DO be Unified Over Primary Issues

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Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15

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

Insights: Yesterday we learned we were not to be divided over secondary issues.  In today’s verse we learn we are to be unified over primary issues.  We need to ask ourselves what the primary issues are.  We then need to learn what what God has to say regarding those primary issues by reading His Word, the Bible.  One of the challenges of the modern western church is our lack of discipleship.  Very few believers have ever been taught how to feed themselves on God’s Word.  As a result, we have a lot of church members who are not being presented before God as being able to handle the Word of God accurately.  We cannot just eisegette (take a verse or section of a verse out of context) a verse and make it say whatever we want it to say.  We must exegete (take a verse within the scope of the entire passage) a text and let the context of the passage determine the truth of each verse.  As a way of example, the most quoted verse from the Bible in our United States context is no longer John 3:16, but Matthew 7:1, which states, “Judge not lest you be judged.”  If we were to read that verse in its complete context, we would learn the issue is not the judgment, but the manner in which people judge.  There still is a speck in your brother’s eye that needs to be removed and the only way to know there is a speck is to have judged him and confronted him about the speck.  Let me challenge you to seek out a person whom you admire regarding their knowledge of the Bible.  Ask this individual to disciple you so you too can accurately handle the word of truth.  If you have been discipled and do know how to accurately handle the word of truth, then I admonish you to look around you and pray for the Lord to put someone in your life with whom you can disciple and help grow them into a person who accurately handles the word of truth.

Questions:

 1. Have you ever been discipled by someone to learn how to properly handle the Bible?

 2. Do you live life in such a fashion that your life is a visual exposition of God’s Word?

Prayer: Father, help me to not falter in my handling of Your Word, the Bible.  May I be thoroughly equipped to use Your Word as a life changing tool in my life and in the lives of those around me.  Amen.

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