Rightly Handling The Word Of Truth

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

“Do your best” (Greek: ‘spoudason’) can also be translated as “be diligent”. It is a word that stresses excellency, zeal and effort to be put into the work.

In context, one of Paul’s final instructions to Timothy was for Timothy to pursue with great diligence to seek God’s approval. This “approval” is not speaking about salvation, but is speaking of one that has been tested and approved by God. One of the tests is “rightly handling the word of truth” or the “word of God”, which can be:

1. All of Scripture in general (John 17:17)
2. The Gospel message in particular. (Colossians 1:5; Ephesians 1:13)

Timothy was to give his maximum effort to impart God’s word completely, accurately, and clearly to his hearers. This is crucial to counter the disastrous effects of false teaching in the surrounding context. Precision and accuracy are required in biblical interpretation because the interpreter is handling God’s word. Therefore, anyone who is approved after being tested has no need to be ashamed.

However, for anyone who fails this test, not only is he not approved, but he should be ashamed. So if you’re not rightly handling the word of truth, then you ought to be ashamed. 

There is an end-time nuance in this verse because of the word “approved by God”. Like us, Timothy will stand before God and give an account of his life. Teaching or preaching is especially dangerous because teachers will be judged with greater strictness (James 3:1). If you are teaching, then you better be careful with what you say because you will also give an account “for every careless word” that you say (Matthew 12:36).