Handling the Word Without Shame

Read the text

2 Timothy 2:14–19

Read the primary passage aloud twice. On the first reading, listen for the burden of the text. On the second, mark repeated words, contrasts, commands, promises, causes, and conclusions.

• Luke 24:25–27
• Nehemiah 8:1–8
• Acts 17:10–12

Language desk

Words that clarify—not words that perform.

Confirm each gloss by its use in this context. A lexicon offers possibilities; the sentence, paragraph, author, and canon determine what a word is doing here.

Form the doctrine

The theological claim

God’s truth is objective, knowable, and entrusted to the church.

Defense drill

Say it under pressure.

Explain why sincerity cannot rescue a reading that contradicts context.

• State the opposing claim in a form its adherent could recognize.
• Open the controlling passage and establish the immediate context.
• Make one clear argument before adding supporting texts.
• Ask a diagnostic question, listen to the answer, and return to Christ and the gospel.

Wednesday assignment

Carry the truth into the week.

Write the difference between observation, interpretation, and application in one sentence each.