Approved unto God

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

1. Mandate (what to do) – “Study”
2. Motive (why to do it) – “to shew thyself approved unto God”
3. Method (how to do it) – “rightly dividing the word of truth”

The issue of being “approved unto God” is the most neglected part of the most emphasized verse among those who understand the importance of right division. We hear much about the need to study and what it means to rightly divide the word of truth, but when is the last time you heard a message on being approved unto God?

Why would Paul say that we must study to be approved unto God? Aren’t we “accepted in the beloved” (Eph. 1:6) the moment we believe the gospel of Christ? We are approved as to our standing (unchangeable position in Christ, Rom. 16:10), but here he is talking about our state (changeable condition, based on our faith and obedience, 1 Cor. 11:19; 2 Cor. 10:18).

All members of the Body of Christ must stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ to give an account of our service (2 Cor. 5:9-10). We will not know how to serve God according to His will unless we rightly divide the word of truth and follow Paul, the “wise masterbuilder” whom God used to lay the foundation of this present age (1 Cor. 3:10-15), which is Jesus Christ “according to the revelation of the mystery” (Rom. 16:25). Those who suffer loss of reward will be ashamed in that day.

In serving the Lord it is not just about what we do but how we do it and why we do it. God tries our heart (1 Thess. 2:1-6). Why do we study the word of truth? It is possible to study the Bible with wrong motives (2 Cor. 2:17; 4:2; Phil. 1:15-17). For some it seems to be more of a hobby than it is preparation for ministry. Right division is a means to an end, not the end.

Bible study should not be about just obtaining mental knowledge about God, but about the spiritual knowledge of God (Eph. 1:17; Phil. 3:10; Col. 1:10). We cannot trust, worship, or serve a God that we do not truly know. We know God and His truth through His word, not our own thoughts feelings, or experiences. Therefore, the right kind of Bible study is a spiritual exercise and not an academic one because the Bible is the living word of God, not a theological textbook. We should study the Bible out of a personal relationship with God.

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines motive as “That which incites to action; that which determines the choice or moves the will. Thus, we speak of good motives, and bad motives; strong and weak motives.” Our motives matter in serving God. Paul wrote a whole chapter on his motives (2 Cor. 5).

What are our motives in Bible study?

• The fear of God (Ps. 19:9; Prov. 1:7; Phil. 2:12) or of man (Prov. 29:25)?
• The approval of God (2 Tim. 2:15), or of man (Jn. 12:42-43)? Beware the herd mentality!
• The judgment seat of Christ, or man’s judgment (1 Cor. 4:1-5)?
• Charity (1 Cor. 13:1-3) or pride (1 Cor. 8:1)?

Let’s ask ourselves some questions that will help us see our true motives.

• Does our Bible study produce spiritual growth and godliness (1 Tim. 4:6-8; 2 Tim. 3:16-17)?
• Do we try to use right division to get out of responsibility? For example, we are not under the law of tithing but we should still give to the Lord’s work (2 Cor. 9:7).
• Do we study that we might minister to others (Prov. 15:28; 22:17-21), or do we look down on those who don’t know what we know?
• How do we treat others that have not learned what we have (Eph. 4:1-3)? If we can’t fellowship with others who do not agree with us on every detail of dispensational truth, we have the wrong motive.

Having the wrong motive will cause us to be:

• Unfulfilled – Trying to live the Christian life in the energy of the flesh is unfulfilling. There is no joy in doing the right thing for the wrong reasons.
• Unfaithful – Those who are motivated by the wrong things quickly burn out or quit when things get tough (Prov. 24:10; Eph. 6:10).
• Unfruitful – Fruitfulness only comes from walking in the Spirit. Wrong motives are evidence that we are walking after the flesh.
• Unrewarded – Our work will be tried for what “sort it is.” The main problem with wrong motives is that the Lord is not pleased.

Heart preparation (Ezra 7:10):

• Faith – We must approach Bible study with a believing heart (1 Thess. 2:13; Heb. 11:6).
• Humility – We must approach Bible study with a submissive heart (Isa. 28:9; 66:2).
• Prayer – We must approach Bible study with a pure heart (Ps. 119:18; 2 Tim. 2:22).
• Obedience – We must have a desire to obey the truth we learn (Rom. 6:17).

It’s not our place to judge one another’s motives for only God knows the heart. We all just need to make sure that our own motives are right (Prov. 4:23). God already searches our heart and knows it (Ps. 139:1-2), but let’s willingly ask Him to search our heart that we might know it (Ps. 139:23-24; Jer. 17:9-10; Heb. 4:12-13).