2 Tim 2:14-19
14 Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless, and leads to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth. 16 But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and thus they upset the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness.”
Paul was warning Timothy of the need to study, and understand the Gospel of Salvation by which he was saved. Many people then, like today, were taking the Truth, and distorting it for various reasons.
Some of the views held by individuals (both those claiming to be Christian and non-Christian), is that the Bible has many different interpretations, and that the Bible is not reliable in this regard. I cannot tell someone that what I believe is correct because it’s “my interpretation.” So, is this belief correct? Is the Bible reliable? Or is there one “interpretation” of the Truth as God intended it?
As Christians we like to think that there is only one interpretation, however, there are many false doctrines, both damnable and verging on that threshold. So, obviously, the evangelical world can’t even agree on this topic. But there must be one Truth, not many truths. How has the Church come to this sad state of affairs? It comes down to the individual. We have grown lazy in our studies. We have developed our skills in eisegesis. Truly, the list can go on, but I think that I’ve made the point.
What can we do about this? First, we must accept that there is one interpretation. We must accept that the Bible is the only book necessary, and that all other additions that would contradict the Bible are wrong and damnable. After all, the Bible, doesn’t require any additional writings, and it is historically accurate. So, logically we can lean on the trustworthiness of the Bible. No other religion can make this boast. No cult can make this boast, either. With this in mind, we can rule out other religions and cults. But what about differences in denominations? This goes back to critical studies of the Bible. I personally feel that it is the responsibility of the Christian who has taken hermeneutics’s, history, etc. classes to teach those Christians with undeveloped theology, the way to read and study their bibles. Many times have I seen Christians with no biblical understanding, believing what they want and this be okay. To the new christian, it is their responsibility to abstain from things of the world that would hinder their studies. It is unbelievably important for new Christians and seeking Christians to spend as much time studying and developing an irrefutable theology. It is too easy to get swept away into the idea of postmodernism.
Lastly, it comes down to this: Christians without understanding of the bible cannot make a noteworthy impact in today’s society. We live in a “why” culture that demands answers. Our culture cannot and will not accept blind faith. Paul spent years and years, studying before he went out on his missionary journeys. He saw the value of knowledge and understanding. If we want to reach anyone, we must devote our lives to knowledge and understanding.
