Articles
A Worker Who Is Not Ashamed
A Worker Who Is Not Ashamed
2 Timothy 2:15 — 15 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.".
The ESV here has "do your best" while the King James has ‘study’ and the NASB has ‘be diligent’. In the other passages, this word is variously translated "to be eager, to endeavor the more, do your best, to strive (labor), to be diligent.” Such is not about 'putting in time' or 'just doing enough' but is about excellence. The worker is producing a 'product' that he is not ashamed of.
Such diligent effort is made in order present oneself unto God as an approved worker. To present oneself is to show oneself or to commend oneself unto another for inspection. Hence it meant to present oneself unto God in order to be approved by God. This word "approved" is used for something or someone who has been tried and tested and found to be sterling or genuine. The specific aspect of being approved is as a worker for God. The desire to not be ashamed when we stand before God in judgment should spur us to eager and diligent action on our part.
The goal was to be a worker who rightly handles the word of truth. The KJ said ‘rightly dividing’ the word and this led many to emphasize the need for distinguishing the Old Testament from the New Testament. ‘Rightly handling’ the word seems a better translation. This emphasizes the danger of mishandling the word by twisting and changing its meaning. Hence Paul continued by warning against irreverent babble and swerving from the truth (vs. 16-18). Rightly handling the word of God is contrasted against all the false teaching and false teachers Paul mentions throughout these letters to Timothy and Titus.
A worker such as Timothy then was to be engaged in knowing the truth, living the truth, preaching the truth, imparting the truth unto others who would likewise be diligent workers. We need more Timothys today.
Hugh DeLong
