No Adding or Subtracting
Several times in the Bible we are warned about adding to and subtracting from what God has said to us. Moses warned the people about this when he was going over God's commandments before they entered the Promised Land.(Deuteronomy 12:32) We need to apply this to our lives every day.
It is easy to add to God's commands, especially when it is a command about something that comes easy to us. That is what the Pharisees did in Jesus' day, and the Lord had harsh words for them. They added their traditions to God's commands and made people think that the traditions were God's words, too. Just like the command for us keep the Sabbath holy. We must not add things like not going outside to play or relax. We must not tell people they have to wear their Sunday clothes all day. That is adding to God's commands. It makes us feel more holy to add to God's Word, and then, keep what we added, instead of the real meaning of the command.
It is a great temptation to subtract from God's commands. We want to compromise on things that are difficult for us. We try to do away with our guilt in that way. The Bible does say to keep the Sabbath holy with worship and rest. We can subtract from God's command by telling ourselves and others that we can do that when we have time, but we do not need to do it every week. No, there is a reason God wants us to rest and honor Him each week, so we must not subtract from His command.
This is just one example of dozens I could give. It just shows us how careful we must be not to give into our human nature. We must simply be careful to do what God said. Remember, each command is there for a very good reason, and it is stated as it is for a good reason. Let's simply obey God, no more and no less.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Deuteronomy 16-19.
It is easy to add to God's commands, especially when it is a command about something that comes easy to us. That is what the Pharisees did in Jesus' day, and the Lord had harsh words for them. They added their traditions to God's commands and made people think that the traditions were God's words, too. Just like the command for us keep the Sabbath holy. We must not add things like not going outside to play or relax. We must not tell people they have to wear their Sunday clothes all day. That is adding to God's commands. It makes us feel more holy to add to God's Word, and then, keep what we added, instead of the real meaning of the command.
It is a great temptation to subtract from God's commands. We want to compromise on things that are difficult for us. We try to do away with our guilt in that way. The Bible does say to keep the Sabbath holy with worship and rest. We can subtract from God's command by telling ourselves and others that we can do that when we have time, but we do not need to do it every week. No, there is a reason God wants us to rest and honor Him each week, so we must not subtract from His command.
This is just one example of dozens I could give. It just shows us how careful we must be not to give into our human nature. We must simply be careful to do what God said. Remember, each command is there for a very good reason, and it is stated as it is for a good reason. Let's simply obey God, no more and no less.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Deuteronomy 16-19.