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2 Timothy 2:15

by Don Costello  
8/27/2013 / Bible Studies

2 Timothy 2:15

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

[Amplified Bible] Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved tested by trial, a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and dividing reightly handling and skillfully teaching the Word of Truth.

[Net Bible] Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not need to be ashamed, teaching the message accurately.

1. "Study to shew thyself approved unto God"

a. study [4704 * spoudazo] [Zodhiates: To be diligent, earnest, eager.]

b. The word translated "study" in 2 Timothy 2:15 is translated "labor" in Hebrews 4:11; "give diligence" in 2 Peter 1:10; "will endeavor" in 2 Peter 1:15. The word was translated "study" by the KJ translators I think, because of the association with the phrase, "rightly dividing the word of truth", and I think there is room for it. Personally I believe the blessing of "rightly dividing the word of truth", is pending upon "showing ourselves approved unto God." The context will bear this out. In light of that, the rendering of spoudazo to the idea of "diligence" is more precise.

c. shew [3936 * paristano] [Zodhiates: To place or set before someone, present, exhibit.]

1). Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2). Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

3). Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

a). In light of these uses, whoever we are consistently obeying, to them we are presenting ourselves as "living sacrifices", "servants", and as "weapons". In light of the use here in 2 Timothy 2:15 we can also add we are "showing" ourselves as such to either God or the devil.

d. approved [1384 * dokimos] [Zodhiates:Proved, tried as metals by fire and thus purified. Hence to be approved as acceptable men in the furnace of adversity. Approval does not mean self-commendation, but the commendation of the Lord.]

e. Within this principle of "showing ourselves approved unto God" in our behavior, there is an Old Testament example that enforces this truth.

1). Exodus 32:25-29 "And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)
Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and Said, Who is on the LORD'S side? Let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his
And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD
Side, and go in and out from gate to gate
Throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.
And the children of Levi did according to the
Word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.
For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day."

a). It appears from verse 29 that Moses was saying to the Levites, that as they were slaying their sons and brothers that they were consecrating them selves to the Lord. The Amplified Bible translation definitely says it exactly that way.

b). Amplified Bible: Exodus 32:29"And Moses said [to the Levites, By your obedience to God's command] you have consecrated yourselves today as priests to the LORD, each man [at the cost of being] against His own brother, that the LORD may restore and bestow His blessing upon you this day."

c). Exodus 32:29 [NRSV] "Moses said, Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of a son or a brother, and so have brought blessing on yourselves this day."

d).Now don't think for a minute that I am advocating killing relatives that are not Christians, God forbid! I am saying nothing of the kind. What I am saying is that one of the principal components of a relationship with God is God has to come first. This is clearly laid out in the Scriptures.

e). See additional notes.

2. "a workman"

a. workman [2040 * ergates] [Zodhaites: A laborer, primarily in farming. In 2 Timothy 2:15, a spiritual workman or laborer.]

b. Our salvation is the gift of God, we cannot work our way to heaven.

1). Ephesians 2:8, 9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.
Not of works, lest any man should boast."

c. Yet in this verse we are called "workman". How? Why? Because we are co-laborers with God, we are to labor and grow within our covenant relationship with him. The following passages with show exactly that meaning.

1). 2 Corinthians 6:1 "We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain."

2). Colossians 1:29 "Wherunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily."

3). Philippians 2:12, 13 "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

3. "that needeth not to be ashamed"

a. needeth not to be ashamed [anepaischuntos; a-without; epi-on, upon; aischuno-shame] [Strongs: a presumed derivative of the compound word 1909 epi & 153 aischuno; not ashamed, i.e., by implication irreprehensible:-- that needeth not to be ashamed.]

b. The following two passages contain the Greek word for shame, aischuno, of which the word in 2 Timothy 2:15 is a derivative.

1). 1 John 2:28 "And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming."

2). Philippians 1:20 "According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also, Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or death."

c. The next two passages contain the Greek word, epaischunomai, [1870], [Zodhiates: To bring shame upon oneself, to be ashamed of.]

1). 2 Timothy 1:12 "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."

2). Mark 8:38 "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

d. The implication I believe is obvious. The choice of whether or not we are going to be ashamed rests on us. If we choose to be obedient to his word, no matter what the cost, when we stand before Jesus we will not be ashamed. However, if we let peer pressure, or other things keep us from being obedient to his words and we are ashamed to do them, Jesus will be ashamed of us.

4. "rightly dividing the word of truth."

a. rightly dividing [3718 * orthotomeo; ortho-straight; temno-to cut] [Vines: The meaning passed from the idea of cutting or dividing, to the more general sense of rightly dealing with a thing. Teaching Scripture accurately.] [Zodhiates: To handle correctly, skillfully; to correctly teach the word of truth.]

b. I am fully persuaded that our ability to receive the Spirit led revelation/interpretation, and then to Spirit lead teach the Scriptures, is greatly affected by our free will to either diligently walk in the light revealed to us, or to entertain sin in our lives. I believe 2 Timothy 2:15 touches on it. We can see it also in 2 Peter 3:16.

1). 2Peter 3:16 "As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction."


Additional notes to 2 Timothy 2:15

1. Concerning Exodus 32:25-29, apostate Christianity states this incident was an act of religious intolerance. I am not all in agreement with these statements. As far as I am concerned these statements reveal these individuals and groups are apostate. The tragic loss of live in Exodus 32 was due to disobedience that had to be dealt with severely. There were no crimes of genocide committed by Moses or God.

a. J. Phillip Wogaman writes in his book A Christian Method of Moral Judgment.

1). "The development of universal monothesism in the Hebrew-Christian tradition did in fact serve to reinforce the authority of specific moral commandments, for they were thus invested with the authority of the universal God himself. Moral authority, thus reinforced, has served not only as a guide to specific moral judgments but as a basis for religious intolerance and persecution."

2). Wogaman cites Leo Pfeffer [pronounced Feffer] Constitutional lawyer and secular humanist in his footnotes. "Leo Pfeffer has commented that , "it is substantially true that the problem of compulsion in religion is a heritage of the monotheistic worship which Moses commanded must, under penalty of death, be accorded to a jealous God. The history of religious percsecution flows directly from Moses command to slay the three thousand men who worshipped the golden calf"

2. From the website Religious Tolerance: God's Genocides:"Show them no mercy"

a. Deuteronomy 7:1, 2 When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;
And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:

b. Deuteronomy 20:16 And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.

3. Of the many passages in the Hebrew Scriptures that describe major loss of life, most were conventional wars. Four of these events would probably qualify as genocides under most current definitions of the term.

a. The worldwide flood at the time of Noah as described in Genesis, chapters 6 to 8. From the description, it almost completely wiped out the human race, with the exception of Noah, his wife and sons and their wives.

b. The Passover incident described in Exodus chapters 11 and 12, in which all of the firstborn of all Egypt were slaughtered. This included newborns, children, youths, adults, the elderly -- both human and animal.

c. The conquest of Canaan, in which God ordered the Hebrews to completely exterminate the Canaanite people -- again from the elderly to newborns and fetuses. This is described throughout the book of Joshua as occurring in Jericho and other Caananite cities.

d. The near extermination of the entire tribe of Benjamin by the remaining 11 tribes, triggered by the serial rape and murder of a priest's concubine by a few Benjamites. See Judges, chapter 20.

My name is Don Costello. Ever since I received Christ in November of 1976 I have had a passion to study and know God's word.My wife Melissa and I have 5 children.

My e-mail address is [email protected]

I have a blog located at:
www.theophilus-loverofgodsword.blogspot.com/

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