Be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth, 2 Timothy 2.15.
The primary distinguishing mark of the faithful teacher will be his commitment to accurately presenting the word of truth. Correct teaching is translated as “handling accurately” or “rightly dividing” the truth in other translations. It means to cut straight. One dictionary says, “It means ‘to cut a path in a straight direction’ or ‘cut a road across the country (that is forested or otherwise difficult to pass through) in a straight direction,’ so that the traveler may go directly to his destination.”[1] This word describes a person laying a straight line of bricks, a farmer plowing a straight row, or a craftsman cutting a straight line.[2] We can take from this that every part of God’s truth is to be handled with care and accuracy. Those who teach have been given a sacred trust (Paul calls it a deposit earlier in this epistle) and are expected to handle it rightly.
Scripture is God’s inerrant, authoritative, sufficient, and sole source of divine truth. It is without contradiction because God is clear. There are no errors, discrepancies, lies, or inconsistencies in the truth He reveals. It can be understood without mental gymnastics. So, how can we correctly teach the word of truth? And equally important, how must we receive the word of truth? Two things come to mind.
First, we must exercise our minds. We must search for truth and allow the outcome to be the outcome – not something we have predetermined beforehand. Second, we need an honest, humble heart that moves from pure motives. There is nothing mystical about the process … we learn what God wants by reading, just like any other letter or document. We learn through language used by real people.
The Urgency of the Matter
What happens when the word is not handled correctly? A quick look at verses 14 and 16 in 2 Timothy 2 reveals the answer. In them, Paul speaks of words to no profit and profane and vain babblings that ruin the hearers. These things increase to more ungodliness. It is a profound responsibility to teach the word of God. On one hand, we can build people up in the faith. On the other, we could destroy their faith. Hymenaeus and Philetus are good examples of what can happen when things go wrong.
The contrast between the two kinds of teaching is seen in the phrases correctly teaching the word of truth, v. 15, and strayed concerning the truth, v. 18. One means, as we previously learned, “to cut straight,” while the other means “to miss the target.” The goal of every teacher is to cut straight and to hit the mark.
[1] BDAG, p. 722.
[2] MacArthur, John F., Jr. 2 Timothy. MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago: Moody Press, 1995, p. 76.