Reading Scripture Rightly

Reading Scripture Rightly

2 Timothy 1:14-19

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

                  Just as important as reading the Bible is interpreting and reading it correctly. From the original words penned by the authors under the inspiration of God to our modern translations, there are very few errors or distortions, so when we read our English Bible, we can have absolute confidence that it remains the word of God.  Most error comes in not from the process of transmitting the text from the hand of Paul to our hands today.  Where the gregarious errors enter is in our handling and reading of the Bible, when we change the meaning of the words to fit our own bias and to justify our actions and opinions.  In this passage, Paul reminds Timothy that his most important task as a pastor and communicator of the Scripture is correctly communicating the word of truth.  To illustrate his point, Paul mentions two individuals, Hymenaeus and Philetus, who rejected the scriptures by teaching that the resurrection had already occurred.  So, how do people distort the Bible today?

                  First, people distort the Bible when they reject the teaching of scripture.  When the Bible disagrees with our modern morality, we reject the Bible. While we affirm that the Bible “contains God’s Word,” we justify our rejection of the portions of the  Bible we disagree with by claiming that the writers were biased by their own culture and thus in error.  We pick and choose which passages we like and which ones we disagree with, and those we disagree with we ignore. For example, we affirm the passages speaking of God’s love and grace but reject the passages warning of God’s judgment upon sin. Another example is when people reject the moral teaching of the Old Testament as outdated and not applicable to the church, even though both Paul and Christ affirmed the teaching of the Old Testament. Some Christians are “red letter Christians” who only read the words of Jesus, place greater value on them, and reject the teaching of the apostles. 

                  Another error comes when we reinterpret Scripture to fit our views. We do this by taking verses out of context to affirm what we want them to say.  We ‘proof text’ the Bible.  We quote Bible verses that support what we want it to say but do so by taking it out of the context in which it was written.  For example, some people quote 1 Corinthians 15:22 to affirm their view that everyone will go to heaven,  yet they ignore that the “all” does not refer to everyone but to those who have embraced the salvation Christ offers.  Furthermore, there are other verses that clearly point to the eternal judgment of those who reject Christ (see Mathew 25:46).

                  How do we then rightly handle the scriptures?  If so much misuse and distortion exists, how can we rightly understand the Bible?  The answer begins with a heart of submission to the Bible.  The most essential ingredient to rightfully handling the Bible is an attitude of surrender and obedience.  We come to the text to be taught so that we might walk in obedience.  When we approach the Bible with this attitude, the Holy Spirit guides us in the truth (John 14:16-24).  Second, as we read the Bible, we need to recognize the passage's grammar and read it in the context of the paragraph, chapter, book, and the whole of Scripture. In other words, we allow the Bible to speak itself to us to transform our lives.  How we interpret the Bible is critical to our spiritual growth.  How we view the Bible is foundational for our faith.  How we live in light of the Bible is essential to properly handling the word of truth.