p. 116 | Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 29, 1874

“Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth.”

By Joseph Harvey Waggoner

THERE is a class of teachers who place a strange and unwarranted construction upon these words of the apostle Paul to Timothy. Not long since I heard a preacher of the Disciple order speak on this text. And it is a favorite text with that people, as their exposition of it is their warrant for throwing aside the Old Testament and rejecting the ten commandments as the rule of right.

The preacher said that the Old Testament was given to the Jews, and was not given to the Gentiles; this is the first work of “dividing,” and shows that we, as Gentiles born, have nothing to do with the Old Testament. In like manner, the ten commandments were spoken to the Jews, and, therefore, we have nothing to do with them. This method has also thrown aside the gospels, as pertaining to events under the former dispensation. And some of the epistles may easily be disposed of in the same way.

That exposition is based upon the assumption that any scripture is intended only for those to whom it was at first directly spoken. This, if true, would leave to us in this age a very inconsiderable portion. And that is probably its design.

To show how the Bible may be, and is, perverted under such a rule of interpretation, I relate the following incident. I was once introduced to a man who had the reputation, in his neighborhood, of being a close reader of the Bible. In the course of our conversation, he asked me if I knew whose duty it is to worship and to serve God. I replied that it is the duty of everybody.

“No, sir,” he quickly answered; “if you will read the fourth chapter of Matthew you will find that the Saviour spoke this commandment to Satan. He said to the devil, ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.’ In the past dispensation it was given to the Jews, but when their dispensation ended it was spoken to Satan.”

To all my efforts to place the matter in its true light, he answered that he would not bring himself down to be under a commandment given to the devil!

As absurd and impious as is this position, it cannot consistently be repudiated by those who adopt the Disciples’ method of “dividing the word of truth.” It is the legitimate fruit of their system.

Let us thank the Lord that the light of the third angel’s message is exposing the fallacy of such a system of error as that which would set us free from moral obligation because the moral law was not first and directly spoken to us. God chooses his own methods of revealing his will to his creatures; and instead of caviling at his method let us praise his name that he has revealed his will, and not left us in ignorance of our duty to him. And may we ever “fear God and keep his commandments, . . . for God will bring every work into judgment.”

J. H. WAGGONER.