Some may not be familiar with the word hermeneutics, but it is an important word to recognize and know.
Hermeneutics has to do with the study of basic principles of interpretation. In Bible college we were taught that hermeneutics is the science of biblical interpretation. Hermeneutics aims to discovery the original intent and interpretation of the text.
Biblical hermeneutics keeps us faithful to the intended meaning of Scripture. At the heart of hermeneutics is a desire to know the author’s original intended meaning. This takes hard work on our part but as Paul tells Timothy,
2 Timothy 2:15 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.
It is important for all of us to be committed to the study of God’s Word at any level. Commitment is something that every Christian should desire in their hearts. Commitment with consistency through the years of learning more about the Bible, but even more than that, getting to know the God of the Bible more intimately and personally. This passage is speaking to us about being “approved” by God, and that approval as “a worker” is to be done with an attitude of diligence.
The three words “do your best”, is a word group that could be translated as “be diligent”, it means “to make haste, do one’s best, take care, have desire. The idea of making haste, being eager, giving diligence, and putting forth effort is what is being conveyed here. The word speaks of intense effort and determination.”[i] The Word of God is the agent of change; it is the very Truth that transforms us into the image of God’s Son. John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. God desires us to be diligent and to accurately and “rightly“ handle “the word of truth “.
All of us should be committed to this kind of thinking, because committing ourselves to rightly understanding and handling God’s Word is part of the way in which we are conformed into the image of Christ. “Do your best”, plan, and eagerly begin to take on the challenge of the study of God’s Word.
[i] Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament