A Workman, Approved by God
2Ti 2:15-17 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (16) But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. (17) And their word will eat as doth a canker: …
What do we do with verses like the above?
Do we steer away from them because they are too serious and foreboding? Do we ignore
them because they are too weighty or admonishing? It is in times like these
that we need to remember that these are not just words in a book, but that they
are the words of God, our Creator, and words that carry life and truth that
cannot be disregarded.
These verses tell us that there is a certain
way of studying and understanding God’s Word. If we adhere to this, God
approves us as workmen. If we do not adhere to that specific form of study, we
are not approved by God as workmen, and we bring shame upon ourselves and upon
the written Word. That shame and dishonour comes in the form of profane and
vain babblings. Now, just stop there and take note. What is the message we are
learning here? It comes down to this. If we do not study, understand, and
communicate the Word of God in a specific way, the words that come from our mouth
becomes profane, and is no more than useless babble to those that listen! That
useless message, over time, will increase towards ungodliness, and will spread over
and consume, not merely destroying the parts immediately affected, but will
extend into the surrounding healthy parts and destroy them also. So it is with
erroneous, unapproved doctrines. They will not merely eat out the truth in the
particular matter to which they refer, but they will also spread over and
corrupt other truths.
