Stop Reading the Bible

An often over-looked commandment of the New Testament is this one: “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

I can think of no parallel commandment to personal ‘reading’ of the Bible—other than in public settings (1 Timothy 4:13). Even then, the word ‘read’ comes from the Greek to “know,” meaning to “know by reading.” It implies active (not passive) learning. In fact, the men in the early church whose duty it was to teach the Scriptures were called ‘public readers.’ John used this active word for 'read' when he said "Blessed are those who read [know]... the prophecy..." (Rev. 1:3).

The Greek word for study has to do with concentrated effort, sometimes translated as the verb ‘to labor.’ And the reason Paul says we should ‘study’ the Word, or ‘labor’ the Word is so we can ‘rightly divide’ it. The literal translation of ‘rightly divide’ is ‘cut straight,’ the only occurrence of this word in the New Testament. The significance should not escape us. Paul was a tent maker and knew the importance of cutting the canvas pieces straight before sewing them together. If the tent is not properly fitted together, the wind will blow through it. And if you are not able to “cut in a straight line the word of truth” (Darby translation), "you will be carried away by every wind of [tricky, crafty, deceitful] doctrine" (Ephesians 4:14).

Stop reading and start studying.