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The
apostle Paul wrote to the young evangelist Timothy and told him to “handle
aright the word of God” (2 Tim. 2:15 ASV). This must be applied to anyone who
studies the Bible with the idea of teaching it to others. Failure to apply this
teaching will result in departure from God’s word. This text is generally used to apply to the
need to understand the difference in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
However, it certainly is not limited to that. It requires making judgments
based upon available evidence.
It
is detrimental to one’s spiritual well-being to haphazardly approach an
important Bible topic, especially one that has been complicated and twisted by
human thinking. Such folly is well illustrated by the story of the man who
boasted of how he was prepared to do what the Scriptures say. He then flipped
open his Bible and began reading. He read where Judas "went away and
hanged himself" (Mt 27:5). He closed the Bible and opened it again. He read, "Go, and do thou likewise"
(Luke 10:37). This is the way that many people “handle” the word of God, and it
explains why so much error is taught in the religious world. We must apply good
hermeneutics in our study of the Bible if we expect to obtain the truth.
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