Two Dangers When Responding to Scripture

Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.
Deuteronomy 12:32

The call to obedience to God's Word means the strict avoidance of two clear extremes. The first thing to do is to avoid adding to the command of God. It is more than just a simple "interpretive error" to twist scripture to make it say something more than it says. Adding to the Word of God always exalts a human contrived thought to the same authority as one of God's thoughts. It gives a man the authority of the Word of God. That is a dangerous and deadly kind of rebellion.

The second danger is equally insidious. It involves diminishing God by diminishing His Word. We must not take away from His commands. This is the danger of liberal theology. It insists that sections of scripture have no authority and do not claim to be what they are. In the end this makes the whole Bible completely unreliable. Cults have mastered this technique through "interpretation" that takes away real meaning and authority.

Actually, throughout human history both of these dangers have been used to support apostasy of every kind. When Israel strayed from God at its worst, it either forgot to keep God's Words in idolatry, or it added unfathomable amounts of additional regulation to it making it totally impractical. Both extremes led to sin and judgment. Accepting God's Word at face fall is the goal of every day in any believer who wants a consistent faith.


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Two Dangers in Dealing with Scripture

You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you.
Deuteronomy 4:2

There are two dangers mankind always confronts when handling the Word of God. The first danger is to add human constructions to it that are viewed as equal to it. The second danger is to diminish scripture by taking away from its authority. These are both equally dangerous.

Moses warned Israel that both extremes would not be the way to "keep the law" given to them. They needed to guard their hearts from these tendencies. Respect for the God of Israel meant at a practical level honest love and respect for the Word of God. God had revealed His will and ways in His law. They would serve God by not adding or taking away from it.

And the history of Israel eventually led to a dismissive attitude toward this command. The Jews of the First Century had groups that put high regard on oral traditions of the Rabbis. Some invested those traditions with the authority of scripture. Others denied the authority of much of the Old Testament and thus also disobeyed this command.

Both types of groups rejected the "Word made flesh" in Jesus. So disrespect for God's Word defined the generation of Israel of Jesus' contemporaries. This was ultimately a disrespect for God, as shown in the gospels in the way Jesus was treated.

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The Scriptures as agent of change

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
John 17:17

Jesus prayed that God would use His Word as the means to holiness for His disciples. We are changed through the process of sanctification. And we become more like Christ by knowing, believing, following, and obeying the truth. We know the truth in the Holy Scriptures. There is no other way. Jesus Himself asked for God the Father to do this in us.

So it is absolutely imperative for me to be changed by the truth of the Word of God. Only by exposure to the Word, acceptance of its truth as I come to understand it, and applying the principles to my daily experience can I truly mature in my faith and become more like my Master. So getting into the Word is a mandate of discipleship. It is my work for true life. And it is a life's work.

Lord,
I thank You for the accessibility to Your Word that I enjoy. It is an abundance of riches. And it is also a serious demand. You want me made holy, changed, and charged for Your service by my intake of Your truth. Do so in me, even today!
Amen


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