The Nugget:
2 Corinthians 4:2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
My Comment:
The Scriptures should not be handled deceitfully. How can you tell when the Scriptures are being handled deceitfully? Watch for such things as (1) resorting to the same well-worn proof-texts from Scripture even after solid evidence has been presented to show the proof-texts are being wrongly applied; (2) failure to incorporate all the evidence found in the Bible on an issue before arriving at a conclusion; (3) failure to follow carefully the rules of interpretation posted in the October 2010 archives; (4) being convinced by what others have said about the authority and grand history of their church rather than going by the Bible alone and in its entirety; (5) being gullible and taking for granted that what is being presented as from Scripture is really the truth about what Scripture teaches (Proverbs 14:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:21); (7) failure to take careful account of the nuances of Greek grammar when interpreting doctrinal matters in the New Testament–such as when Calvinists fail to account for the presence of the subjunctive mood as at John 6:44 and many other passages; (8) mindless adherence to ancient creeds and symbols without verifying their soundness in terms of careful Bible interpretation: the so-called Reformed tradition is woefully misguided in its interpretation of the Bible; (9) venerating the authority of great men, such as the Protestant Reformers, who great as they were, were not well-informed about the Bible doctrine of the Atonement of Christ (they borrowed the salvation terminology from the Roman Catholic Church and imported it into our English translations), and were wrong about Bible prophecy; (10) following mistaken groups, denominations, movements and organizations who claim great authority but do not direct you to independently verify their claims by direct appeal to the Bible. Be very careful to check things out for yourself by consulting sources that are reliable. That is a tall order. I have attempted here at this Real Bible Study site to share with you how to read the Bible, how to study the Bible, how to use Bible study tools, the answers to false doctrine, and much more. Furthermore, I have personally responded to every person who posts a comment or question here, often at great expense of time and labor on my part to do so. But I love to do this because I am still learning, too. I am not afraid to learn something new, and sometimes that something new that I learn requires that I correct my thinking on the basis of new or better evidence. Are you open to learning something new from the Bible? I hope you are. That is the way to handle the Scriptures honestly.
For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:
(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 1332 for 2 Corinthians 4:2.
(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on pages 1354-1355 or in Logos 5 Bible software for 2 Corinthians 4:2.
(3) Lacking access to those two resources, consult the cross references for this passage as I have developed them as given below:
2 Corinthians 4:2. renounced. 1 Cor 4:5. the hidden things. Is 29:15. Ezk 8:7-12. Ep 5:11. dishonesty. or, shame. Gr. aischunē (S#152g). Ge 38:23. Lk 14:9g. +*Ro 1:16. +Ro 6:21. Ep 5:12. Phil 3:19g. He 12:2g. Jude 1:13g. Re 3:18g. not walking. 2 Cor 1:12, 13. +*2 Cor 2:17. *2 Cor 11:3, 6, 13-15. Ezk 14:10n. +Lk 20:23. Ac 20:29, 30. 25:10. 1 Cor 3:12, 19. +*Ep 4:14. Phil 1:16. 1 Th 1:5. 2:3-5, 10. 2 P 3:3. craftiness. or, cunning. Gr. panourgia (S#3834g). **2 Cor 11:3g (subtilty). %2 Cor 12:16. Ge 27:35. 2 K 10:19. Jb 13:7. Mt 22:16. Mk 12:14. Lk 20:23g. Ro 16:18. 1 Cor 1:17. 3:19g. +*Ep 4:14g. +*2 P 1:16n. nor handling. T#1074. +*2 Cor 2:17. 6:3. 8:20. 1 K 22:14. Je 2:8. +**Mk 12:24. Ga 1:7. 1 Th 2:3. 1 Tim 5:13-15. 6:10. %**2 Tim 2:15. 1 P 2:2. *2 P 3:16. 2 J 9-11. the word of God. Dt 4:2. 12:32. +*Pr 30:6. +**Is 8:20n. Mt 13:19. +Ro 9:6. *He 4:12. *Re 22:19. deceitfully. Ps 52:2. Pr 12:5. Phil 1:16. 2 Th 2:10. Titus 2:7. by. 2 Cor 5:11. 6:4-7. 7:14. 11:6. manifestation. Perhaps an allusion to Ex 28:30, where for “Urim and Thummim” the LXX has “manifestation and truth” (see Hogg and Vine, Commentary on 2 Thessalonians, p. 266). 2 Cor 3:12. 1 Cor 12:7g. Jn 16:25. Col 4:4. the truth. 2 Cor 6:7. 7:14. *Ac 20:27. Ep 4:15. commending. +2 Cor 3:1. 5:11. 6:9. 7:2. 12:12. Mk 1:22. Lk 4:32. Jn 8:46. Ac 26:28. Ro 14:18. 1 Cor 4:2. conscience. +2 Cor 1:12. Pr 20:27. +Ac 23:1. 24:16. 1 Cor 10:27. 1 P 3:16. in the sight. 2 Cor 2:17. 5:11. *1 K 18:34. *Ac 4:19. 23:1. 1 Th 2:4, 5.
2 co 4.2 but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking
in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth
commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
encouraging cross refs(the best commentary on the bible is the bible)
1. 1 co 4.5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait
until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness
and disclose the motives of mens hearts: and then each man’s praise will come
to him from God.
2. rom 1.16 For i am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation
to every one who believes, to the jew first and also to the Greek.
3. rom 6.21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which
you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.
4. 2 co 1.12 For our proud confidence is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in
holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward.
5. 2 co 2.17 For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity,
but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.
6. 2 co 11.3 But i am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your
minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion of Christ.
3.