Studying God's Word

2 Timothy 2:15-18 (NASB)
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have gone astray from the truth,​

Here we see we are to be "diligent" to accurately handle the "word of truth." Do we need to hold a man-made degree in Greek to study and share the results of our study? Or do we need to possess "Gnostic knowledge" bestowed in accredited schools? Do we believe in the "priesthood of believers" or in the "priesthood" of Greek speakers or Latin speakers or Hebrew speakers?

Do we need a degree in Greek to use a "Lexicon" written in English, or use an "Exhaustive Concordance" written in English or a "Reverse Interlinear" written in English? Or could we simply use our discipleship training on how to study God's word?

When we see claims by those who apparently do not study that you need a degree to study and share, beware such views are the antithesis of Christ's teachings.

To be "diligent" refers to us being earnest or zealous toward the accomplishment of something. In 2 Timothy 2:15, the idea is to study God's word zealously, and not simply accept unverified views of scripture.

Luke 8:15 (NASB)
“But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word with a good and virtuous heart, and hold it firmly, and produce fruit with perseverance.​

Are we open to the message of God's word, and can we "hold it firmly" without careful study so we are not blown about by every wind of doctrine?

How are we to "make disciples" teaching them "all Christ commanded" if we have not learned what those commands are? Do we thirst for the pure word of God, or are we happy to walk in the furrows of other people?

 

One of the "winds of doctrine" is the supposition that scripture supports the idea that we need works to sustain our salvation.

Romans 8:16-17 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. ​

Does "provided we suffer with Him" mean we must sustain our salvation through or by means of works? Do we need to "continue in the faith" by our works of faith to sustain our salvation?

Let's consider Romans 8:17:

Are we heirs in line to receive at some future point the blessings of God, or have we in the present received the blessings of God? If we are born anew children of God, then we have received salvation in the present!

If we are indeed born anew children of God, then we are sharing in the suffering of Christ, as we were baptized into His death. Thus the "provided we suffer" refers to whether or not we have been born anew and spiritually baptized into Christ's death, rather than referring to things we need to do to sustain our salvation.

Thus study is required to discern which view, once saved always saved, or once saved we can still lose our salvation is valid. Without study, we could be blown about, even into mistaken views.

 

One of our study questions is: "Does the immediate context support translating a key word according to one of its historical usages, or does it seem a novel translation choice is needed? Usually an historical meaning translation choice supports the context, whereas a redefinition choice alters the contextual message.

Lets consider Ephesians 2:3, here is how the NASB translates the verse:

Among them we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest ​

Now the Greek word translated "wrath" is used to refer to displeasure aroused (anger) or the resulting action (appropriate or inappropriate punitive action). "Children of wrath" are the result of God's punitive action in response to Adam's volitional sin. Thus wrath or God's punitive displeasure, which is the historical meaning fits with and supports the context. The fact that the "we" (believers) had been previously by nature made in accordance with the consequence of the punishment for Adam's sin, i.e made sinners, Romans 5:19, is the context. We were all previously fallen.

Now in this verse, "wrath" is in the "genitive" case, indicating we, believers, were in some way the offspring or result of God's wrath, i.e. wrath describes the kind of children we were, exhibiting the consequence of God's punitive action.