Very early on in my quest for a knowledge of God and His Word, I read something by Dr. Victor Paul Wierwille, the Founding President of The Way International. He wrote, “The one great requirement of every Biblical student is to rightly divide the Word of Truth. The Bible, the Word of God in its originally revealed form, is the Word of Truth. But when it is wrongly divided, the true Word does not exist. We have the Word of Truth only to the extent that the Word of God is rightly divided.”
The Word as it was originally given is perfect, pure, and without error or contradiction. It is “God-breathed.”
II Timothy 3:16:
All scripture is given by inspiration of God [God-breathed], and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
The original revelation of God’s Word as given to “holy men of God” (II Peter 1:21) was perfect; however, throughout the ages, errors in translation and inaccuracies in understanding have clouded what the will of God is for us as His children. Learning the rightly divided Word helps us to clearly know the truth about Who God is and what He desires for our lives so we can believe rightly and act accordingly.
As workmen of the Word, we have the privilege and the joy to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Not only is it a privilege, it is an absolute necessity.
II Timothy 2:15:
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
We study to show ourselves approved unto God, not man. Seeking man’s approval is not the goal in our study of God’s Word.
The words “rightly dividing” in this verse are translated from the Greek word orthotomounta, the present participle form of orthotomeō, a compound word made up of two Greek words: orthos, meaning right or straight; and temnō, meaning to cut. “Rightly dividing” means straightly or rightly cutting.
We study to show ourselves approved unto God, as workmen who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. The Word of Truth is not the doctrine of men based on tradition. It is not the study of history, language, or chronology (although this information may help us in our understanding of the Word of God). And it is not turning Biblical principles into “psychology.” It’s the Word of Truth, and God’s will is for men and women to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
I Timothy 2:3 and 4:
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
The Word of Truth is perfect and pure.
Psalms 19:7:
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
Psalms 12:6 [The Amplified Bible]:
The words and promises of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times over.
God’s Word is pure and uncontaminated. It is like silver refined, and purified seven times. In its original form it is perfect, without error or contradiction, for God is perfect.
The Word of Truth is also the heart of our heavenly Father to us, His children, and that’s why it is so important that we rightly divide it. By rightly dividing the Word of Truth, we have an accurate knowledge of what God makes available and what He truly desires for our lives. We can recognize the truth and separate truth from error. Then we can truly understand God’s heart and His will.
Rightly dividing the Word of God helps us see the contrast between truth and error. Following are just a few examples of how rightly dividing the Word of Truth has brought me peace regarding God’s will and has helped me help others.
Sometimes it can be one word rightly divided that makes all the difference. It was October 1981 in New York City. I was crammed into a small one-bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with about twenty other people who were absorbed in the Bible that was being masterfully presented in a class that I agreed to attend for three weeks. The teacher was focused on the following verse.
Psalms 116:15:
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
I learned in that class that according to Biblical usage, the Hebrew word for “Precious” in this verse can also be translated as “costly,” which is clearer to our day and time. At the time the King James Version was translated, certain English words had different meanings from what they mean today….
This is an excerpt from the November/December 2015 issue of The Way Magazine.
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