Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth

Since everlasting life is given to all who believe in Jesus Christ’s offer of life, I suppose we should discuss what it means to believe.  Which I admit seems like a simple concept until you hear how people talk about belief, believe and faith.   Just to be clear on the terms we have two nouns, belief and faith, and one verb believe.  Pistis is the Greek noun translated as faith as in Ephesians 2:8 and belief in 2 Thessalonians 2:13.    Pisteuo is the Greek verb translated as believe as in John 3:16 and 1 Thessalonians 2:13. 

Nouns are used to identify classes of people, places or things.  So, pistis and its English translations of faith and belief deal with what is believed.  A verb expresses an action, mode of being or an occurrence.  Therefore, the Greek word pisteuo and its English translation of believe refer to being in a state or mode of belief.   I don’t apologize for the grammar lesson for 3 reasons.  I’m not sure everyone knows what nouns and verbs are.  Secondly is that God is who invented language and He uses it with precision.  And thirdly, correctly understanding the word of God is too important to risk any misunderstandings.   

Let me give you an example of how big a difference confusing these words can make.  Matthew 8 recounts Jesus and the disciples crossing the sea of Galilee in a boat.  V. 18 says Jesus commanded that they cross to the other side of the lake.  While in transit the Lord took a nap and a wind storm blew up.  The disciples were fearful the boat would sink so they woke Jesus up saying “Lord save us. We are perishing!”  To which Christ replied “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?”  The question is what did Jesus Christ mean by “O you of little faith.”

One view I’ve heard is that their faith was weak.  It lacked the intensity of genuine faith.  I have two issues with that view.  1) that makes a successful crossing dependent on the disciple’s faith and 2) it doesn’t fit the context or the grammar.  Context because they obviously believed Jesus Christ could protect them since that is why they woke Him up.  Grammatically because little is an adjective which described what they believed not how hard they believed it.  The better view of what Jesus said here is that the content of their belief was small.  It was deficient in that they had not believed everything Jesus Christ had said to them.

In V. 18 Jesus had commanded they were to cross the lake.  God means what He says.  They were going to cross the Lake.  So, no matter what the condition of the sea, if they were not yet to the other side that boat was not going to sink.  They needed to learn the same lesson Israel failed to grasp in the wilderness wanderings.  We are to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4).   

As I said above God is precise in His use of language.  Therefore, we should read and interpret what the Bible says with equal precision.   The stakes are too high if we get it wrong. 
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2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.