No Math Required

Deuteronomy 4:2, "Do not ADD to what I command you and do not SUBTRACT from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you." {emphasis mine}

Before I get into today's blog I want to be sure that you understand an important fact: I'm not perfect! However, regardless of what some people may believe about me, I'm not a heretic. I preach righteousness, holiness, and the disciplines of God's Word but I will not fall into the trap of believing that my personal convictions need to be applied to everyone around me. I will not subtract from God's Word AND I will not add to His commands.

I had an interesting conversation with someone last week over this very topic. Let's just say that this person had run into some individuals from the other side of the fence. A group that is lacking in the freedom department. To hear this other group speak you would think that God has a problem with us in just about every area of life. Women should wear their hair a certain way, refrain from the use of make-up, and never (ever) wear jeans. I'm sure the list is much longer but we will stop right there. Where is the balance? Why is there such a diversity in churches today? I guarantee that you can go down most streets in America today and find churches that are side by side in their location but miles apart in their understanding.

Thankfully, we don't have too many churches in our area that seek to take away from God's commands. For the most part - they are standard bearers. The problem that most of us face are the churches that ADD to God's Word. If you can wrap your mind around this - they expand God's Word to include their own personal convictions. Why would anyone do that? Is God's Word not enough? If I look at God's law (10 commandments) is it not clear enough? Hard enough?

You shall have no other God's before me
You shall not make any graven images
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain
Remember the sabbath to keep it holy
Honor your father and mother
You shall not kill
You shall not commit adultery
You shall not steal
You shall not bear false witness
You shall not covet

It seems to me that if we follow God's commands (as they are) we will live a life that is in keeping with His Word. Why then would we ever consider adding anything to this? Most people struggle with these 10 - why would we ever burden them down with something else?

There are just too many arguments in the church today. Bible translations, music, dress codes, etc. Are we really any different that the Pharisees and Scribes of Jesus' day? The sad part is that many of these same people boast of their freedom when in fact they are bound in religious practice. God save us from the mechanics of religion!

I could go into many churches and preach on the watering down of God's Word and get some positive results. I could make people shout, say amen, and fire them up over the preservation of God's Word. But I have to wonder if they would be as motivated if I went in and preached on the SIN of adding to God's Word. It's just as bad. It's just as damaging to the kingdom. It's just as much a sin as the other.

Do me a favor. Let God's Word be His Word! He didn't give us a multiple-choice Bible. We can't go through and pick out what we believe to be right. At the same time, He didn't give us a fill-in-the-blank Bible. No...what He gave us was His Word and the Holy Spirit. Do we really need anything else?

There's no math required. We don't need to subtract from God's Word - He meant what He said. And we don't need to add to God's Word - it is enough.