“Be careful with that thing!!! You’ll cut yourself!!!”
I heard those words many times as a kid whenever I had a knife in my hand. Back then, most men carried a razor sharp pocket knife on them at all times. Pocket knives are handy little tools. But they can also be quite dangerous. It’s all in how you use them, and the care you take when handling them.
So it is with God’s Word.
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow,
and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12
“Sharper than any two-edged sword.” Sharper than any. That means it’s the sharpest. Two-edged. Cuts both ways.
A Dangerous Tool
Sadly, I encounter many people who have just enough Bible knowledge that they are dangerous. They know at least a little bit of Bible. And most of what they know, they actually “mis-know.”
Some people almost never read the Bible for themselves. In its 2021 State of the Bible report, Barna Research found that 50% of U.S. adults read the Bible less than twice a year – including “never.”1 We would never think of eating only one meal a week – on a Sunday. So why do some only feed ourselves spiritually on God’s Word only at church, if then? The Bible does us no good if we do not read it.
Still others vaguely (erroneously) remember Bible verses they heard in the past. For most of us, our memories erode over time. We even confuse other pithy historical sayings with Bible truth. For instance, “God helps those who help themselves,” is not actually in the Bible. Though some claim it is. “God will never put more on us that we can handle” is another line often misattributed as Bible. When we base our lives on misremembered Bible, we live on shaky ground.
The Benefit of a Sharp Sword
So here is my encouragement to you today. Take up the sword, but take it carefully and skillfully. The good news is that anyone can read, study, and understand God’s Word. You don’t have to have a seminary degree or be a preacher or Bible teacher. Consider Paul’s challenge to young Timothy – who never went to seminary, by the way.
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. – 2 Timothy 2:15
Older translations begin that verse by saying “Study to show yourself…” When we think of the word study, we thing of someone in school. But the word translated study actually means “hurry, speed up, exert maximum effort.” The idea is that all of us can put forth the effort to be a worker who is approved rather than ashamed. One who is approved has passed examination and found acceptable. One who is ashamed has embarrassingly lost status because they lack what is needed.
So how do we find ourselves in the approved category rather than the ashamed category? By “rightly handling” the Word of Truth. That phrase, “rightly handling,” literally means “cutting straight.” We let the sharp sword cut a straight line in our lives to shape us into the image of Jesus.
Some Basic Application
Let me offer three applications moving forward.
1. Stop misusing Scripture. It seems to be trendy these days to take Bible verses out of their context and apply them to our favorite social or political issue. Context is king. We cannot make the Bible mean today something it did not originally mean. That’s the equivalent of “running with the scissors.” It’s sharp. Somebody’s going to get hurt.
2. Read your Bible. Find a reading plan to help you work systematically through Scripture. I know the year is half over. Find a reading plan that will help you read through at least the New Testament through the next 5+ months. I highly recommend this one. Or you could choose a book of the Bible and read through it in a month. If you need help with a customized reading plan, use the contact me tab above to let me know. I would be more than happy to develop one for you.
3. Study the Bible. It’s great to read the Bible, but even more productive to study it. Reading the Bible is like walking into a bakery and smelling all the goodies in the oven. You get a great idea of what the bakery sells. But studying the Bible is like buying a pastry, a cake, or a box of donuts and eating them. I have lots of helps for getting you started with Bible study. You can click here and access them all for free.