Home Bible Study©
Rightly Dividing the
Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15)
WWW. 2Tim215.Net
Established November
2008 Published: May 29,
2020
For this is good and
acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved,
and to come unto the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:3-4).
***********************************************************************************************
Colossians
3:22-25 (L 24)
In Colossians 3, Paul
is teaching the Colossians (and us) about how their union with Christ
transforms their relationships with one another. The true Believer has died with Christ, and
have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life, and their life is now
hidden with Him in God (3:3). Thus, they
are no longer who they used to be. They are
no longer a slave to sin and death. Having
been set free from these things, they are to walk worthy of the calling with
which they have been called to the glory of God the Father (1 Corinthians 10:31;
Ephesians 4:1-3).
Our apostle Paul introduced
these saints to God’s design for the marriage and family relationship two areas
they have dealings with on a daily basis, as do we. He began by instructing the weaker vessel and
then the stronger saying, “Wives submit to your own husbands;” “husbands
love you wife;” “Children, obey
your parents in all things;” and “Fathers, don't provoke your children.”
Now Paul is about to instruct servants
and their masters, which speaks of the employee employer relationship
in the workplace of today and again he directs his attention to the weaker
vessel first saying, “Servants, obey in all things your masters
according to the flesh…”
********
Please
open your Bible at Colossians 3:22-25.
“Servants,
obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not
with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing
God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto
men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the
inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth
wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no
respect of persons.”
Servants and Masters
This
scripture passage becomes more significant when you realize the word “servant”
used 125 times in the N.T. has nothing to do with a paid servant but with a
bond slave. If you know ancient history,
then you’re aware that there were slaves, i.e., people taken and forced to
serve in some capacity against their will.
For example, a slave could be found in a home cleaning the soiled feet
of houseguests or they could find themselves fighting for their life in the games,
so let’s be clear there’s a huge difference between a slave and a bond
servant. A person became a bond servant by
choice, in a manner of speaking, so it was legitimate. That probably needs explaining, so, when a
man was forced into bankruptcy in Paul’s day, there was no chapters 7 or 11 to ward
off financial ruin. The laws back then
were not as gracious as they are today. This
meant they had to sell himself as a slave so that their master could pay off
his debt. In Roman times, the
term bond servant or slave could refer to anyone who
voluntarily served others. But it
usually referred to one who was held in a position of servitude until his debt
was paid in full. Under Roman law, a
bond servant was considered the owner’s personal property. On the other hand, slaves essentially had no
rights and could even be killed with impunity by their owners.
Sometimes
masters were careful and considerate of their servants. A biblical example is Philemon and
his servant Onesimus. Things were
running smoothly in Philemon’s household, so to speak, until something
happened to change their relationship, marked by Onesimus running away
(See Paul’s letter to Philemon). One of the things we learn from this account
is some masters were thoughtful and gracious, while others could be
quite disagreeable, but no matter their situation Paul said obedience
in all things is required:
“Servants,
obey in all things your masters according to the flesh” (3:22a) –
first we note Paul did not instruct servants
to “demand their rights;” or “to rise up and flee oppression.” Far from it.
Paul said, “obey in all things your master,” whether your master
is just or unjust because it’s the right thing to do. God is not unaware of their situation, so
render your master obedience, not
with “eyeservice, as menpleasers;” (looking to see if their master is
around), but with “singleness of heart, fearing God:” Whatever you do, do it heartily,
remembering, you are doing it not for your
master, but for the Lord (3:23), “knowing” that one day
future there will be an accounting:
Verses
3:24-25:
“Knowing
that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance:
for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall
receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”
Please
take note of the fact that there is no master and servant
with God; both are equal in respect to persons (3:25b). By that Paul means to say even the master
of a slave has a has a Master in heaven, so obey your master in all
things and God will reward you.
“Wherefore
we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of
him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body,
according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
“For
we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” – as this
phrase implies, every saved saint has a future divine appointment with the Lord
Jesus Christ. On that day He will judge the
members of the Body of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:17, 5:9).
According
to John 5:27, God the Father has placed all judgment into the hands of His dear
Son for He alone is the perfect, righteous Judge. Even though the revelation of the mystery was
still a secret when the events of John chapter five occurred, the
principle of Christ’s judgeship certainly applies during the dispensation of
Grace. In Colossians 2 Paul said, “In
Him (Christ Jesus) dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
As God, therefore, He knows the
innermost thoughts and motives and the intent of one’s heart. But it’s also true He took upon Himself the
form of a human servant and dwelt among us (Philippians 2:5-8). Therefore, no saved saint will be able to
stand before Him at that time and say, “Lord you just don’t know the half of
what I was going through at that particular time…” He does know and He understands my friends. The Lord Jesus Christ suffered in all points,
as we, and yet committed no sin:
“For we
have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of
our infirmities; but was in all points tempted
like as we are, yet without
sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
The
prophet Isaiah identified the suffering Savior as a man of sorrows: “He
is despised and rejected of men; A man of sorrows, and acquainted with
grief:” (Isaiah 53:3).
Returning
to the question, “What reward,” Paul is referring to one of the
prominent church doctrines of the N.T., i.e., the Doctrine of Rewards at “the
Judgement Seat of Christ.” It is a
doctrine often ignored today, or when taught, it is misinterpreted because of
the term, “judgment.” Some folks have
drawn the wrong conclusion about the nature and purpose of this divine
evaluation witnessed by their teaching that God will mete out a just
retribution for the sins in the Believer’s life and assign some form of
punishment as a result. However, that’s
not what this book says. Let’s review 2 Corinthians
5:9-10 again:
“Wherefore
we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted
of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body,
according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
Paul
used the pronoun “we” 26 times in chapter 5, and in every instance he
included himself in this teaching, as well as every true Believer in Christ,
for the Corinthian letter is addressed to the saints (Believers) at
Corinth. For the record, the judgment
spoken of here is for saved individuals only (see 1 Corinthians 1:1-3), no
unbeliever will be present at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
The
Koine Greek word for Judgment Seat is Bema. In Paul’s day it was a raised platform, with
ascending steps, where rulers handed down decisions (Acts 18:12-16). It was also the place where the judges
presided over the Greek games, such as the Isthmus Games near Corinth, Greece. From this vantage point they could see the
entire field of events. If an athlete
was summoned to the Bema Seat it meant one of two things; either the
participant was disqualified for disobeying the rules or rewarded
with a garland for winning their particular event. Based on that analogy when we appear before the
Lord Jesus Christ to receive our reward or possibly suffer loss of
reward, it in no way implies the Believer will lose their salvation. Unlike the Great White Throne Judgment, condemnation
is not the issue at the Judgment Seat of Christ:
“There
is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after
the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1).
This
judgment will not be a trial to see whether the judged are innocent (saved) or
guilty (unsaved), because the sin question was answered once and for all
by Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross.
This examination will be like the judges stand at the county fair or at
a high school track meet, where “rewards” are handed out to successful
contestants. Therefore, it is not a
judgement for sin, but for “works.” This
judgment is described in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15:
“According
to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have
laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he
buildeth thereupon. For other
foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now
if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones,
wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the
day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by
fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it
is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he
shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he
shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
I
repeat, for emphasis, this judgment has zero to do with one’s salvation. That reckoning will occur at the Great White
Throne Judgment; this is where the lost will be judged and sentenced. At the Judgment Seat of Christ the
Believer’s “works” or their service for the Lord will be reviewed (see
Ephesians 2:8-10). At this point, the
Believer reading this ought to be asking themselves how they, as “God’s
workman,” have built upon Paul’s foundation (see 2 Timothy 2:15). Is the Body of Christ, the Church, today, as
far as its workmanship is concerned, built mostly of “gold, silver, and precious
stones,” or of inferior building materials here identified as “wood,
hay, stubble?” Has it been built
undispensationally with materials taken from the Mosaic Law, the Sermon on the
Mount, Pentecost, or with the eternal truths of the finished, all-sufficient
redemption wrought by Christ, “the preaching of the cross,” and the riches of
God’s Grace that flows from Calvary? Now
you know why I repeatedly stress the practice of 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.”
For
those who are considering putting this reality on the back burner for now, so
to speak, should understand this judgement could occur at any time. No one knows when the risen, Lord of glory
will come to take away His Church and then examine every man and every woman’s “work” to see if it passes
His inspection (verse 13). So then,
don’t be counted among those who find themselves at this judgment thinking,
“Should have, could have, and would have,” instead be more concerned about
being an “approved workman for God,” proclaiming His Word using right
division.
Let’s
return to the text under study:
“Servants, obey in all things your masters
according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in
singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily,
as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall
receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord
Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath
done: and there is no respect of persons” (3:22-25).
In
plain language, the Lord is going to compensate both labor and management for
the good they have done and whatever wrongs they may have committed. Every Believer in Christ can expect to receive
a reward for good conduct and suffer loss for wrong- doing. Little wonder Paul added the statement: “Knowing
therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made
manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences”
(2 Corinthians 5:11).
While
the Corinthians lived as though there was no tomorrow, Paul cautioned them re:
the “terror of the Lord;” for the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge;
it’s not defined as wisdom until you do something with the knowledge. Please don’t misunderstand what Paul means to
say about “fearing God” (3:22b). Look at it this way, your name has been
called and there you are standing before the Lord who
has perfect recall of every idle word, thought and deed during your lifetime. Paul’s saying we should fear the possible
devastating consequences not only of a misspent life, but the close, divine,
scrutiny of that life. It is with this
thought in mind Paul sought to persuade the carnal Corinthians of the gravity
of the occasion. In short, Paul is
passionately trying to exhort them to “walk worthy of the calling in which
they had been called” (Ephesians 4:1-3).
Why? There will be an accounting!
Today’s Workplace
Paul’s
instructions most certainly apply to every saved saint in the dispensation of
God’s grace or this present age, but with greater significance, because
practically everyone is paid a wage for their services and/or the work they do.
So, Paul’s instruction, “obey your
master,” when applied to the workplace of today might read, “obey
your employer, executive secretary, shop foreman, supervisor, etc.”
bearing in mind God requires obedience, because God has ordained rank
and file in the Believer’s workplace, understanding there is order with
God. Therefore, obey your superior,
do what he or she tells you to do, and do it heartily as unto the
Lord, because you are really doing it for God, “knowing” He will with any and
all offenders.
This
command, again, is directed to every saved saint in Christ; the lost or those
who are earthly in nature march to the beat of a different drummer, so to
speak. However, our marching orders come
from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Head of the body, the church (1:18), through our
apostle Paul. Paul is showing the
Colossians (and us) it’s possible to have an ideal work situation, but we must
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom and
teaching…” (3:16) or remain in the forefront. Then he gives the employer (master) something
to think about:
“Masters,
give unto your servants
that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven”
(4:1).
In
layman’s terms, Paul’s saying, since there’s no respect to persons, “Pay
your servants (employees) that which is just and equal for one
very good reason – you have a Master in heaven,” and you want Him to be just and fair
with you, right, so treat those in your employ equitably and equally.
Surely,
the regenerated wife and husband, child and parent, servant and master will come
to realize that God’s wisdom greatly surpasses human knowledge, i.e., the wisdom
of the world. The Lord Jesus Christ has shown
us the true way to enjoy harmonious human relationships and the key is “obedience”
to God’s design for married couples, the family, and the workplace.
(To
be continued)
©
Copyright 2011
GJ
Heitzman’s Ministry
All
Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment