Rightly Dividing The Word

Not long ago, I was speaking in a church about how we need to understand that not everything Jesus said was directed to us. A man came to me after the meeting and was highly insulted that I should say such a thing. "I think you are wrong to teach that we should disregard the words of Jesus," he said.

"I never said we should disregard what Jesus said," I answered.

"Yes you did," he responded. You said that we didn't need to take seriously what he said about us not being forgiven by God unless we forgive others. Unlike you, I believe everything Jesus said is important."

"I believe what He said is important too," I answered. "In fact, I think His words are important enough that we need to respect them by putting them in the proper context. Surely you don't believe that you are to take every word Jesus said and apply it to your own life?" I asked.

"Of course, I do," he answered, "His words are truth and life!"

"Well," I said, leaning forward as if to look closely at him, "Jesus said that if we ever lust, we should pluck our eyes out and I can't help but notice you have two eyeballs in your skull. Can you explain why that's the case?"

"Oh, oh, oh!" the man responded, obviously angry.

"I don't know what that means," I said.

"You are twisting what Jesus said!" He answered.

"No, I'm not," I answered. "I am telling you that we had better know who Jesus was talking to, why He said what He did and what He meant when He said it," I answered.

Needless to say, I didn't convince the man. I suppose he still thinks I don't believe the words of Jesus, but I do.

That man failed to understand something very important in interpreting the Bible. We have to rightly divide the Word. When we read the Bible, we need to ask, "Who was speaking here? To whom was he speaking? When was he saying this -before or after the cross? What point was he making with the people to whom he spoke?"

These are important questions. If we fail to answer them as we read the Bible, we get ourselves into a world of confusion. Much of what Jesus said was directed to the self righteous. For instance, in Luke 18:28-33, when the rich young ruler asked Him how he might obtain eternal life, Jesus told him to keep the Law. The man responded by saying that he had already done that, so Jesus told him to sell all that he had and give it to the poor.

Would any Christian seriously think that because Jesus told one man that, the way to salvation is to keep the Law or to sell what we have and give the money to the poor? No, we know that He wasn't talking to us there. He was talking to a man who thought he was good enough to deserve salvation based on his own morality. Jesus was making the point that "you only think you have what it takes to save yourself" by lifting up the Law so that the man would come to see his sinfulness. In other words, Jesus was using the Law to do what the Law does -- "make sin exceedingly sinful."

That's how it is with many passages we read. Remember that Jesus ministered under the old covenant and, consequently, He used the Law to do what it was given to do - cause sin to increase. (See Romans 5:20) Why would he do that? For the very reason Paul gave in Galatians 3:23-24 -- so that the Law would cause men to see their sinfulness and their need for a Saviour.

If we don't rightly divide the word by understanding that the New Covenant (Testament) didn't begin with the birth of Jesus, but with His crucifixion, we will be confused about some of the things He said. The New Covenant became valid only when the One who made it died. (See Hebrews 9:16-17)

I love the words of Jesus. I love His words enough to refuse to be flippant about them, but instead to study them in order to know their context and true meaning. I encourage you to approach the Scripture knowing that the dividing line between the Old and New Covenant is the work of Christ at the cross. Knowing that can help us avoid much confusion in our understanding.