Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. Proverbs 30:6
In times past, a king’s word was a thing to be feared. Although it may have been by force of arms that a mighty man obtained his kingship, once he had proved his strength, his word alone carried great authority. The King Solomon rightly expressed:
Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou? Ecclesiastes 8:4
So carefully guarded was the king’s written word in mediaeval England, that counterfeiting his royal seal was deemed high treason. Those found guilty of the crime were to be hanged, drawn, and quartered. The King of Kings has likewise promised severe retribution upon any presuming to usurp His authority by adding to His words:
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: Revelation 22:18
It is one thing for a man to oppose God’s words, but it is another to place God’s authority behind his own false sayings. Since the latter is a far more effective means of deception, this policy has been used to great effect by the devil since the beginning. The Scriptures contain things that are not explained in depth. Seizing upon an obscure passage, the agents of Satan have written entire volumes in order to support their master’s lies; errors such as are found in abundance among the apocryphal books. Besides adding to God’s Holy Word, the warning extends to subtracting from what God has said:
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. Revelation 22:19
While these dire warnings do apply to explicit additions to, and removals from the written word of God, the far more common means of altering God’s word is the guileful exposition thereof. For example, God’s word may be added to by imbuing a literal passage with an allegorical meaning, as is done concerning the sonship of Christ. On the other hand, a man may essentially take away from God’s word by simply using it out of context, or purposefully excluding a passage or part of a passage which would void his argument.
There is far too little integrity among those claiming to be the ministers of God. If men would only let go of their cherished opinions and take the Bible as it reads, what a great obstacle would be removed from the preaching of the gospel! It is far better to allow God to reprove thee now, while there is time to repent, than for thee to be found a liar at the great day of judgement.
Christopher Sparks