JAN 7

Revelation 22:17-21
Memorise Revelation 22:18-19
“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you…”

I have a friend who is a very devout Catholic. Once, I tried to point out that many of the doctrines which he believes in such as the Assumption of Mary (that her earthly body was taken up to heaven at the end of her life) or the existence of Purgatory (a place of suffering where all souls must go to be purged after physical death) are found nowhere in the Bible! However, he answered that these doctrines have been laid down by the Pope, or found in the writings of the Early Church Fathers and other Apocryphal material, and are therefore fully accepted as doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC).

What warning does the Bible give against such additions to God’s Word? Today’s reading tell us that “If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18). This is indeed an extremely stern and serious warning! It emphasizes to us how sacred and important the Bible is, and how it is viewed by God as the complete and sufficient authority for our lives. Similarly, God warns against subtracting from any portion of Scripture. For those who are guilty of this, “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” (Revelation 22:19). This verse does not teach that we can lose our salvation; rather, it suggests that those who could commit such a heinous sin are not even saved in the first place, and have no part at all in heaven. Such stern warnings also imply the fact that we have in our hands a perfect yardstick from which we cannot take away or add to, for how can we add or take away from something that is fixed?

Knowing therefore that we have a complete and perfect Bible in our hands today, we must never be tempted to tamper with it. When the RCC elevates the decrees of the Popes to be like Scripture, or adds the books of the Apocrypha to the Bible, they are effectively adding to the Word of God. When modern translations of the Bible edit away verses or words, they are taking away from the Word of God.

How about us? Have you been guilty of adding to the Bible, by trying to twist its words and squeezing out new meaning to justify some sin in your life? Or have you been guilty of subtracting from the Bible, by ignoring its commandments and living as if they do not even exist? May you repent of your sin today, and live your life in accordance to the words of Scripture.

Thought: The consequences for those who add to or subtract from Scripture are very serious!
Prayer: Lord, help me never to be guilty of this sin.