BE AN UNASHAMED WORKMAN

By Akin Ojumu | Originally Published on July 9, 2023

Scratching the surface is what most Christians do when it comes to the Bible. Significantly few Believers take the time to plumb the depths of the Holy Book to discover the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God in its pages. Because the average Christian knows so little of Scripture, his Christian life is marked by superficiality of worship and frivolity of devotion.

The erroneous teachings that have become so commonplace in the Church today are a direct result of the mediocrity in the sophistry of Scripture. Failing to appreciate the intricacies of the language, grammatical construct, and idioms of the Bible, many interpret what they read to fit a predetermined narrative. It’s this lack of recognition of the complexity of the Bible that causes Believers to resort to wacky mysticism and errant esotericism to explain what they read.

2 Timothy 4:3-4

“For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”

Because modern-day readers of the Bible are insufficiently sophisticated in the subtleties of the morphology, syntax, phonetics, and semantics of the Hebrew and Greek language, they often make the egregious mistake of reading Scripture with contemporary lens instead of looking at it from the viewpoint of its original recipients. As a result, the contextual meaning of the texts being read is completely lost on the reader.

Yet, what God requires of and expects from all Christians and anyone who reads and teaches the Gospel is to handle the Word of Truth with nothing short of accuracy and precision. This was the standard of God for Christians in the 1st Century. It remains the standard of God for Christians even today.

The notion that God has instituted different standards for handling His Word for different generations or that there are varying degrees of revelations from one period to the next is an egregious deception of Satan. Those who espouse such views are mouthpieces of Satan who are attempting to blur and obscure the devastation that false theologies and erroneous doctrines are wreaking to the Body of Christ.

Let’s examine what the Bible actually teaches about handling God’s Word with precision.

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.”

2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV)

“Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.”

2 Timothy 2:15 (NASB 1995)

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

2 Timothy 2:15 (Amplified)

“Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth.”

2 Timothy 2:15 is a rather familiar Bible verse to many Christians. While it’s true that many understand the meaning of this verse, not a whole lot of people know what many of the actual Greek words meant to Timothy to whom the letter was written. Worse still, even fewer people appreciate the gravity and weightiness of the instruction Paul was giving Timothy in this verse.

Let’s examine them, shall we.

STUDY TO...

The word translated “Study” is the Greek word, Spoudazō. It means to give diligence, to give maximum effort, to give persistent zeal, to do your best, to be eager. Spoudazō is a reference to someone who exert himself on a task. This is the laboring and toiling an individual puts into a particular mission.

This word denotes zealous persistence in accomplishing a goal. Timothy, like all who preach or teach the Word, was to give his maximum effort to impart God’s Word completely, accurately, and clearly to his hearers. This is crucial to counter the disastrous effects of false teaching. (Source: John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005).

SHEW THYSELF...

The Greek word for “Show Thyself” is the word Paristēmi. This is a compound word, (para –alongside; histemi – stand). This is the Greek word from which we derived the word parallel. Paristēmi means to stand alongside someone or something.

APPROVED UNTO...

The word “Approved” is the Greek word Dokimos. It means proven to be worthy after testing. Literally, the word Dokimos is used to describe the quality of coins and metals with respect to whether they are genuine or counterfeit. It refers to something that stood the test; tested to be trustworthy; of sterling worth, like metal which is cleansed of all alloys. Dokimos describes the successful testing of precious metals and coins, as well as the approval of the tested objects as genuine.

There’s actually a historical tidbit about Dokimos that I found in the Blue Letter Bible.

In the ancient world there was no banking system as we know it today, and no paper money. All money was made from metal, heated until liquid, poured into molds and allowed to cool. When the coins were cooled, it was necessary to smooth off the uneven edges. The coins were comparatively soft, and of course many people shaved them too closely, producing lots of counterfeit coins in the process. In one century, more than eighty laws were passed in Athens to stop the practice of whittling down the coins then in circulation.

But some money changers were men of integrity, who would accept no counterfeit money; they were men of honor who put only genuine, full-weight money into circulation. Such men were called Dokimos, and this word is used here for the Christian who faithfully and accurately handles the Word of God. All Christians are required to be Dokimos and are expected to be seen as such by the world.

A WORKMAN...

The word “Workman” is the Greek word Ergatēn. It refers to a hardworking laborer, a hard worker. This is someone who works for hire.

NEEDETH NOT BE ASHAMED…

The Greek word here is Anepaischuntos. This is an imagery of a hired laborer who after completing the job has nothing to hide when the foreman inspects the job. Because he has poured all of himself into the job to complete it with excellence and all the skills he’s got, he is confident that the completed job would not only meet the foreman’s expectations, it would exceed it.

In the cultural context of the early church, a workman would be someone who is skilled and reliable, not needing to hide or be ashamed of their work. This is echoed in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, where Paul speaks of building on the foundation of Christ with care (Source: Bible Hub).

There are many pastors and Christians today who need to bury their heads in shame because of the shoddiness with which they’ve done the job of preaching the Word.

RIGHTLY DIVIDING...

The Greek word is Orthotomeō which, in literal Greek, means “to cut straight.” It’s a compound word (orthos – straight; temno – to cut) used for any kind of straight line that had to fit together with something else. For example, cutting a straight line with a saw in carpentry, cutting a straight edge on a stone in building construction, cutting hides on a straight line to piece them together in tentmaking.

Rightly dividing is a reference to the exactness demanded by such trades as carpentry, masonry, and Paul’s trade of leather-working and tent-making. Precision and accuracy are required in biblical interpretation, beyond all other enterprises, because the interpreter is handling God’s Word. Anything less is shameful. (Source: John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005).

Put together, the message Paul was communicating to Timothy becomes pretty clear. In this verse, Paul was encouraging Timothy to make maximum effort (Study) so that he may someday stand before (Shew Thyself) the holy presence of God unashamed because he has proven himself to be worthy (Approved) by cutting a straight a line (Rightly Dividing) through the Word of God.

As a deluge of false theologies and erroneous teachings swept the Church, Paul charged Timothy not to allow himself to get drowned out by the false teachers and impostors. He admonished him to distinguish himself by diligently handling the Word of God accurately, correctly, and precisely.

Paul warned Timothy, and in turn, all Christians, of the consequences of mishandling God’s Truth. Shame, disgrace, and ruin will be visited upon anyone who makes the Word of God crooked.