You are referring to 2 Timothy 2:15 which reads: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

In our Q&A “How Does the Church of the Eternal God and its International Affiliates Differ from Other Christian Churches? (Part 1) we state the following:

“In charging Timothy with ‘rightly dividing the word of truth,’ Paul brings out the fact that God’s Word must be read and studied, ‘here a little and there a little’ (Isaiah 28:9-10). All Scriptures to a given concept must be consulted, to avoid reaching a wrong conclusion. The Word of Truth must be taught honestly, while nothing is to be added or deleted. In dividing or ‘cutting straight’ God’s Word, error and false interpretations are being cut off. As Paul admonished Timothy to preach God’s Word ‘in season and out of season’ (compare again 2 Timothy 4:2), and not to be ‘ashamed of the testimony of our Lord’ and the gospel (2 Timothy 1:8), so Paul also did not shun ‘to declare… the whole counsel of God’ (Acts 20:27).”

The word “orthotomeō” (Strong’s Number: G3718) meaning “‘rightly dividing’ can be understood as follows: ‘To cut straight, to cut straight ways. To proceed on straight paths, hold a straight course, equivalent to doing right. To make straight and smooth, to handle aright, to teach the truth directly and correctly.’”

The Bible clearly says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Also, we read in John 17:15-19: “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.”

We are clearly told that Jesus prayed that His disciples would be set apart by the Truth of God. They would be able to rightly divide the word of Truth.

From the Scriptures already quoted we can see that we must read the Bible, study it, and diligently seek correct understanding from it. As we do, we can show ourselves approved unto God as workmen who need not be ashamed.

We must also realise that the Bible, in its original form, is the Word of Truth. There are no contradictions; otherwise, the Bible could not be trusted.

Let us break down 2 Timothy 2:15 which is Paul’s instruction to Timothy who was a minister in the New Testament Church of God. However, just because this was an instruction to a minister at that time doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t apply to all Church members as well down through the ages to the present time. We are admonished to “Test all things; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21) – again, an exhortation that applies to all members of the Church of God whether they are ministers or members.

2 Timothy 2:15 starts out by saying: “Be diligent”; that is, to make every effort, be studious and unflagging in this endeavour. Barnes Notes on the Bible states the following:

“Study to show thyself approved unto God – Give diligence or make an effort so to discharge the duties of the ministerial office as to meet the divine approbation. The object of the ministry is not to please men. Such doctrines should be preached, and such plans formed, and such a manner of life pursued, as God will approve. To do this demands study or care – for there are many temptations to the opposite course; there are many things the tendency of which is to lead a minister to seek popular favor rather than the divine approval. If any man please God, it will be as the result of deliberate intention and a careful life.”

As mentioned, this admonition applies to all ordained and unordained members of God’s Church. We all must be diligent in discharging our individual duties and responsibilities—whatever they may be.

“…to show yourself approved unto God.” In Matthew 25:23 we read: “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’” This is part of Christ’s teaching in the parable of the talents and must be our aim in life. We must remember that our calling now is the only opportunity that we will have, and we must make it fully count as there is no second chance for anyone.

“… a workman who does not need to be ashamed.” This must be our goal. Three verses earlier, in 2 Timothy 2:12, we are told that if “If we endure, We shall also reign with Him.   If we deny Him, He will also deny us.” That is a pretty stark warning for us to do the right thing. Timothy was given the task of reminding them “of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers” (2 Timothy 2:14). God will surely be pleased when we take His Word seriously and rightly divide the Word of Truth. While ministers are to preach the Word of God in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2), we all have the responsibility to answer those with meekness and fear who ask us regarding the hope that is in us (compare 1 Peter 3:15). In 1 Timothy 4:16, a warning is given: “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”

“… rightly dividing the Word of Truth.” The word “rightly dividing” literally means “to rightly cut, to cut straight.”

As mentioned above, there are warnings about not adding to or taking away from God’s Word. We read in Deuteronomy 4:2: “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.”

Deuteronomy 12:32 states: ““Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.”

Revelation 22:19 adds: “… and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

We also read in Mark 7:13 about those who are “making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things that you do.”   This follows on from verse 7, which reads: “And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

It should be further added that in Romans 8:9 & 14 we read that “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” In order to obtain the Holy Spirit, we need to repent, believe and be baptised (see Acts 2:38). God only gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him (see Acts 5:32). It follows that those who are not obedient to God will not receive His Holy Spirit and, therefore, will not be able to properly divide the Word of Truth.  Even those who might be called by God and who are on their way towards baptism must be careful not to reject or second-guess the teachings of God’s Church, which is the foundation and the pillar of the Truth (2 Timothy 3:15), and to replace them with their own personal opinions.

It is clear from mainstream Christianity that tradition can play quite a part in their “understanding” of the Way of God. On the website carm.org/catholic/roman-catholicism-bible-and-tradition, we read:

“One of the great differences between Protestant and Catholic doctrine is in the area of Tradition. The Protestant church maintains that the Bible alone is intended by God to be the source of doctrinal truth (2 Tim. 3:16). The Catholic Church, however, says, ‘Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God . . .’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 97).

“The Catholic Church reasons thusly:

“‘1. The apostles left bishops as their successors. They gave them their own position of teaching authority’ (Par. 77).

“‘2. This living transmission, accomplished through the Holy Spirit, is called tradition…’  (Par. 78).

“‘3. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence’ (Par. 82).

“Within the Catholic scope of Tradition, many doctrines have been ‘revealed’ to the Church over the centuries. For example, there is the veneration of Mary, her immaculate conception and her bodily assumption into heaven. There is also the Apocrypha, transubstantiation, praying to saints, the confessional, penance, purgatory, and more.  Protestantism as a whole differs with Catholicism in these additions.”

This article states that “The Protestant church maintains that the Bible alone is intended by God to be the source of doctrinal truth (2 Tim. 3:16),” which is incorrect. For example, the Bible clearly teaches the keeping of the seventh-day Sabbath and the annual Holy Days, which neither Roman Catholicism nor Protestantism accepts. They have replaced them with Sunday and man’s holidays (Christmas, Easter, etc.), which have no biblical basis whatsoever. For more differences, please see our “Statement of Beliefs,” which will show a great disparity between the Church of God and mainstream Christianity.

From what we have seen, these churches have not rightly divided the Word of Truth. In addition, they have added things and taken away things through tradition and faulty reasoning and the outcome of such practices is not favourable!

Two additional examples of how the Bible has not been the basis of understanding can be seen in the false belief in the Trinity. In the New Bible Dictionary we read the following: “The word Trinity is not found in the Bible, and, though used by Tertullian in the last decade of the 2nd century, it did not find a place formally in the theology of the Church till the 4th century.” In other words, this is something that has been “added” which is condemned in God’s Word.

Another example is that of the Rapture. Wikipedia, under the heading of “Rapture,” makes these observations: “Pre-tribulation rapture theology originated in the eighteenth century, with the Puritan preachers Increase and Cotton Mather, and was popularized extensively in the 1830s by John Nelson Darby and the Plymouth Brethren, and further in the United States by the wide circulation of the Scofield Reference Bible in the early 20th century.” The rapture is not mentioned in the Bible and is another example of a belief not shown in the Bible being “added” which is contrary to the clear teachings of Scripture.

As stated above, other examples of changing God’s Word to suit man’s requirements is that of the weekly Sabbath. Saying that a change was made because Christ was raised from the dead on a Sunday morning is both incorrect (it was Saturday evening) and has no biblical basis whatsoever. It was, in brief, a change not approved of or authorised by Scripture.

There are many other examples of similar “adding to and taking away” from the inspired Word of God, which would clearly come under the heading of NOT rightly dividing the Word of Truth.

We must always let the Bible interpret itself. It is infallible in its original form and must be our guide to life, and we must never fall into the trap of human reasoning. We must always rightly divide the Word of Truth as the Bible instructs!

For more information, please read our free booklets “The Authority of the Bible” and “How to Find the True Church of God,” which include our “Statement of Beliefs.”

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

The first reference to God saying that He is a jealous God can be found in Exodus 20:5 where we read: “…you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me.” This is part of the second of God’s Ten Commandments.

Young’s Analytical Concordance shows that the word for jealousy in this verse is “qanna” which can mean zealous and jealous. The same word is used in the same context in other verses as follows:

Exodus 34:14: “…for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God…”

Deuteronomy 4:24: “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”

Deuteronomy 5:9: “… you shall not bow down to them [carved images] nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me…”

In passing, the meaning of this verse, and also the one in Exodus 20:5, quoted above, is explained in our Q&A, titled “What does it mean that God will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Him (compare Exodus 20:5)?” In short, it points out that the negative conduct of the parents may have in many cases a negative impact on the children, but the children are not doomed to have to follow their parent’s bad example.

Deuteronomy 6:15: “…(for the LORD your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the LORD your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.”

The word “ganno”, also meaning zealous and jealous, is used in Joshua 24:19 and Nahum 1:2, also referring to God being a jealous God. There are a number of other references too.   We can quickly understand that God is zealous which can be defined as “jealous for the good or the promotion of some person or object; ardent; eager; fervent; devoted.” That is a quality of God and must also be a quality that we must have. It is not within the scope of this Q&A to look at the zealous nature of God but to answer the question about jealousy.

Deuteronomy 4:23-24 states: “Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the LORD your God has forbidden you. For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”

The following Scriptures also show that God would not accept unfaithfulness towards Him and had to be first in the lives of the ancient nation of Israel and, therefore by extension, in our lives today:

Leviticus 18:3: “According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances.”

Leviticus 20:23: “And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things, and therefore I abhor them.”

Deuteronomy 12:30: “… take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them [pagan nations], after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’”

They were instructed to put God first, to love God with every fiber of their being, to teach God’s Way to their children and not to learn the way of the heathen. Nothing else would be acceptable.

God was making sure that His people kept Him at the center of their lives, and we should do exactly the same today.

We know that God is perfect in every way. How then do we understand the verses quoted above?

One commentator observed that “this is part of the second commandment – you shall have no other gods before God. The meaning is clear, beautiful and as righteous as a man being jealous for his wife. In an environment where many gods compete for the affection of man God is intensely competitive in vying for the affections of His people.”

God was “jealous” in the sense that He expected full devotion, not merely a partial, lukewarm commitment. Worship belongs to God, and He is right to be “jealous” of it.

God entered into a committed relationship with the ancient nation of Israel. In Exodus 19:4-6 we read: “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

The commitment was that Israel was to “obey My voice” and “if you keep My covenant”, as God put it. The demands of the covenant were the laws and statutes that regulated the relationship between Israel and God and between the Israelites themselves. We read the response from the Israelites in Exodus 19:8: “Then all the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do.” So, Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD.” Agreement had been reached.

We know that Israel reneged on these commitments time and time again. We can read this in Psalm 78:10-11, where the sub-heading to the chapter in the New King James Bible is “God’s kindness to rebellious Israel”: “They did not keep the covenant of God; They refused to walk in His law, And forgot His works And His wonders that He had shown them.”

As the people of God, Israel failed miserably much of the time. As the people of God and “spiritual Israel” today, we have a special relationship with God. In our booklet “God’s Teachings on Sexual Relationships” we state on page 26 the following: “As we can see from Ephesians 5:31-32, Paul is addressing here the mystery of the relationship between Christ and His Church. He emphasizes that those who are called must come out of the ways of this world in order to be joined with Christ. Christ must be continuously living within them (1 John 2:15–17; Romans 12:2; Galatians 2:20). Paul also shows that the physical institution of marriage is pointing at a spiritual union between God and man. It is pointing at a spiritual marriage between Christ and His Church.”

In 2 Corinthians 11:2, the apostle Paul wrote: ”For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”   Paul desired that the church be fully devoted to Christ. His “jealousy” was one of wanting the very best for the Church and their relationship with God. Anything that would divert their attention and commitment of worshipping God would be seen as a disaster. That was a type of Godly jealousy, where Paul earnestly wanted the best outcome for the Church which would be their closeness and commitment to worshipping God.

If Paul could be “jealous” for God in the right way, how much more would the perfect Creator God have righteous jealousy for the spiritual well-being of His people?

However, jealousy with man is usually a very negative force.  In the “works of the flesh” in Galatians 5:20, we read some traits to be avoided: “idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,” none of which, along with the other “works of the flesh,” are to be part of a true Christian’s way of life.

In 1 Corinthians 10:22 we read: “Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?  Are we stronger than He?” This was talking about idolatry, and it is a very dangerous exercise to provoke God in such a way; particularly, when true Christians should have known then, and should know today, that God always has our best interests at heart and God’s jealousy is based on his love and concern for us. He wants us to make it into His kingdom – for eternity!

We can see that jealousy is used in God’s Word in both a positive and a negative way. When jealousy is used as an attribute of carnal man, it is invariably used in a negative way, but when used as an attribute of God, it is always used in a positive sense because God is perfect in all His ways.

Isaiah 42:8 contains more than just a clue as to why God is a jealous God: “I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.” He clearly states that He will not share His praise with any other so-called god as He is the only true God and all the other gods are just idols from the imagination of man. He looks after His own and protects us mightily and that is divine jealousy, all in the best interests of man.

In Matthew 10:37 we read: “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”

This Christian struggle of choosing God above all else is vividly described in James 4:4-5, where we read: “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, ‘The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously’?”

We have to live a life worthy of our calling. In 1 John 2:6 we read: “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” By following such instructions we will be able to get our priorities right and God will be first in our lives. It has been said and written many times that God should be first, followed, in that order, by our mate, our children and then our job, but how many times have we failed to get our priorities right?

In the Church of God, we have often used the phrase that God’s jealousy can be defined as “intolerant of unfaithfulness.” God demands of us, for our own benefit, complete fidelity to Him as He knows what is best for us and guides us down that path through the lead of the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, the jealousy of the carnal human mind is always linked to envy and covetousness of which we must not be guilty. The difference between Godly jealousy and man’s jealousy is unbridgeable.

We should be very grateful that God is a jealous God as He has the very best interests of all of His people at heart.

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

In the first chapter of the first book in the Bible, we read that God created man in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27). Man was created for a purpose, and that ultimate purpose is to become an immortal member of the God Family.

In John 10, Jesus talks about Himself as being the good Shepherd and that He had “come that they have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (verse 10).  In this day and age, God has only called very few people for salvation, but everyone will receive their opportunity to inherit eternal life when God deems that the time is right.  Why would anyone who has received this marvelous calling today want to commit suicide? There are many “reasons” and “justifications” why even true Christians might erroneously think that this is the best course of action in their particular circumstances.

What circumstances would give rise to such a thought? Perhaps someone has an incurable disease (by man’s reckoning) and is in such severe pain that it seems to be the only way out of a terrible situation? Or someone doesn’t think him- or herself worthy of God’s calling and cannot reconcile the fact that he or she is a sinner who doesn’t seem to be making any progress in his or her life, perhaps even going backwards? What about someone who experiences demonic activity in his or her life which presses that individual to take such action as a way out of this misery? Drug or alcohol addiction, mental illness, depression, family issues, bullying and marital and financial problems can also be reasons why suicide might seem to be the answer, but it never is. When someone commits suicide, he or she will have to give an answer to God for that course of action within his or her very next waking moment.

The definition of suicide is “the act or an instance of taking one’s own life voluntarily and intentionally.” Taken from “Key trends from the Samaritans Suicide Statistics Report 2017,” 6,188 suicides were registered in the UK and 451 in the Republic of Ireland, and the highest suicide rate in the UK was for men aged 40–44. According to “2016-National-Facts-Figures,” nearly 43,000 Americans die by suicide every year. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and the second leading cause of death for ages 44 and under.

There are a number of examples in the Bible where suicide was committed. Ahithophel hanged himself (2 Samuel 17:23), Zimri burned himself (1 Kings 16:18), Saul fell on his sword, as did his armorbearer (1 Samuel 31:4-5), Judas hung himself (Matthew 27:3-5), and Samson killed himself, while destroying the pagan temple, knowing that his actions would lead to his death (Judges 16:29-30). Abimelech, a son of Gideon, asked his armorbearer to kill him, which he did (Judges 9:54), but some might dispute this as an example of suicide as Abimelech died at the hand of someone else. Perhaps “assisted suicide” might be an appropriate term (in legal terms, helping someone to commit suicide might also qualify as “aiding and abetting of murder” or even as “murder” itself), but in any event, the outcome was that Abimelech wanted to die and did so.

We read in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who (better “which”) is in you, whom (better “which”) you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” How could we even consider taking such drastic action, irrespective of our individual situation, when the Holy Spirit lives within us? Life belongs to God and the 6th Commandment tells us: “You shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13). We are not to kill either someone else or ourselves. Suicide, the taking of one’s own life, is equal to murder.

After Job had lost his property and his children, he stated that “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away” (Job 1:21). When someone takes their own life, it is an ungodly act because it rejects the life that God so graciously gave them in the first place. The meaning of Job 1:21 is that it is God who gives life and it is His prerogative and authority to take life away. It is not within a human being’s right or authority to do so.

King David stated in Psalm 31:15 that “my times are in Your hands.” Albert Barnes observed: “All that pertained to us is under the control and at the disposal of God. We shall live as long as God has appointed; we shall pass through such changes as he directs; we shall die when and where and how he chooses.”

In Deuteronomy 30:19, God told the ancient Israelites to choose life: “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.” It was blessings or cursings – blessings for living the life that God would have us lead, or cursings for choosing to disobey God, leading to death.

What about those who have been baptised in the Church of God and received the Holy Spirit, and who subsequently take their own life? Are they lost forever? They would certainly have known that it was wrong, but we all sin in many different ways, and we don’t know another person’s heart or situation. We do read in Psalm 103:11: “For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.” In James 2:13, we read: “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” God is a merciful God, and He will always make the right decision about everyone. For instance, even though Samson committed suicide, he will be in God’s Kingdom, as Hebrews 11 tells us. On the other hand, it appears that King Saul will not be, but he had lost the Holy Spirit quite a while before his final act, and it is for God to make these kinds of ultimate judgments.

Suicidal thoughts can happen to the best of people. Towards the end of his life, Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 2:17: “Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.” In Ecclesiastes 12:13, he also wrote: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all (or: “the whole duty of man”). For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether it is good or whether it is evil.”

Both Elijah and Jonah at one point wanted to die; Jeremiah encountered serious moments of despair;  and the apostle Paul and his friends were under significant pressure at times. We read in 2 Corinthians 1:8: “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.” Even great men in the Bible had their very difficult moments, as we ourselves can have those today.

But this does not justify suicide, assisted suicide or aiding and abetting murder by any stretch of the imagination. Taking one’s own life or helping someone else to do so is a sinful act. Even though there are usually extreme circumstances that may have driven people over the edge to do this, and even though we may have no idea of the pressure that others may be under, nor do we know their hearts, we also know that we must never take such action. God, as a merciful and loving God, will judge them righteously and fairly, something that any man would be incapable of doing.

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)