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(c) In Proverbs 3:6, he would find (and doubtless already knew) the simple meaning of right division: "In all thy
ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths". (So reads the Authorized Version. Timothy"s Bible,
however, would read, "rightly divide thy paths").
Right division therefore is as simple and as sane as to follow intelligently the directions on the
signpost that one meets at the fork in the road. All the redeemed are walking along the road of life, but all
are not necessarily journeying to the same destination. Some will inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5); some will
walk the streets of the New Jerusalem (Heb. 11:10; Gal. 4:26; Rev. 21:2,24-27); others will find their
inheritance far above all principality and power, in "heavenly places" (Eph. 1:3,20,21). Surely it is a
commendation of "right division" that those who practise it accept these three Scriptures simply as they
are written, and feel no desire to alter (even mentally) "earth" in Matthew 5:5 to "heaven". Yet, they who
oppose this division of Scripture and claim the Sermon on the Mount, as well as Hebrews 11 and
Ephesians 1 for the same company, must explain satisfactorily this evident difference.
As the believer comes to the fork in the road, he looks at the signpost and reads: Kingdom ...
Church, and acts accordingly. Or he reads: Peter ... Paul (as Gal. 2:7,8); or: Body ... Bride. By
believing what he reads and acting upon that belief, confusion is avoided and a clear conception of his
particular calling is attained.
(3) A Protestant Principle
Every true believer in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ has no hesitation in "rightly dividing" the
Scriptures under the headings "Law" and "Grace", "Works" and "Faith", "Moses" and "Christ". Whole
chapters and indeed whole books of the Old Testament are thereby set aside as undispensational by those
who thus believe. The principle is conceded by those who oppose it most. We only take it to its
legitimate conclusion, whereas they stop after having made a good commencement.
(4) The Example of Christ
If the believer can see this principle of "right division" applied by Christ Himself in the course of His
ministry, no further argument of our own will be necessary. For by our attitude to His teaching we must
all at last be judged.
In Luke 4:16-21 we have the record of the opening ministry of the Lord. He stood up in the
synagogue of His native village and commenced to read Isaiah 61. He had not, however, concluded the
verse which is the second in our version, when He closed the book, sat down, and said:
"THIS DAY IS THIS SCRIPTURE fulfilled in your ears" (Luke 4:21).
There was something unusual in our Lord"s procedure. Why did He so abruptly stop? Why did He
not even read to the end of verse 2? The explanation is that He was "rightly dividing the Word of truth"!
Had He read one sentence more in Isaiah 61 He could not have said to them at Nazareth: "THIS DAY is
THIS SCRIPTURE fulfilled in your ears", for the next sentence says: "and the day of vengeance of our God"
(Isa. 61:2). A comma merely, in our English Version divides the two sentences - "the acceptable year"
and "the day of vengeance". Yet this comma represents at least 1900 years. The first sentence refers to
the first advent of Christ, the second sentence refers to His second advent. How easy it would have been
to have read straight on, but the last sentence was not within the scope of the truth He then wished to
emphasize.