Romans

Preface By Barry Fike "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15, KJV "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." (NIV) "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." (NASB) The English word approved comes from the Greek word "dokimos." The background to this word is enlightening. "In the ancient world there was no banking system as we know it today, and no paper money. All money was made from metal, heated until liquid, poured into moulds and allowed to cool. When the coins were cooled, it was necessary to smooth off the uneven edges. The coins were comparatively soft, and of course many people shaved them closely. In one century, more than eighty laws were passed in Athens to stop the practice of whittling down the coins then in circulation. But some money-changers were men of integrity, who would accept no counterfeit money; they were men of honour who put only genuine, full-weight money into circulation. Such men were called dokimos, and this word is used here for the Christian as he is to be seen by the world" (Barnhouse, Donald Grey, Romans: God's Glory, 18). Someone who correctly handled the currency of the world was a dokimos. Isn't it interesting that Paul uses the same word here to identify those who correctly handle the word of truth? Those who make straight and smooth, handle aright, teach the truth directly and correctly those are the men of honor who only put genuine, words of God into circulation to prick the minds of the populace and bring men to God. But how is this to be done? This small effort by a man dedicated to spreading the knowledge of God into the hearts of minds of the common man is such an effort. Through a simple reading of the scripture, alongside companion scriptures, one can see not only the consistency of thought in the Bible, but the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the hearts and minds of the men who wrote the letters that we tall sacred scripture today. Allow the words to seep into your heart as you pour over the scriptures that Paul wept, prayed, and was inspired over. This is not a task that will take an hour, a day, a week, or a year. You must be truly inspired, as was the apostle, to search the scriptures DAI'LY for the rest of your life. Only in this way will you be referred to as the dokimos of your neighborhood, city, state, or nation. The information is in your hands. What will you do with it?

" •• .1 will put my law in their inward parts, and in their hearts will I write it ... " Jer. 31:33