2 TIMOTHY 2:15 - RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF GOD
One of the greatest hindrances to understanding the Word of God, is the failure to "rightly divide" it! This is not a new problem, as it has plagued students of God's Word from the time of Adam. Satan had little difficulty convincing Adam that God's Word was not true (Gen. 3:1-10 - Notice that it was the voice - the Word of God - which terrified Adam and Eve, and they tried to hide from Him)!
The Apostle Paul wrote Timothy to remind the young pastor how one is to understand the Word of God. He wrote: "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing The Word of Truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). In His prayer to His Father in John 17:17, Jesus said, "Sanctify them through Thy Truth: Thy Word is Truth." And, as "The Word become flesh" (Jn. 1:14), Jesus said, "...I AM The Truth...." (Jn. 14:6)!
Throughout the Bible, God revealed His will to man:
He told sinless Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17).
He told Noah to build the huge ship known as the Ark (Gen. 6:14-22).
He told Abram to leave Ur and go to "the promised land" (Gen. 12:1-3).
He told Moses to lead His people out of Egyptian bondage (Ex. 3:10).
He told Mary that she would give birth The Son of God" (Lk. 1:35).
Jesus told His disciples that He would build His Church (Mt. 16:18-19: Acts 2:1-47).
Paul told his readers that all Israel would one day be saved (Rom. 11:25-27 - I believe this will occur midway through the Tribulation when the Antichrist declares himself to be God - See Dan. 9:27; Mt. 24:15; Rev. 13:3-6).
I chose these examples to emphasize that in God's Word, what is said to one person, family, nation, etc., does NOT NECESSARILY APPLY to all people! Adam was, for an unknown amount of time, innocent (sinless). By the time of Noah, the entire world was declared to be wicked (Noah found Grace, meaning he was no different than the rest of mankind, and so, he willingly "walked with God" - Gen. 6:5-8). Abram (Abraham) was also a sinner, but he too found Grace, being chosen to father a nation of God's people (Gen. 12:1-3). By Grace, the Nation of Israel was freed from bondage and given God's Commandments (Ex. 20:1-20). With the birth of the Church in Acts 2:1-47, something totally different and unique from Israel began.
You may be asking, where on earth am I going with this. I am saying that throughout time, God has held mankind responsible for obeying His will during specific periods known as stewardships or dispensations. The term is translated from the Greek οἰκονομία oikonomia means the management of the owner's property, in this case, that which belongs to God! Oikonomia is translated "dispensation" four times (1 Cor. 9:17; Eph. 1:10; 3:2; Col. 1:25) and "stewardship" three times (Lk. 16:2-4). The first is known as "The Age of Innocence." After Adam sinned, until Noah, the dispensation is known as "The Age of Conscience." From Noah to Abram, the stewardship is called "The Age of Human Government." From Abram to Moses, was "The Age of the Patriarchs." From Moses to the Acts 2, is known as "The Age of the Law" (Note: there is still seven years left to complete "Law" - See Dan. 9:24-27; Mt. 24:1-29; Rev. 6 - 18). The sixth, a parenthetical period of 2000 years so far, is known as the "The Church Age." After the seven remaining years of the dispensation of the Law (The Tribulation, a.k.a. The Time of Jacob's Trouble, and Daniel's Seventieth Week), Christ will return for the seventh dispensation: "The Kingdom Age."
Therefore, Bible students need to "rightly divide God's Word," by determining to which dispensation does the passage apply. Some may apply to all; others are unique. The greatest problem for students of God's Word, is applying what God was saying to those under the Law (Israel), to those in the Church Age. The Church Age is bound by one law: "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (Gal. 5:13-14)!
And, while many speak of the Church as being Christ's kingdom on earth, He Himself declared that it is not here. Jesus said, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven" (Mt. 6:10). In John 18:36, we read, "Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is My kingdom not from hence." The Kingdom Age is described in Revelation 20:1-6.
DO NOT APPLY TO THE CHURCH AGE, THE THINGS THAT APPLY
TO THE NATION OF ISRAEL, OR TO THE KINGDOM AGE.
BE A GOOD STEWARD OF GOD'S WORD.
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