Everyday Living

[Kayla Hughes]

i'm curious as to how you think your belief in rightly dividing affects your everyday living. does it cause you to read your Bible more? to witness more? to love more deeply? reach out more compassionately? speak gentler? to be slower to anger?

remember, i'm not asking if it's your relationship with Christ that causes this, it's rightly dividing. i'm just curious, if you feel it does cause you to be a better follower of Christ.

[Right Divider]

Well I would say that rightly dividing makes me understand my relationship with Christ better and just what He did for me and how much He loves me. And it's that understanding achieved from rightly dividing that makes me live how I do.

[Hannah McMichael]

Feb 1, 2011 13:41:17 GMT -5 @Right Divider said:

Well I would say that rightly dividing makes me understand my relationship with Christ better and just what He did for me and how much He loves me. And it's that understanding achieved from rightly dividing that makes me live how I do.

I agree with this^.
Understanding rightly dividing helps me to understand my marching orders, how I should live pleasing to God.
The majority of Christianity ends up wasting a lot of their precious time trying to "be Christian", impress a church family, make a good show of following all the commands of Jesus,etc. Really, its so much simpler. You understand what Paul says, what makes God happy in this current dispensation, and you've got a recipe for a spectacular story.
We have to understand "the story God is telling and the role that is ours to play" as John Eldredge puts it. If we don't, we can "be Christian" till we're blue in the face, and its not going to get us anywhere.

[Hutch]

As the other responses are hinting at, its not so much the belief in rightly dividing that makes you do anything. (As if we were capable ourselves anyway - Romans 3:10) 1 Thess 2:13 - it is the word of God that effectually works in us that believe.

Titus 2:11-15. This passage might be what you are referring to Kayla. Rightly dividing is the means in fully understanding Gods word (which in turn fully understanding His grace). And Titus tells us that grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and wordly lusts, to live soberly, righteously, and to be zealous of good works.

Then it is only natural that a believer who knows truth reacts as the Thessalonians do in 1 Thess 1:7-9. Paul writes saying the gospel came to them not in word only but in power -it effectually worked in them- so much so that in verses 7-9, Paul could tell the working of the truth in them through the affect they had on other people.

In summary: its the understanding of sound doctrine that comes from right division that a person can understand their position in Christ and the true reality of life (which changes your mind-set, and priorities)

[Kayla Hughes]

Thanks for the answers, everyone! i really don't want to seem like i'm stirring up trouble but here's another question: Hannah quoted John Eldredge, an author that most likely does not understand rightly dividing the way we do. how is it that he understands things that we understand because of our doctrine? same with other authors such as, Francis Chan, John Piper, etc. all of them are teaching us grace, denying ungodliness, worldly lusts, living soberly, righteously, and being zealous of good works. yet i would not say that they are rightly dividing the Word, at least as my "camp" does.

[Tina]

I think that a lot of people don't fully understand what it means to rightly divide. I was taught 2 Tim. 2:15 so much that I knew it by heart. The only thing that was taught from it was to "study". The rightly dividing part was just looked over and interpreted as another word for studying.

Hope I understood your question. But the entire Bible should be rightly divided.

[Hutch]

Kayla, I agree, we do need to have filters over our brains in order to discern what is sound doctrine and what isn't. Quoted from an author or someone else who does not understand proper doctrine could be dangerous for a weaker brother who does not know right division and sees these gentlemen quoted-thinking that they are a good pattern to follow after. I have learned that the best way to describe something is just to use scripture, there is no trouble then and if anything it leads into bible discussions.

Now to refer back to your question about other non-right dividers understanding things that we do because of our doctrine. I think that would be a slightly wrong way to put it. This is why...others who do not know right division can not possibly understand things the same way that we do. However, this does not mean that they cannot take Paul's passages and seem to be teaching them correctly- this is possible because just as the example you gave about the authors teaching to live morally good lives. That specific teaching is not necessarily just a Pauline teaching. How you should live has been taught since the world began. Romans 1 talks about this. So living righteously is not a new doctrine.

Yet if you were to go deeper into conversation with these authors/pastors who sound like they are teaching right division material you will find that is most likely not the case. For instance, ask those who are teaching Titus 2 (grace teaching us to live righteously) what the motivation is for doing that and why we need to do that, what do these good works mean or do for us today? That is where you will find your truth.

So in conclusion, you were right in using the word "seem". It may seem that others are teaching right division yet see how much their understanding really goes. Because someone who does not know right division cannot by default teach it. (though it may SEEM) like it.

As Paul states, in Colossians 2:4 don't be beguiled by men with enticing words. Just because they wrote a book or have a PhD with their name does not mean a thing if they do not know truth! You are capable of knowing, God gave us his word so we can have knowledge and come to understand the truth Colossians and Ephesisans Paul discusses a lot about having the knowledge of God and his understanding.

[Kayla Hughes]

so Hutch, how does belief in rightly dividing affect your everyday living?

and, btw, all of the non-right dividing authors i have read understand that good works do not save you, but they're essential to the Christian walk. but they understand grace totally.