WHAT RIGHT DIVISION REALLY MEANS - IT MAY SURPRISE YOU

By Pastor Art Watkins of Coden Bible Church (Coden, Alabama)

April 17, 2010

Most people who call themselves “dispensationalists” are quick to criticize those who take verses out of the context in which they appear to make them say something other than what they mean. Those who do so deserve criticism because every verse must be interpreted by the context in which it appears. Dispensationalists often quote the words of Miles Cloverdale who wrote; "It shall greatly help ye to understand scriptures if thou mark not only what is spoken or written, but of whom, and to whom, with what words, at what time, where, to what intent, with what circumstances, considering what goeth before and what followeth."

Mr. Cloverdale told us to interpret every verse by what goes before it and what comes after it. That is good advice because it is scripturally dishonest to lift a verse out of the context in which it appears to make it say something different from what is said before it or after it. Most dispensationalists would agree with this, but yet they are guilty of doing this themselves. As a matter of fact many of the doctrines and theories of dispensationalism is built on a verse of scripture that is lifted out of the context in which it appears. That verse is 2 Timothy 2:15. This verse is the favorite verse of dispensationalists. They quote it more than any verse of scripture in the Bible. It is the theme of 1000’s of their books and Bible Conferences. It is plastered on the walls of their churches, stationary and signs. They have built a religious movement around the words “rightly dividing the word of truth“. 2 Timothy 2:15 is the foundation and guiding light of their doctrine.

If asked what 2 Timothy means they will tell you it means that we should separate and divide the Church from Israel, Law from Grace, the Old Testament from the New Testament, the 12 apostles from Paul the apostle, the Gospel of the Kingdom from the Gospel of Grace, Paul’s epistles from the Hebrew Christian epistles and even the Acts epistles of Paul from his so called prison epistles etc. etc. The list is endless.

But let’s be honest. Do you see these things in the context of 2 Timothy 2:15? Does 2 Timothy 2:15 have anything to do with dividing the Church from Israel, Law from Grace, Paul from the 12, etc.? Let’s put it to the test. Let’s interpret 2 Timothy 2:15 and especially the words “rightly dividing the word of truth” from the context in which it appears. Let’s pay attention to what goes before 2 Timothy 2:15 and what comes after 2 Timothy 2:15.

2 Timothy 2:14-18 

Verse 14 - Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.

Verse 15 - Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Verse 16 - But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

Verse 17 - And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;

Verse 18 - Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

In 2 Timothy 2:14 is found a warning about people who strive about words to no profit and who subvert their hearers with their words. It’s a warning about words, subversive words.

In 2 Timothy 2:16-18 is found another warning about words, profane words, vain words and babblings that eat like a canker. It’s a warning about those who err from the truth, who teach lies and false doctrine about the resurrection.

Right in the middle of these warnings about subversive words, vain words, profane words, and false doctrine is the command to “rightly divide the word of truth“. When we divide something we separate it from something else. For example; in Matthew 13 the Lord divided and separated the good seed from the bad seed, the wheat from the tares, the just from the unjust, the children of the kingdom from the children of the wicked one, the good fish from the bad fish. In every instance something good is divided and separated from something bad.

In 2 Timothy 2:14-18 we have something good and something bad. We have the word of truth in verse 15 surrounded by subversive words, profane words, vain words and lies and false doctrine. So how do we interpret the command to “rightly divide the word of truth“? In the context in which it appears, it means we divide and separate the word of truth from lies, profane and vain babblings and false doctrine. It means that we do not allow the word of truth to be mixed with lies and false doctrine. We separate the truth from error. We divide what is good from what is bad.

Every lie the devil and his ministers teach has an element of truth in it. Our job is to expose their errors with the truth so that people can see the difference. Many people today do not know the difference between a lie and the truth when they hear it. They must be taught the difference. Our job is to divide and separate the word of truth from the lies of men so that people will see what is true and what is false.

The first time I saw a wheat field I could not tell the difference between the wheat and the tares. They looked alike to me. But someone who knew the difference rightly divided the wheat from the tares for me so I could see the difference. Many people today call the lies they believe the truth, and the truth a lie. We who know the truth must rightly divide the word of truth for them because many are blinded and cannot tell the difference between the truth and the lies they hear in the religious system today. The command to rightly divide the word of truth is a command to separate the truth from error so that all men will see and believe the truth for the will God is that all men come unto the knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim.2:4)

The best way to rightly divide the word of truth is by faithfully preaching the word of truth for it has a way of rooting up and exposing false doctrine so that people can see the difference. Subversive words and profane and vain babblings cannot co-exist with the word of truth if it is faithfully preached. If we pit the word of truth against the profane and subversive words of false teachers the word of truth will win every time.

The command to rightly divide the word of truth has nothing to do with chopping the Bible up into different segments. It is a command to divide and separate something bad from something good. It’s a command to divide and separate the word of truth from the lies and false doctrine of men who mix the truth with error to deceive people like Hymenaeus and Philetus in verses 17,18.

Are there differences between Law and Grace and the Church and Israel etc.? Of course they are, but these are due to progressive revelation not 2 Timothy 2:15. Rightly dividing the word of truth has nothing to do with dividing something good like Israel from something else that is good like the Church. It has to do with dividing and separating something good like the word of truth from something bad like lies, profane vain babblings and false doctrine.

Let’s remember what Miles Cloverdale said; considering what goeth before and what followeth ." Lets also remember to always interpret a text by the context in which in which it appears, including 2 Tim. 2:15.