Rightly Handling the Word of Truth

 

Paul told Timothy: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth", i.e. learn to distinguish between the laws and commands God gave to people in other ages and the laws he expects us to keep t. That was good advice then and it is today. We have failed. We take the bible as "God said it, I believe it" and misapply what God said and what he meant.

 

We are not commanded to build an ark of gopher wood simply because God once told Noah to do so. This was once a command of God, it does not apply to any other people and God never intended for it to be so. It is included as part of the Old Testament simply to provide historic information of God's dealings with man before the Christian Age began.

 

There are many examples such as when the Israelites were commanded to place blood on the door posts of their houses, or to offer animal sacrifices as burnt offerings to God. "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Command the people of Israel and say to them, 'My offering, my food for my food offerings, my pleasing aroma, you shall be careful to offer apply to me at its appointed time.' And you shall say to them, This is the food offering that you shall offer to the Lord: two male lambs a year old without blemish, day by day, as a regular offering. The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; also a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with a quarter of a hin of beaten oil. It is a regular burnt offering, which was ordained at Mount Sinai for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord." Even the casual observer understands these commands are recorded merely to provide historical information of God dealt with people before Jesus came; "For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

 

Christians must understand which parts of the bible are historical records of laws and events in past ages and which directly to us to be kept in this, the Christian Age.