Subject: 2Tim 2:15 Study dispensationally? |
Bible Note: Hi, Ken; I wasn't even sure that by studying "dispensationally", you were referring to dispensaionalism. And I haven't studied Scofield's ideas or the modern variants, so I really don't know much about it. I'm not a Greek scholar, nor do I play one on TV, so I seldom venture into any language other than Endglish. But I did use Strong's numbers to help understand the passages you cited. I don't really see anything in them beyond the plain meaning of the words: - 2 Timothy 2:15: "rightly divide" is translated in most of the versions I looked at as "handle rightly", or "correctly", etc. My Thayers defines "orthotomeo" as 1) to cut straight, to cut straight ways 1a) to proceed on straight paths, hold a straight course, equiv. to doing right 2) to make straight and smooth, to handle aright, to teach the truth directly and correctly. I take the passage to mean that the workman approaches God's word in the right way - accepting its divine inspiration, earnestly seeking its meaning (not imposing his own), and relying on the counsel of the Holy Spirit. - Ephesians 3:2: "dispensation" is also rendered as "stewardship" and "administration" in various translations. At any rate, Paul seems to be simply saying that he is the steward of the knowledge graciously given to him by Jesus. I suppose a parallel could be drawn to a pharmacist dispensing drugs. There's more to it than just getting the right pills into the right bottle. There's a responsibility to both the patient and the doctor to ensure that the patient recieves the full benefit from the doctor's best effort and intentions. Colossians 1:26: Paul seems to use the word "ages" to refer to a period of time longer than generations. The KJV says the mystery has been hidden "from" ages and generations; other translations say the mystery was hidden "for" ages and generations. The Greek word "aion" seems to mean nothing more than a long period of time, so I don't see this as referring to separate, distinct periods of time, just a long time. I don't see that the passages tie together in any particular except that they were inspired by the same God. I don't see enough to hang a theology or a method of study on. But that's just my two-hundredths of a U.S. dollar. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |