Orthotomeo

In 2 Timothy 2:15 notice the phrase Paul uses:

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.

There are some interesting things about that phrase: RIGHTLY DIVIDING. If you were to look it up in your concordance, you would find the Greek word: ORTHOTOMEO. The word, itself, is actually the combination of two shorter words, ORTHO and TOMEO

The word ORTHO literally means right, or straight. Have you ever been to an ORTHOdontist? He does dental work. He straightens your teeth, he makes them right.

The second word is TOMEO, and it means literally to cut. If you remember your high school science classes you know that the smallest particle of matter is the ATOM. If you have had an appendecTOMY you know that they cut out the appendix, right?

So we are told to make a right cut, a straight cut, "RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE..." What? Notice what it says. It doesn't say the WORD OF GOD does it? People misquote the verse when they say "rightly dividing the word of God."

The WORD OF TRUTH is IN the word of God and is a part of the word of God but that's not what Paul is saying here. Paul wrote this verse in 2 Timothy 2:15 and it is also Paul who gives you the exact definition of the phrase, THE WORD OF TRUTH.

Notice these two verses:

Ephesians 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard THE WORD OF TRUTH, THE GOSPEL OF YOUR SALVATION: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Do you see how clear it is? He defines the phrase, "the word of truth" by saying that it is "the gospel of YOUR salvation."

The point of all this being, that if your bible is very specific about the gospel of YOUR salvation, as in the case of the Ephesians, and people like you and I, then the issue is to RIGHTLY DIVIDE the gospel of YOUR salvation from other gospels, and there are others in the bible.

For instance, Peter told people to "repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins." (Acts 2:38)

But Paul never said any such thing. Paul said "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."

In other words, Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles, tells you that your salvation is complete. It is all worked out and it is finished. God imputed your sins to the Lord Jesus Christ and made him to be SIN FOR US that we might be made the righteousness of God IN HIM. (2 Corinthians 5:19-21)

Christ died on the cross for ALL of your sins, past, present and future. That was over 1900 years before you and I were ever born. All of our sins were in the future when Christ died. So, if he died for one of them, he died for ALL of them. There is NOTHING you can add to that.

Romans 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

So the good news to you, today, is that there is NOTHING needed for you to do except TRUST Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, nothing added. No works, no effort, no religious activites of any kind.

Salvation is free to you today. Just believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.