) and a laborer (v. 15) all at the same time, Jesus Christ came from grain (v. 8), words will becoming literal sores in people's mouths (v. 17), and people should literally become a cask or utensil for holding literal liquid honour (v. 21). All of these definitions are English-only straight from Websters 1828 and if you leave no room for figurative usage of them, this is what you have to accept as correct. I believe Paul spoke and wrote the same way we speak and write and that he often used figurative language to make a point and 2 Tim 2 is full of idioms, similes, and metaphors and we should take them as intended plainly.

 

 

 

All of the above (except Hebrew since we're in the New Testament on this one). I recognize that I don't have all the answers so I rely on God to guide me and on men more intelligent than I to aide my study, though in this particular instance I did not through any man's commentary or academic study (but I'm not opposed to doing so). The prOBlem with your second point (other than it's actually used 136 times; divide - 49, divided - 69, divider - 1, divideth - 10, dividing - 7, only 26 of which are in the NT) is that the word translated "divide" in this passage is only used this one time in the entire Bible. Such a word comparison only works if you believe in secondary inspiration that changed all the word meanings and the translators basically ignored the manuscripts they were using. I don't hold that view because I believe there isn't any support or evidence for it (a topic for another thread I'm sure).

Jeremiah had a second inspiration and even more was added after words see Jer 36