II TIMOTHY 2:15

II Timothy 2:15
I wanted to share with you the importance of II Timothy 2:15 with you as it pertains to our growth in God’s Word.
2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
The word “study” is the Greek word “Spoudazo.” The word spoudazo gives emphasis to the effort and the time. It means to give a diligent effort with a view to the time or a concerted effort due to brevity of time.
Notice what it doesn’t say. It doesn’t say just read the Bible to show thyself approved. It doesn’t say have a daily devotional. It doesn’t say read the Bible piece by piece over the course of a year. These are all good, but, if you want to grow in spiritual knowledge, if you want to make a difference you have to STUDY God’s Word.
For example, the word “receive” in the New Testament has only one meaning in the English. However, in the Greek there are two words for “receive” and the difference between the two is like night and day.
The two Greek words translated “receive are “lambano” and “dechomai” The word “dechomai” means to receive subjectively. Let’s take a look at a couple of verses.
Luke 8:13 (KJV) 13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive (dechomai) the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
Mark 10:15 (KJV) 15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive (dechomai) the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
Luke 10:8 (KJV) 8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive (dechomai) you, eat such things as are set before you:
2 Corinthians 6:17 (KJV) 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive (eisdechomai, from eis-into and dechomai to subjectively receive) you,
James 1:21 (KJV) 21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive (dechomai) with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
When someone receives (dechomai) something they don’t do anything with it. Let’s say someone gave me a set of golf clubs and I put them in my garage and never used them that would be the word “dechomai.” However, if someone gave me a set of golf clubs and I took them out and played a round of golf with them that would be the other word “lambano.”
Lambano means to receive into manifestation. This is singularly significant when it comes to the study of the holy spirit.
Acts 1:8 (KJV) 8 But ye shall receive (lambano) power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Acts 2:38 (KJV) 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive (lambano) the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Men have taught over the centuries that we no longer have the power of God among us. No more speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophesy, word of knowledge, word of wisdom, discerning of spirits, faith, miracles and gifts of healing. Well either they were/are wrong or the Bible is wrong because the Bible clearly states that when we receive the holy spirit, and we receive it when we do Romans 10:9,10, that we are to do something with it we aren’t to shelve it, we aren’t to forget what we have received, but, we are to do something with it and according to I Corinthians chapter 12 there are only nine manifestations of holy spirit, only nine things that you can do with the holy spirit that you receive.
Ladies and gentlemen, Christians are the most powerful beings to walk this Earth, but, we are walking so far below par because we have been taught wrong! Look, years ago I had a hundred dollar bill stuffed away in my wallet. I carried that wallet for years all the while that hundred dollar bill was neatly tucked away in one of those crevices. There were many times I could have used some extra cash, but, I didn’t use that hundred dollars because I didn’t know I had it. If you have been taught that you don’t have the holy spirit or that there are no manifestations of the holy spirit and you believe that, and you can only go as far as you are taught, you will never use that power that is latent within you. This why we must STUDY the Bible.
Two other words that go hand in hand with dechomai and lambano are the words platho and plaroo. These two words are translated into English as the word “filled,” but, they mean two different things.
Plaroo, pronounced play-ra-o, means to be filled to capacity. It is as if you filled a glass with water so full that if you put one more drop in it would overflow. Platho, pronounced play-tho, is filling that glass to overflowing.
Luke 2:40 (KJV) 40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled (plaroo-filled to capacity) with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
Acts 2:2 (KJV) 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled (plaroo-filled to capacity) all the house where they were sitting.
Acts 13:9-10 (KJV) 9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled (platho-filled to overflowing) with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, 10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
See, what he said was the overflowing of the holy spirit.
Acts 4:8 (KJV) 8 Then Peter, filled (platho-filled to overflowing) with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel…
Again, what Peter said is the overflowing of holy spirit.
Acts 2:4 (KJV) 4 And they were all filled (platho-filled to overflowing) with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
I have gone off track from the start of this writing so that I could show you the importance of not just reading the Bible, but, studying the Bible. So, now I want to get back to II Timothy 2:15.
2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV) 15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
There is only one way to show yourself approved unto God and that is to be a workman of the Word, the Bible.
The Greek word for “rightly dividing” is orthotomeo and means to make a straight or right cut. It further means that there is only one right cutting. When a diamond jeweler cuts a diamond he studies the diamond to figure out how to cut the diamond. There is only one way to cut the diamond correctly. If he cuts it wrongly he will destroy the diamond. This is the word that God chose to use regarding the study of His Wonderful Matchless Word.
And the last part “the word of truth,” which is much more costly and much more precious than diamonds. The Bible is THE WORD OF TRUTH.
The closer you look at something in nature the more beautiful it becomes. That is because it is from the hand of God. So, also is the Bible. The closer you look, the more you study the more beautiful it becomes.