Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you. Just obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you. (Deuteronomy 4:2 NLT)

God’s Word is never up for revision.  Moses warned his people to never add to or take away from God’s instructions.  It is never wise to do mathematical calculations with His Word.

In times of trial, we often try to make God’s Word fit into our theological box, instead of conforming our lives to the precepts of the Word of God.  To accomplish this, we have to add to or take away from God’s explicit instructions.  God’s Word has great value to us if accompanied by obedience.  God is not looking for hearers of His words, but doers of them

The path of disobedience tries to make the Bible say more than its clear instruction or less than it means.  Adding to what God has said leads to legalism.  We have rules and regulations that may be described in the Scripture but are not prescribed for universal application.  If we don’t consider the context and the culture in which the commands are written, we can make the Scripture say more than intended.  Conversely, taking away from God’s Word, leads to liberalism.  If God’s commands make us uncomfortable, we ignore parts of His instruction, permitting us to practice things that are expressly forbidden in the Bible.

Obedience is always the prerequisite for understanding God’s Word.  It is not that we can’t understand it, it’s that we won’t.  The Word of God should change us, and not us try to change it. Small changes to God’s Word leads to large-scale apostasy. Disobedience always leads to adding or subtracting from the Bible.

I worked for seventeen years as a missionary with Youth With A Mission.  My missionary work has taken me to Mexico, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Spain, and Ukraine.  I hold a Masters of Education in curriculum and instruction from Virginia Commonwealth University.  [email protected]