FRIDAY, MARCH 3
Deuteronomy 4:1-6
Revelation 22:18-19

"… if any man shall take away
from the words… God shall
take away his part out…"

THE DOCTRINE OF THE SADDUCEES: RATIONALISM

Rationalism is the practice or principle of basing opinions and actions on reason and knowledge rather than on religious belief. The Sadducees restricted themselves to the authority of the Law of Moses. Their rationalistic beliefs blinded them from believing the miracles in the Scriptures, especially the resurrection.

God knows that there will be some who would add to the Word, and some who would subtract from it, some who would tone it down by adding to it other things and some who would bleed it to death by subtracting from its principal truths. He warned in Deuteronomy 4:2, "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you." This same warning is repeated in Revelation 22:18-19 as God reminds: "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

Today, modern textual criticism promoted by unbelieving Bible scholars has resulted in an increasing uncertainty in the authenticity of the biblical text. These uncertainties resulted in the weakening of the authority of the Scriptures. This in turn opens a floodgate of humanistic interpretation of the Bible. When the Bible is understood by human reasoning alone, sooner or later it will be denied as nothing but an ordinary book on the shelves. Let not your heart be rent away from believing the whole counsel of God!

THOUGHT: Am I rationalistic in approaching the Bible?
PRAYER: "Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation" (Ps 119:98-99).