RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD – TOPICAL STUDY OF 2 TIMOTHY 2:15 Our Heavenly Father, Creator of all things and Master Teacher, we humbly come into Your presence to seek Your Holy Spirit to open our eyes to these Holy Scriptures. We earnestly pray for enlightenment as we study together, and we ask You, Father, to open our eyes to see the truths contained in these words. Open our minds to comprehend that which we are reading, and open our hearts to receive the message that You have for us. Finally, dear Father, we ask for the strength and courage to live our lives in a manner of the called, constantly giving You the glory, honor, and praise that You deserve. We pray these things in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Over the years, I have observed that many people who love the Lord Jesus deeply are, nonetheless, embarrassed occasionally when unbelievers raise questions like the following.… “How could a God of love order the extermination of the Canaanite civilization?” “How could a God of love mandate the slaughtering of bulls and goats and little lambs and pigeons for sacrifices?” “Why does the Bible set guidelines for slavery rather than abolishing it altogether?” On and on, questions come our way that cause some who love the Lord to feel embarrassed about parts of the Bible. The problem isn’t with the Bible. The problem is with our inability to rightly divide it. The Greek word for “divide” means to cut a straight line, to make an incision. In order to rightly divide the Word, we need to understand first of all that the Bible is not simply a book of theology, but rather a drama through which we see the unfolding of God’s redemption of mankind. Viewed as a drama, we see seven scenes, or “dispensations,” into which all of Scripture is divided.… SCENE I – THE DISPENSATION OF INNOCENCE Psychologist B. F. Skinner voiced the belief of many when he said, “If you can change the external environment of a group of people, they will live at peace.” Scripture, however, says otherwise, for when God placed man in the perfect environment in the Garden of Eden, what did man do? He chose to rebel in the one and only way possible. He chose to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that was placed in the Garden as a way for him to choose for or against God’s love. B. F. Skinner was wrong. Man chose to rebel. Consequently, those who say it’s okay to smoke marijuana because God created it, don’t rightly divide the Word, for it was only during the age of innocence that God declared that which He had made to be good. But because the first dispensation came to a close when man fell, the Bible says at that point, all of creation entered into a fallen condition—groaning, aching, and longing for the day of restoration (Romans 8:22). SCENE II – THE DISPENSATION OF CONSCIENCE Many think that if everyone simply followed their conscience, the world would be right. So in the period between Adam and Eve’s fall in the Garden of Eden and the Flood that covered the earth, God declared “If you do well, you’ll be accepted” (see Genesis 4:7). But it didn’t work, for the dispensation began with Cain killing Abel and ended with the imagination of man being evil continually (Genesis 6:5). SCENE III – THE DISPENSATION OF GOVERNMENT Mankind still has a tendency to think that if we could only elect good leaders, the problems of the world would be solved. Following the Flood, based upon the right and responsibility of capital punishment given to Noah, mankind was to govern himself. Yet the “Dispensation of Government” began and ended dismally. No sooner had God given Noah responsibility to govern the world than, unable to govern even himself, Noah ended up drunk in his tent, fathering two peoples who would be problematic to the people of God throughout their history. The end of the dispensation is typified by the Tower of Babel—a government project constructed of mud and slime whose end result was total confusion. SCENE IV – THE DISPENSATION OF PROMISE “We need a promise, a hope that good is coming,” says man. God gave Abraham such a promise when He said He would make of Abraham a great nation (Genesis 12:2). Yet when famine hit, Abraham’s descendants lost hope, disobeyed God, and headed for Egypt (Genesis 26:2). SCENE V – THE DISPENSATION OF GRACE “You tried a perfect environment. You tried to live by your conscience. You’ve given human government a whirl. You tried rules and regulations. Now,” says God, “try this: For by grace are you saved, not of works. It’s a gift of God” (see Ephesians 2:8, 9). All of the previous dispensations lead to the one we are in right now—grace. We admit that government isn’t the answer, that environment won’t solve the problem, that our consciences are corrupt and seared. We admit we’re sinners in desperate need of a Savior. But some say, “I don’t really know if I can believe in the idea of a free gift of salvation. I want to see some proof.” And this leads to the next scene.… SCENE VI – THE TRIBULATION After the church is taken to heaven, God will begin to make himself known powerfully and visibly to those who don’t believe on Him, to those who want nothing to do with Him. Hundred-pound hailstones will pelt the earth, and blood will fill valleys two hundred miles long as God employs terrible tragedy in a wake-up call to earth. SCENE VII – THE KINGDOM AGE At the end of the Tribulation, Jesus Christ will come back to rule and reign in Jerusalem for one thousand years. It seems all would be well at last. But in Revelation 20, we read an amazing thing: After one thousand years of such peace that the lion will lie down by the lamb, after one thousand years of such health that those who are one hundred years of age are considered children, after one thousand years of perfect conditions for humanity, guess what happens? Man rebels against God once again. Not you and me—but many of those who are on the earth in a human state will turn away from Jesus, ushering in the creation of a new heaven and earth. Truly, there’s a flow, a drama that unfolds throughout Scripture, which is not seen by those who simply focus on one section. That’s why Paul said to Timothy, “Study.” That’s why we meet together regularly to study. And in so doing, we are able to say to the Jehovah’s Witness, for example, that the 144,000 among which he numbers himself are part of a dispensation yet to come. And we are able to tell the Adventist that keeping the Sabbath in the “Age of Grace” is impossible if for no other reason than the fact that attending church on the Sabbath is in direct violation of the law that prohibits travel beyond one hundred yards. An understanding of God’s unfolding plan of redemption will cause one to read the Scriptures with an awareness of the scope and purpose of any given dispensation. However, one can rightly divide the Word and still miss the point if the Word of God doesn’t divide him (Hebrews 4:12). That is, the Word of God must not only lodge in our minds—it must touch our hearts. How can we know if the Word is touching our hearts? In Revelation 10:10, we read that when John ate of the scroll, signifying the Word, it was sweet to his mouth, but bitter to his belly. So, too, when I study theology—the promise of heaven, the assurance of salvation, the doctrine of justification—I find them oh, so sweet. But I know the Word is truly accomplishing its work within me when, upon further contemplation, I find them bitter as I realize the plight of those around me who don’t yet know Jesus. In other words, I know the Word is having its intended effect when it not only satisfies my spirit, but when it motivates my soul to ministry, to service, to prayer, and to love. May we be those who, like a skilled surgeon, rightly divide the Word. And may we be those who, like a willing patient, allow the Word to divide us, and to make us more like Jesus. Have a blessed day!
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 11:31:16 +0000
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