Handling the Scriptures Aright
by Terry Wane Benton
Audience
Confusion is present when the scriptures are not "handled aright" (II Timothy 2:15). False teachers handle the word of God "deceitfully" (II Corinthians 4:2). There are basics to handling the scriptures carefully and correctly. Know who is writing and who they are writing to. We are reading these documents second-hand. They were not written directly to you. Remember that when Paul wrote to Timothy and told him to bring the books and parchments, this does not apply to you. You are not instructed to bring Paul the books and parchments. When Jesus said the Spirit would guide "you" into all truth (John 16:13), this was said to His apostles. It was not told to you. You are looking in on Jesus's conversation with His special eyewitnesses (John 15:26-27) "because you have been with Me from the beginning".
The twelve apostles had been with Him from the beginning of His ministry. You and I were not there, and this is not said to us. We are reading the conversation Jesus had with His apostles. The apostles were the witnesses, and we believe "through their word" and testimony (John 17:20). Because the apostles were guided into all truth by the Spirit, we have adequate eyewitness testimony. As jurors listening to the testimony, we believe in Jesus "through their word." Their testimony was supported, guided, and protected by the Holy Spirit, giving them perfect recall (John 14:26) of all Jesus said to them. Jesus said nothing directly to us. He spoke to the apostles, and the Holy Spirit helped them recall all of what Jesus said to them. Handling aright the scriptures demands that we not misapply the conversation Jesus had with the apostles and apply it to ourselves. We were not promised a perfect recall of Jesus' words. We were not told to wait in Jerusalem until we are endued with power from on high. We were not told that the Spirit would guide us into all truth or that we are the witnesses of Jesus.
We are secondary jurors of the testimony preserved in these New Testament documents. There are principles we learn from this testimony, but confusion exists where people claim the same guidance of the Holy Spirit as was promised to the twelve apostles. You do not have the same function as the apostles. We no longer have living apostles because their testimony was fully revealed, confirmed, and adequate testimony to all ages of time moving from that time forward. We believe in Jesus "through their word." The Spirit gave them perfect recall and guided them into all truth. Now we can read that truth and know what they knew (Ephesians 3:3-5). You are not one of the twelve eyewitnesses. You are not sent and equipped in the same way as they were. Read the scriptures and learn how to "handle aright the word of truth." Everything stated or commanded by someone else is not necessarily a statement and command to you. You may learn universal principles from this testimony. There are universal truths and universal principles revealed, but every statement made to someone else is not a statement made to you. Keep that in mind as you learn to handle aright the word of truth.
Context
There is context to every scripture. The scriptures were not written with chapters and verses. So, it was never meant to be read and used as independent sayings. You can get the wrong idea from independent verses if you are not careful.
One person picked a verse to "Let God speak to me." He randomly let his finger land on "Judas arose and hung himself." He thought and thought about what God might be telling him with this randomly selected verse. Frustrated, he randomly selected another verse, which read, "Go, and do likewise." This is the foolishness of misusing verses and removing them from context, which results in a deadly misuse of the scriptures.
God did not design the scriptures for us to use in this manner. When you read the scriptures, mentally remove chapters and verses (they are only intended for handy reference and are added later only for that purpose).
God does not speak to us by randomly coupling verses taken out of context. God speaks to us only by correct contextual usage of scriptures. Read the whole book of Ephesians, for example. Get the general feel of the book. Why was this book written to its first recipients? What did they understand in their context of life?
After determining what the original readers would have understood, determine what those truths imply to your life. That is part of "handling aright the word of truth" (II Timothy 2:15). Don't use the Bible like some tarot card reading. Use it like it was originally intended. Otherwise, you will need to be ashamed for deceitfully handling the word of God (II Corinthians 4:2).
Using One Passage Against Another
It is common these days to hear people use scriptures that say that God loves everyone and commands us to love everyone. But they use this to mean that God accepts everyone regardless of their sin and attitude toward sin. They often call this "unconditional love." Often, we are told that if a church does not accept adulterers, homosexuals, drug addicts, and drunkards, we do not love them. This is another example of not handling the scriptures correctly.
Love and acceptance into fellowship are two different things. Love desires reconciliation and fellowship but cannot accept destructive attitudes and behavior. Love appeals to the person to make needed changes, but the person acting rebellious and irresponsible rejects those loving appeals. Love does not accept rebellion and pretend it is acceptable. We can certainly love our children while not accepting certain behaviors and attitudes. Lack of acceptance does not mean hate or lack of love. It means love desires the best and expects better attitudes and behavior. That is why "repentance" is always commanded. No blessings of forgiveness are given without repentance on our end (Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38; 3:19). God loves us and desires for us to have forgiveness of sins, but God will not give forgiveness where there is no repentance. So, love and acceptance into fellowship are two different issues. One does not handle the scriptures aright while using the verses on God's love in such a way as to cancel or override the verses that demand change through repentance.
Jesus said to people He loved, "Except you repent, you will all likewise perish." Those are the words of true love. Whether we accept the blessings of such a love is up to us. No repentance means we cut ourselves off from the blessings of His love. The members at Corinth went through repentance to reach justification. Formerly, they practiced all kinds of sin (I Corinthians 6:8-10). "Such were some of you" means they no longer live those behaviors. It was the love of God that moved them to change. Those in Corinth who did not change did not get the blessing of justification and sanctification and washing away of sins.
One does not handle the scriptures aright if you use one set of scriptures on love to cancel the scriptures that demand repentance. All of God's Word must be used correctly to inform us on whether we use verses correctly. We don't get to pick a few verses, apply meanings to those verses not allowed by other verses, and build a way of life from misusing scriptures. Yet, it is very common in religions of today. Be very careful to handle the scriptures aright.
