How Is Truth Rightly Divided ?

[Pilgrum]

Originally Posted by Scott Hutchinson

The Bible tells us to rightly divide the word of truth as a workman that is not ashamed.

In your opinion how is the word of truth rightly divided ?

The art of cut and pasting the Word so that it supports our preconceived ideas of what we think or want it to say.

[Sandy]

Are you saying this is the way to rightly divide, or the way to possibly be wrong? Just asking.

[Pilgrum]

Originally Posted by Sandy

Are you saying this is the way to rightly divide, or the way to possibly be wrong? Just asking.

I am being sarcastic. But unfortunately, that is often the way of it. Many of us have been guilty of studying and dividing the Word this way, myself included. When I "got saved" I was taught doctrine. Then as I read the Word I read it with the doctrine I was taught as a filter or measure, interpreting and applying it to support that doctrine. Try emptying your mind of all of your doctrines and then reading the Word, then see what it says to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit. You may be surprised to find out that some of your doctrines are wrong.

[FlamingZword]

Originally Posted by Pilgrum

I am being sarcastic. But unfortunately, that is often the way of it. Many of us have been guilty of studying and dividing the Word this way, myself included. When I "got saved" I was taught doctrine. Then as I read the Word I read it with the doctrine I was taught as a filter or measure, interpreting and applying it to support that doctrine. Try emptying your mind of all of your doctrines and then reading the Word, then see what it says to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit. You may be surprised to find out that some of your doctrines are wrong.

The problem is that we see everything through preconceptions, and anything that does not conform then gets reinterpreted.

That is how Trinitarians reintepret the word One in Deut 6:4 and everywhere else. So the word one is reinterpretated as many, in order to accomadate the doctrine of the trinity.

and you though that Bill Clinton was being slick with his "is" definition.

[bbyrd009]

I'd like to mention here that this "interpreting" that we do, through our filters, doctrine, is passing away; powerful tools are now available to read the manuscripts, literally, and prevarications or dilutions of Scripture will become clear. I note that a brief "biblecc" of say,

"And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." (Gen 1:2)

will illuminate that "was without form" is a poor modern-day translation for "tohu;" (Strong's 8414) you should eventually get the sense of "became." Or sooner, admit that this describes God's creations:
tohu: formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness
Original Word: תֹּ֫הוּ
Transliteration: tohu
Phonetic Spelling: (to'-hoo)
Short Definition: waste
Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness
NASB Word Usage
chaos (1), confusion (1), desolation (1), emptiness (1), empty space (1), formless (2), futile (2), futile things (1), meaningless (2), meaningless arguments (1), nothing (2), waste (3), waste place (2).
your spiritual sense will tell you this doesn't sound right, and exploring "tohu" a bit more will verify that that is most probably due to the complete meaning of "was" being poorly transliterated.
You get another clue here:
From an unused root meaning to lie waste; a desolation (of surface) (emphasis mine)
A deep enough study (took me 5 minutes) gets you to (Strong's 1961, Hebrew for our "was")
hayah: to fall out, come to pass, become, be
Original Word: הָיָה
Transliteration: hayah
Phonetic Spelling: (haw-yaw)
Short Definition: come
http://concordances.org/hebrew/1961.htm , and just look down on the lower right, down further, to see "Gen 1:2."
(ok, still somewhat difficult, but certainly no longer practically impossible)

Or another, possibly more accepted (now) passage that would at first indicate that women should never open their mouths in church, or "talk," is revealed in the manuscripts to actually mean, variously, "chatter," or "question." (Strong's 2980, for "chatter")

[bbyrd009]

Originally Posted by Pilgrum

The art of cut and pasting the Word so that it supports our preconceived ideas of what we think or want it to say.

Lol, mostly, huh?