That Pesky Little Phrase

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

The italicized phrase, “rightly dividing,” in this passage of Scripture has, doubtless, confounded Bible expositors and theologians ever since it was penned in the first century in Paul’s second letter to his understudy, Timothy. The phrase is translated from the Greek word, Orthotomeo, which, according to Strong’s,¹ means to “dissect correctly”. Webster² provides a more elaborate definition:

“To part or separate an entire thing; to part a thing into two or more pieces; To cause to be separate; to keep apart by a partition or by an imaginary line or limit.”

In scientific analysis there is a prevailing axiom that says, “the whole is the sum of it’s parts.” Thus, in order to have a sound understanding of the whole of a thing, the individual parts which make it up must be studied separately.

In Bible study, it is no different. To understand the whole of it, it must be divided (dissected). But the vast majority of expositors, preachers, teachers and scholars have rejected the clear meaning of this phrase, by rendering it in the following manner:

“It means to correctly handle, actually dividing up the bible or slicing it up, as we understand it, isn’t what is meant by the text…To rightly divide the truth means to interpret it properly … to cut it straight.”

Many modern Bible versions, including the most popular one, the New International Version, aid this explanation by changing the King James rendering of the phrase to “correctly handling.” Although the translators of these versions would patently deny that they chose this rendering to accommodate the prevailing sentiments in the Christian community concerning this issue, it appears that this is exactly the case, because there is no Greek manuscript that contains the words thiggano, or doloo in that particular passage, the words from which “handle” and “handling” are translated.³ According to Strong’s, the literal interpretation of these Greek words is “to manipulate or adulterate.”

I don’t think any linguist or English language scholar would dare make the claim that divide and manipulate mean the same thing. Indeed, they do not. Therefore, I believe the phrase means exactly what it says: we are to study the Scripture by dividing it (yes, Gertrude, that means the same thing as “slicing it up”)

If we accept this premise, then the question remains, “how do we divide it?” Since the admonition shows up only one time in Scripture, and that by the Apostle Paul, would it not stand to reason that we should look to him for the explanation?

Yes, and we need look no further than that same chapter in 2 Timothy. To get the context, let’s start at the beginning of the chapter:

2 Tim 2:1-8
Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

5 And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.

6 The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.

7 Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.

8 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:

Notice three things in this passage:

1. Timothy is to commit to faithful men the things that Paul has taught him.(vs. 2)

2. If he desires to have understanding in all things, he must consider what Paul says. (vs. 7)

3. He is to remember that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead according to Paul’s gospel.(vs. 8)

Folks, these verses absolutely scream exclusivity, that is, that Paul had a different message. Otherwise, why would he use exclusive phrasing like “my gospel.“⁴ Moreover, if this isn’t the case, why does he not admonish Timothy to consider what Jesus said, “and the Lord give thee understanding in all things?” Isn’t this what most Christians are taught and believe? That they are to follow, above all other parts of Scripture, what Jesus said in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John?

The standard explanation of this is–without exception–that of course he admonished Timothy to consider, first and foremost, what Jesus said, because certainly Paul said nothing different. Let’s compare what Jesus said in the four “gospels” with what Paul said in his 13 epistles to see if this is true:

There is no way, in an honest assessment, that one could say these are the same identical messages and doctrines, merely stated in different terms. Yet this is exactly what the overwhelming consensus of Bible expositors do, and their followers just seem to fall in line, no questions asked. The few that do question it are ignored, stonewalled and dismissed as fools and troublemakers.

Conclusion

So we may conclude that when the Apostle Paul instructed Timothy (and us!) to divide the word of Truth, first and foremost, he meant to separate his doctrine from the doctrine that the Lord taught his disciples in his earthly ministry, which they, in turn, delivered to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel,” as they were instructed to do⁶ following his heavenly ascension. Paul did this because, obviously, it was not by any means the same message, but was, indeed, “another gospel.”⁷

Therefore, Paul could not have been a part of what the 12 were doing, because he was not preaching what they were preaching, and indeed, his status as a blasphemer would have automatically excluded him. He is not the “true” twelfth apostle, as is commony taught; he is the thirteenth apostle who wrote thirteen epistles, which are NOW the blueprint and message “for the obedience of faith”⁸ of all people in all nations.

Mike Schroeder

Please feel free to distribute this article as you see fit. All Scripture references are from the King James Bible.

Notes

Post Script:

Are you saved? Will you be in the number who are caught up on that day that the Lord descends from heaven with a shout? Only the saved, those who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ—“who knew no sin”—and his sacrificial death on the Cross having paid for all their sins, will be going on that ride. History has shown that whatever peace man has achieved in the world can only be temporary. The Bible says that individual men and women can know, beyond a doubt, that they are saved and bound for heaven, and therefore have absolute and permanent peace, regardless of what is going on in the world, by trusting Jesus Christ and his death on the cross for their eternal salvation. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Have you done this? If not, why not now?