Accurately handling what rightly dividing means.

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Sketch

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Nov 1, 2018
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Do you mean handling what rightly divided means accurately, or accurately dividing what rightly handling means?
Or how do you divide accurately what rightly handling means? Divided rightly means accurately handling, right?
Shouldn't we learn to rightly add and subtract before we rightly divide? Just sayin'.
What was the topic title again?
 

obedienttogod

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Jan 3, 2019
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Well I know no one who does that, certainly not anyone in here

And out of fear of possibly doing this if we add works to maintain salvation, it is just as dangerous.

Amen, I know works will not get me one step further than I am right now with God, only my faith in Him will!!
 

CharliRenee

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Do you mean handling what rightly divided means accurately, or accurately dividing what rightly handling means?
Or how do you divide accurately what rightly handling means? Divided rightly means accurately handling, right?
Shouldn't we learn to rightly add and subtract before we rightly divide? Just sayin'.
What was the topic title again?
You have made me laugh out. Ugh at me not being clear, lol. Succinctly, I was trying to pick y'alls brains as to what 2 Timothy's verse means to you. In KJV it says rightly divide, and NASB says rightly handling.
 

iamsoandso

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Oct 6, 2011
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I think it's a Pastoral . Someone might be extremely educated in Scripture while another might not be so well and so both would be approached differently. It's why there are Sunday school classes for different ages and classes for elders.
 

Lanolin

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Dec 15, 2018
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Rightly dividing, vs wrongly multiplying.

Timothy was also told to shun 'profane and vain babblings, they will INCREASE to more ungodliness'

Heres the thing you can tell the truth just once and it will remain the truth forever, it wont ever change. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. We will never be ashamed of telling the gospel.

But you need to tell a lie over and over to convince people. And it will morph into a hideous monster with six heads like the beast and the false prophet does, trying to deceive people. It says their word 'will eat as doth a canker' what does that mean...it spreads like cancer.
 

stonesoffire

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Nov 24, 2013
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You have made me laugh out. Ugh at me not being clear, lol. Succinctly, I was trying to pick y'alls brains as to what 2 Timothy's verse means to you. In KJV it says rightly divide, and NASB says rightly handling.
I like the ISV:

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as an approved worker who has nothing to be ashamed of, handling the word of truth with precision.
 

CharliRenee

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I like the ISV:

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as an approved worker who has nothing to be ashamed of, handling the word of truth with precision.
Love that, oh thank you. I went to go look in my bible App but that translation wasn't available. I'll google it.
 

Jan7777777

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Oct 19, 2018
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A preacher's wife was going to teach the women at church and she ask me to pray that she rightly divides the truth to the women, and that has stuck in my mind for years , she and her husband would go for a month each year and fast and pray, I think its called sabbatical, or something like that. anyhow, I saw it as , she wanted to teach it right. as God instructs. thank God for Christians wanting to see his word as valuable precious gold
 

CharliRenee

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A preacher's wife was going to teach the women at church and she ask me to pray that she rightly divides the truth to the women, and that has stuck in my mind for years , she and her husband would go for a month each year and fast and pray, I think its called sabbatical, or something like that. anyhow, I saw it as , she wanted to teach it right. as God instructs. thank God for Christians wanting to see his word as valuable precious gold
Yes, soooo true. I think of Jeremiah 15:16
 

CharliRenee

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Oh brother. "Study to show approve of God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth." was how it went when I memorized it. I don't remember what version. Reagan was pres. I think.
Those were the good old days, now i am just old with good days, Haha

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/2ti.2.15.KJV
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
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What I find perplexing is that so many seem to have come to the conclusion that the dividing is between the audiences, the Jews or the Gentiles or between the covenants.
This interpretation is patently false. "Accurately handling" is close but "properly interpreting" would be even better. Scripture needs to be interpreted properly, comparing Scripture with Scripture (which means ignoring or setting aside many man-made teachings).

As you can see in 2 Tim 2:15, the first essential is diligent study. Modern Bible versions have expunged the word *study* but how can anyone interpret Scripture without studying it diligently?

But the second component goes even further. The image of the workman that does not need to be ashamed can be likened to the image of a miner, who exerts himself heart and soul, with a lot of diligence and sweat, in order to pull out some nugget from the earth. Scripture is a goldmine, which yields gold to the ones who work hard -- labor -- in the Word.

Unfortunately, the majority of Christians are never taught -- step by step -- how to study the Bible, using all available helps. That should be a component of discipling, but even discipling as such is generally neglected. Therefore we see so much spiritual confusion displayed on Christian forums (CC included).
 

CharliRenee

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Nov 4, 2014
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This interpretation is patently false. "Accurately handling" is close but "properly interpreting" would be even better. Scripture needs to be interpreted properly, comparing Scripture with Scripture (which means ignoring or setting aside many man-made teachings).

As you can see in 2 Tim 2:15, the first essential is diligent study. Modern Bible versions have expunged the word *study* but how can anyone interpret Scripture without studying it diligently?

But the second component goes even further. The image of the workman that does not need to be ashamed can be likened to the image of a miner, who exerts himself heart and soul, with a lot of diligence and sweat, in order to pull out some nugget from the earth. Scripture is a goldmine, which yields gold to the ones who work hard -- labor -- in the Word.

Unfortunately, the majority of Christians are never taught -- step by step -- how to study the Bible, using all available helps. That should be a component of discipling, but even discipling as such is generally neglected. Therefore we see so much spiritual confusion displayed on Christian forums (CC included).
yes, and it amazes me how much there is to study, bringing us closer and closer to His power, His love, mercy, companionship and guidance.
 

CharliRenee

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Nov 4, 2014
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This interpretation is patently false. "Accurately handling" is close but "properly interpreting" would be even better. Scripture needs to be interpreted properly, comparing Scripture with Scripture (which means ignoring or setting aside many man-made teachings).

As you can see in 2 Tim 2:15, the first essential is diligent study. Modern Bible versions have expunged the word *study* but how can anyone interpret Scripture without studying it diligently?

But the second component goes even further. The image of the workman that does not need to be ashamed can be likened to the image of a miner, who exerts himself heart and soul, with a lot of diligence and sweat, in order to pull out some nugget from the earth. Scripture is a goldmine, which yields gold to the ones who work hard -- labor -- in the Word.

Unfortunately, the majority of Christians are never taught -- step by step -- how to study the Bible, using all available helps. That should be a component of discipling, but even discipling as such is generally neglected. Therefore we see so much spiritual confusion displayed on Christian forums (CC included).
Had to come back and read this again...

But the second component goes even further. The image of the workman that does not need to be ashamed can be likened to the image of a miner, who exerts himself heart and soul, with a lot of diligence and sweat, in order to pull out some nugget from the earth. Scripture is a goldmine, which yields gold to the ones who work hard -- labor -- in the Word.
 

John146

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Jan 13, 2016
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A double minded man cannot serve two masters...

This is what you would have by placing something more valuable to YOU before God.
You hyper Grace are people are unbiblical. Nowhere did Paul ever make such a claim as what you are proposing.

AND,

DO NOT give me some Book of Hebrews crap, when we absolutely know that Paul did not write it. The majority of biblical scholars agree that it was written around the 3rd/4th century. And then added to the Canon, because it was popular during the time of the Council.

But knowing the intelligence and training of Paul (Saul, to be more specific)(Saul, a Pharisee and son of a Pharisee), who as a Pharisee, was an understudy to whom is claimed as being the brightest and deepest in knowledge of the Torah Scrolls of his day, Gamaliel, was Paul's Jewish Law Teacher, and educated Paul in everything he knew concerning the Old Testament.

So knowing this much, and knowing Paul had access to every scroll and knew them word for word
, makes it literally impossible that Paul would ever misspell the name of Melchizedek, like it is misspelled in the Book of Hebrews!!
Romans 11:6 And if by grace then it is no more of works; otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works then it is no more of grace; otherwise work is no more work.
 

Sketch

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Nov 1, 2018
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You have made me laugh out. Ugh at me not being clear, lol. Succinctly, I was trying to pick y'alls brains as to what 2 Timothy's verse means to you. In KJV it says rightly divide, and NASB says rightly handling.
My pet peeve is when people use the Bible to give their own ideas biblical authority.
It usually begins with, "God's word says..." and then you get their twisted opinion, which typically
has little or nothing to do with the misused scripture. Thus wrongly handling...
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
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In KJV it says rightly divide, and NASB says rightly handling.
And that is because the KJV is being faithful to what is actually in the Greek text, not the interpretation of that. Here is what is in the text and why it has been translated as "rightly dividing":

Strong's Concordance
orthotomeó: to cut straight
Original Word: ὀρθοτομέω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: orthotomeó
Phonetic Spelling: (or-thot-om-eh'-o)
Definition: to cut straight
Usage: I cut straight; met: I handle correctly, teach rightly.


This term would be applicable to a surgeon using his scalpel skilfully to make a straight cut in order to perform his surgery. A surgical cut divides the flesh as it is cut.

It can be interpreted as handling correctly, or accurately handling, or teaching rightly, or properly interpreting, but the actual text is what should be represented in a faithful translation.

Modern versions have made it a habit of interpreting rather than translating, and in some cases (such as the NIV) paraphrasing. We should note that Young's Literal Translation follows the KJV by saying "rightly dividing":

Young's Literal Translation
be diligent to present thyself approved to God -- a workman irreproachable, rightly dividing the word of the truth;
 

John146

Senior Member
Jan 13, 2016
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And that is because the KJV is being faithful to what is actually in the Greek text, not the interpretation of that. Here is what is in the text and why it has been translated as "rightly dividing":

Strong's Concordance
orthotomeó: to cut straight
Original Word: ὀρθοτομέω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: orthotomeó
Phonetic Spelling: (or-thot-om-eh'-o)
Definition: to cut straight
Usage: I cut straight; met: I handle correctly, teach rightly.


This term would be applicable to a surgeon using his scalpel skilfully to make a straight cut in order to perform his surgery. A surgical cut divides the flesh as it is cut.

It can be interpreted as handling correctly, or accurately handling, or teaching rightly, or properly interpreting, but the actual text is what should be represented in a faithful translation.

Modern versions have made it a habit of interpreting rather than translating, and in some cases (such as the NIV) paraphrasing. We should note that Young's Literal Translation follows the KJV by saying "rightly dividing":

Young's Literal Translation
be diligent to present thyself approved to God -- a workman irreproachable, rightly dividing the word of the truth;
Big difference between the command to study and do you best. The new versions don't want their readers to study, I guess.:)