Written by Dawn Rutan
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 ESV). This verse came to mind recently, it occurred to me that I’ve noticed a correlation between those who handle Scripture with care and those who can be trusted to treat people with care. It’s not a one to one correlation, and certainly there are caring people who have little or no knowledge of Scripture, but the general principle seems to apply.
As I think about it, there are two main factors—a love for God and a love for His Word—and those two seem to overflow in a love for others. Those who truly love God are likely to carefully study the entirety of the Bible, not picking and choosing the parts they like and discarding the rest. Love of the Word reinforces love for God. And because we have received the love of God as revealed in the Word, we can love one another fully and freely. The Apostle John was pretty adamant in his letters:
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love… We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:7-8, 19).
I’ve seen it demonstrated in my pastor and in others I know well that God’s love overflows the most through those who handle the Word with care. I’ve also seen that Christians who take shortcuts with Scripture or are negligent with it tend to be less trustworthy and more careless in their relationships with people. On the extreme end are those who misuse Scripture to justify hateful and derogatory behavior toward those they disagree with, persecuting people in the name of Christ.
Personally, I want to hang around people who are compassionate and trustworthy, who will encourage me (1 Thessalonians 5:11), but who are willing to correct me in accordance with Scripture (2 Timothy 4:2), truly speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). And that’s the kind of person I want to become as well.
The Apostle Paul pulls all these elements together in Colossians 3:12-17:
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one Body. And be thankful. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Since love is part of the Fruit of the Spirit, it seems likely that love will grow in proportion with God’s work in our lives. And God works most clearly in those who are seeking Him in His Word. So if we want to be known as those who love one another well, we should start by searching the Scriptures in order to better know the God who is Love.
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” –Matthew 6:33
