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What We Believe and Why - Vol. II
Written by Dr. Lester Hutson

Copyright - Lester Hutson - 1982
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of Dr. Lester Hutson.

Chapter One
Rightly Dividing God's Word

INTRODUCTION: TEXT: II Timothy 2:15

Many people have much trouble in understanding the Bible, which is God's Holy Word of truth. Only God knows how many people hold false doctrines and ideas about what the true teachings of God's Word are. Rightly dividing God's Word simply means to gain a true and proper understanding of God's Word. That is to say that your understanding of God's Word is the exact same as what God meant by what He said.

The principles in rightly dividing God's Word are much the same as those in rightly dividing any one's word. In other words, there are certain principles to consider in gaining a true or honest understanding of what anyone says or writes. You must be just as reasonable with God's Word to understand it as you are with what anybody says.

The purpose of this lesson is to show you those principles which are essential to a right or true understanding of God's Word. In order to do this, the following points must be considered:

I. FIRST, AND MOST IMPORTANT, THE CONTEXT MUST BE CONSIDERED.

A. To properly understand any expression, the continuity of the context must be maintained.

1. What was said earlier and what is said afterwards affects the understanding of any word, phrase or sentence.

a. For example, to understand what somebody means when he uses the word "fly," we must consider the context in which it is used.

b. He could be speaking of several varieties of insects, possibly of what an airplane or bird does, or maybe of what baseball players do to balls.

2. Likewise, in rightly dividing God's Word, the immediate context must be considered.

a. Many Bible words refer to different things, depending upon the context in which they are used.

b. Words such as salvation, grace, judgment, and punishment are examples.

3. By lifting words and statements out of context, you can make anyone, or the Bible, say what it was never intended to say.

a. As Jeremiah said of those who do, "Ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the Lord of hosts our God." (Jeremiah 23:36)

b. A tremendous number of false opinions and doctrines are formed this way.

B. In addition to the immediate context, the overall context of the Bible must be maintained.

1. Note well that you are never rightly dividing God's Word if your understanding is out of perfect harmony with any other scripture or the overall teachings of God's Word.

2. II Timothy 3:16 says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God," and Titus 1:2 and Revelation 3:14 teach that God cannot lie.

3. That being true, then God cannot lie or contradict Himself, and all He says in His book will be in absolute harmony. When you interpret something from Genesis, it must be perfect agreement with every other book of the Bible; otherwise your interpretation is wrong, and you've not rightly divided.

a. That is why Peter said, "No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." (II Peter 1:20)

b. The way to proper understanding is, as Paul wrote, by comparing spiritual things with spiritual." (I Corinthians 2:13)

c. Listen to Isaiah 28:9-10, "Whom shall He teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, and line upon line; here a little and there a little."

4. Any time one scripture seems to lie against another, your understanding of one, and possibly both is wrong.

a. If you insist on a position that is out of harmony with the whole, you are one of those referred to in Romans 1:25, "Who change the truth of God into a lie...."

b. This is exactly the position those are in who interpret scriptures to teach salvation from sin's penalty can be lost, baptismal or works regeneration, a dual plan of salvation, etc.

c. As Paul said, some "would pervert the gospel of Christ." (Galatians 1:7)

C. I cannot think of a more important rule to rightly dividing God's Word than keeping things in context, both immediate and overall context.

II. YOU MUST ALSO CONSIDER THE SENSE IN WHICH A PASSAGE SPEAKS.

A. This is akin to context, but goes a little further.

1. Consider whether a passage speaks literally or in a parable sense.

a. For example, when Paul said, "I have planted, Apollos watered...." (I Corinthians 3:6) is he speaking of literal seeds and water or figuratively of God's Word and work?

b. Jesus spoke of "fishers of men," (Matthew 4:19) and knowing the sense in which He spoke is vital.

2. Understanding the sense requires and examination of context.

B. This consideration is especially vital to understanding many doctrines.

1. For example, there are three great Bible senses in which salvation is referred.

a. from sin's penalty

b. from sin's dominion

c. from sin's presence

d. Understanding a passage discussing salvation in one sense as if it referred to salvation in a different sense is to gain a false and perverted view of the scriptures.

2. When God's Word speaks of brethren, bodies, food, etc., you must determine whether it refers to the physical or the spiritual.

C. The only way to rightly divide the scriptures is to use and interpret them in the sense in which they are written.

III. TO RIGHTLY DIVIDE GOD'S WORD, YOU MUST ALSO CONSIDER THE LIMITATIONS OF ANY PASSAGE'S EFFECT.

A. Does the passage apply only to specific ones or all people in general.

1. Some passages are addressed to all men. (John 3:36, Romans 3:22)

2. Some are addressed only to the lost. (Revelation 20:11-15)

3. Many are addressed only to the saved. (Romans 10:13, Philippians 2:14)

4. Some are limited only to the apostles, King David, Judas Iscariot, Jews, etc.

5. People as a whole cannot be lumped into a discussion that applies only to one person or a limited group of persons.

B. Also, is the passage limited in time or is it without limit.

1. For example, a man only has access to salvation from sin's penalty while he lives and will eventually no longer be able to avail himself of it.

2. The church did not start till Jesus came and is limited in time.

C. Let God's Word speak to who it will, when it will, if you want to understand (or rightly divide) it, just as you would with anyone else.

IV. ONE OTHER CONSIDERATION IS "NEVER MISAPPLY SCRIPTURE."

A. This, too, is akin to limitations, but goes further.

1. Certainly, if it speaks to saved people, don't apply it to the lost.

2. If it is limited to Jews in the tribulation, don't apply it to Jews now.

B. Misapplication is one of the most common means of perverting the truth.

1. People concoct about any hair brained idea they want, and then misapply themselves a scripture to support it, such as Mormons. (Ezekiel 37:17)

2. King David spoke of men who did that to him, "Every day they wrest my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil." (Psalms 56:5)

3. Peter spoke of those who perverted and misapplied Paul's writings. (II Peter 3:16)

C. If you will limit yourself to making the applications the scriptures make, you'll be better off.

"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"