ABIDING IN THE WORD OF GOD
A Guide to True Discipleship by
“Then Jesus said… If you continue in My Word, then you are truly my disciples; and
you will know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John
Since we only “continue in” God’s Word if we do not
supplement what it says with human opinion, the passage quoted above is one of
several that warn us not to add to or take from the words of Scripture. Not
only does Christ want us to continue in His Word, he also makes it clear that
the truth of salvation is only to be found in His Word. Therefore, a true
disciple of Jesus Christ will not look outside of that Word for doctrine,
attempt to supplement that Word, or reject anything that the Bible says. True
discipleship requires faithful and unswerving adherence to the written Word of
God. Without such adherence the salvation message could easily be lost.
[Deuteronomy 4:2, Proverbs 30:6, Mark
Because God has included in Scripture everything that we need to know in order
to be saved, those who add to or take from what is written only obscure the
truth and hinder the work of the gospel. For that reason, we need to eliminate
all unscriptural ideas from our theology, and limit our doctrine to what the
Bible actually says. Nevertheless, because of the deceptiveness of the human
heart that is more easily said than done. In fact, it
is all too easy to read something into the text. However, what most people fail
to understand is that all addition to the Word of God is rooted in the desire
to make oneself God. Adding to God’s Word is, therefore, a form of rebellion
against God (Isaiah
Because all sin is rooted in the desire to overthrow God’s authority, anyone
who adds to God’s Word is trying to make himself God by making his own word
into God’s Word; even if he does not realize it. Furthermore, because all who
call their own opinions the “Word of God” are, in effect, calling themselves
God, you need to be extremely wary of anyone who claims that a particular
passage is teaching something entirely different from what it actually says. Of
course, the people who make such claims usually have some sort of excuse. They
may claim to have discovered the true meaning, to be following tradition, or to
have received a revelation. Nevertheless, the fact that they are adding to the
Word of God tells us that they are not true disciples of Christ (John
One of the most effective tricks that Satan uses to divert our attention away
from the Word of God is to get our minds caught up in speculation or debate
about how various passages should be interpreted. I call this a trick, because
it gets our attention off of what the words say, and onto what people think.
Once that happens, many wind up reading their own ideas into the text, thus
adding to what is said. However, you can avoid that trap by learning to
distinguish between what the words actually say and interpretations of what
they say (2Corinthians
For example: In some circles, there is heated debate as to the length of the
days in Genesis, chapter one. In order to accommodate the myth of evolution some
try to brush off the entire creation history as allegory, while others claim
that each of the days represent eras, or one-thousand-year periods. The people
who hold those views then enter into controversy with those who rightly want
their church to teach the words of Scripture, not the opinions of men. As time
passes, those who have become confused by the debate often conclude that the
length of the days is just a matter of opinion. Nevertheless, what they fail to
see is that the entire debate is over what the Bible does not say, not
what it does say! The Bible does not say anything about how many hours
long each day was. Nevertheless that does not mean that the length of those
days is all a matter of opinion. On the contrary, Satan uses the debate to get
our attention off of what the Bible says, and onto debate about the dictionary
meaning of words (2Corinthians 4:4).
What God wants us to teach is exactly what he says.
Namely, that, “In six days the LORD made the heavens and earth,
and on the seventh day he rested” (Exodus 31:17). And, that each of those days
had and “evening” and a “morning” consisting of a period of light and darkness
(Genesis 1:5, see also verses 8, 13, 19, 23, and 31).
If the length of the days was really just a matter of
opinion, we could settle the controversy by agreeing to teach only what the
Bible says. However, that will never happen because the words of Scripture are
not neutral. On the contrary, the people who believe that the world is
“millions” of years old claim that the “days” of creation were long periods in
order to get around what the Bible says. They want to replace what the Bible
says with their own opinions because they have rejected what the Bible says,
and want to make believe that it actually teaches something else (Luke
Going on to some other ways in which people add to God’s Word: It is fairly
common for preachers to come up with “principles” which they then expound on as
if they were the Word of God. Moreover, because they associate those principles
with morality they see nothing wrong with what they are doing. Nevertheless,
they are adding to God’s Word in a way that differs little from what Christ
condemned as teaching for doctrine the commandments of men (Mark 7:7). In
addition to adding to God’s Word by teaching man-made principles as God’s Word,
people also add to God’s word by teaching conclusions that they claim to have
deduced from Scripture, even when those conclusions contradict what it says
elsewhere (Isaiah 8:20).
For example: The words, “I give to them eternal life; and they shall never
perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My
hand,” are a great comfort to all who trust in Christ (John
If the Bible says that we are, “Kept by the power of God through faith unto
salvation,” then that is what God wants us to teach (1Peter 1:5). And, if the
Bible says, “Those on the rock are those, who, when they hear, receive the word
with joy; but having no root, believe for a while, and in time of temptation
fall away,” that that is also something God wants us to teach (Luke
8:13). Those who affirm one of those passages while explaining away the other
are both adding to and taking from the Word of God. And, for that reason, they
are not truly Christ’s disciples (John
We know that they are adding to God’s Word, because,
if they were sticking to what the Bible actually says their conclusions would
not contradict Luke
In the same way, the words
“He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world,” were
intended to comfort those who trust in Christ (Ephesians 1:4). However, those
who conclude from those words that Christ did not die for the sins of those God
did not choose, are adding to God’s Word. Not only
does that passage say nothing about who Christ died for, the Bible plainly tells
us that “He is the propitiation for our sins: and not
for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1John
2:2). Therefore, whenever the conclusions of men contradict what the Bible
explicitly says, those conclusions must be rejected as false. And, those who
teach those conclusions are rebelling against God (Isaiah
In his attempts to lead people away from God’s Word, Satan often takes
advantage of the fact that the human mind arrives at conclusions by combining
bits of information. He knows that if he can get men to combine premises taken
from the Bible with those taken from outside sources, he can lead them to
conclusions that are at variance with the Word of God. For example: I
once heard a man try to water down God’s law by claiming that only willful acts
are sin. In order to defend that view he argued that since, “sin is the
transgression of the law” (1John 3:4), and transgression of the law consists of
willful acts, then sin must only consist of willful acts. However, even though
his reasoning may seem logical it is not Scriptural, because one of the
premises is false. The Bible says nothing about transgression of the law
consisting of “willful acts.” That is the word of man, not the word of God.
And, because it is the word of man it is an addition to God’s Word.
Furthermore, we know it is wrong because it contradicts what the Bible plainly
says. Why, even the words “Thou shall not covet” tell us that transgression of
the law consists of more than just acts. On the contrary, “All unrighteousness
is sin” (1John
Finally, those who change the words, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things
that are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” into a command to
keep church and state absolutely separate, are adding to the Word of God
(Matthew
Reason
When it comes to reason, those who add to God’s Word often lack the ability to
distinguish between what the words say, and assumptions or opinions that they
are reading into the text. In fact, because our nature has been corrupted by
sin, it is all too easy for us to allow our imagination to run wild, or to
confuse our fantasies with insight. Therefore, if we are to be true disciples
of Christ, we must to use our reason to recognize the ways in which we are adding
to God’s Word, and reject those additions (John 8:31). In short, we must reign
in our minds, subdue our fantasies, and stick to the facts (2Corinthians
“In
whatever matter Holy Scripture has definitely spoken the Christian theologian
must suppress his own views, opinions, and speculations and adhere unwaveringly
to the divine truths revealed in Holy Scripture. In no case is he permitted to
inject into the body of divine truth his own figments and
fabrications, and at no time must he allow his reason the prerogative
of doubt, criticism, or denial, but every thought must everywhere be brought
into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 2Corinthians 10:5.” (Christian
Dogmatics, by J. T. Mueller, Page 39.)
At present the situation is so bad that in some churches man-made stories are
being passed off as the Word of God. One example of that is the so-called “Gap
Theory,” which claims that there were millions of years between Genesis 1:1 (“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth”),
and Genesis 1:2 (“And the earth was without form, and
void”). That made-up story goes on to claim that Satan and his angels
once lived on the earth, and by rebelling against God ruined the earth so that
it became “without form and void.” Of course, none of
that is in the Bible! In fact, the words, “In six days the LORD made heaven and
earth, the sea, and everything that is in them,” clearly contradict it
(Exodus
Another myth attempts to explain how Christ could be with the thief in
“paradise” during the time when His body was in the grave, by making up a story
about “paradise” being in Hades. Of course, none of that is in the Bible. It is
simply a story that somebody made up. Furthermore, if the people who believe
that story would look at what the Bible says, they would find that the Bible
not only defines “paradise” as heaven (2Corinthians 12:2-4), but also
explicitly says that Christ was in heaven even while His body was on earth,
including the time it was in the grave (John 3:13).
Far
from being benign, myths such as the two that I have just mentioned undermine
the truth of God’s Word by teaching people that they should interpret Scripture
by making up stories instead of looking at the plain meaning of the words. That
is why I stress the fact that those who add made-up stories to God’s Word are
not true disciples of Christ (John
Tradition
When we speak of tradition in the context of Bible interpretation, we are not
talking about customs, but about doctrines and interpretations that are not
taught in God’s Word yet are passed on from generation to generation as if they
were the Word of God (Matthew 15:2-6, Mark 7:2-13). In fact, any addition to
God’s Word that is passed on from generation to generation is a tradition.
Furthermore, those who defend traditions that contradict the Bible are quick to
quote 2Thessalonians
Because
the Bible says, “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the
man Christ Jesus,” we know that the tradition that views Mary as a “mediator,” is
from Satan not God (1Timothy 2:5, Romans 3:4, Galatians 1:6-9). They try to get
around what the Bible says by calling her a “Mediatrix,”
but that is just smoke and mirrors.
Because
the Bible says, “He [Christ] is the propitiation for
our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole
world,” we know that the tradition that claims that Christ only died for
the sins of the elect, not the sins of the “whole world,” is from Satan not God
(1John 2:2).
Because the Bible says, “Every one who looks to the
Son, and believes on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at
the last day,” we know that the tradition that claims that Christ will raise up believers before the last day, is from Satan not
God (John
New
Revelation
When it comes to new revelation, it should be obvious
that the cults are adding to God’s Word, for they all claim knowledge or
insight that no one else has. However, Satan often uses a very subtle source of
false doctrine, which takes the form of an inner leading, or an idea impressed
upon the mind. That form of deception can be especially insidious because many
Christians regard the impressions they receive as communication from God.
However, in order to avoid being deceived you need to be wary of interpretations
or impressions disguised as revelation. God will never contradict what the
Bible says or lead you to look outside of His Word for guidance (Isaiah
It is also important to view impressions in a way that
agrees with the Bible’s warning against adding to the Word of God. For example:
There have been times when I have prayed fervently about a burden that was on
my heart only to have a feeling of peace come over me. However, instead of
viewing that peace as some sort of communication I see it as God strengthening
my faith. For, it is faith that gives me the assurance that God has heard my
prayer, that He cares for me for Christ’s sake, and that He will do what is
best (Romans 8:28).
There have also been times when, after seeking God’s
help in making a decision, I began to favor one alternative over the others.
However, even though I realize that my favor for one alternative could be an
answer to prayer I regard it as the inclination of my heart, not some sort of
divine communication. After all, if God can turn the heart of the king “whithersoever He will” He can turn my heart in
answer to prayer, but that does not make the leading of my heart a divine
command or communication (Proverbs 21:1).
Likewise, the urge to do something nice could be the
“fruit of the Spirit” or the voice of conscience, but it should not be viewed
as a command that will bring God’s wrath if ignored.
I once heard a preacher say that when God first called
him to the ministry he resisted the call, and God caused his baby to die
because he was refusing to do God’s will. Have you ever heard anything worse?
What kind of ogre does he think God is? The very fact that he has been
slandering God every time he shared that testimony should tell you that he is
under a satanic delusion. Yet, he goes blithely on oblivious to the fact that
he is teaching the very heresy that Paul condemned in his Epistle to the
Galatians, namely that God’s favor depends on our obedience. He may not have
been telling people that they had to keep the Old-Testament law, but he was
leading them to believe that they had to obey an unwritten law, and that God
might even kill their babies if they did not comply with that unwritten law.
Therefore, let me make it perfectly clear that there
is “no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). On
the contrary, because our sins have been washed away by the blood of the lamb
we do not have to live under the fear of God’s wrath (Romans 10:4). The
doctrine that preacher was teaching was straight out of hell, and the very fact
that it was an addition to God’s Word tells me that he was not a true disciple
of Christ (John 8:31, Galatians 1:6-9).
I once explained how a particular interpretation added to God’s Word, only to
have a man tell me that after praying he received a strong impression (which he
believed was from the Holy Ghost) that the passage in question could not be
explained any other way. What he failed to realize was that his “strong
impression” came from outside of God’s Word. And, because Christ wants us to
“continue in” His Word we can be certain that it was not from God (John
“The
true visible church acknowledges the written word of the apostles and prophets
as the only and perfect source, rule, norm, and judge of all teaching. Not
reason, not tradition, not new revelations.” (C. F. W. Walther)
Whenever people add to God’s word, they will, sooner or later, encounter
passages that contract those additions. When that happens, if they explain away
the words of Scripture instead of rejecting the things they have added, they
are taking away from the Word of God. And, that is rebellion against God (Psalm
107:11). Moreover, because many take such rebellion lightly, and think nothing
of it, I want to make it perfectly clear that such rebellion is as “witchcraft”
and “idolatry” in the sight of God (1Samuel
Because Christ, after rising from the dead, specifically
said, “handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones, as you see me
have,” those who deny that Christ physically rose from the dead are
rebelling against God (Luke 24:39). And, the Bible calls them liars (Romans
3:4).
Because the Bible explicitly tells us that Christ was a descendant of Abraham,
those who contradict the Bible by claiming that Christ’s body was an entirely
new creation, not an actual descendant of Abraham, are rebelling against God
(Hebrews 2:16). [Genesis,
Because Christ specifically said that He would raise up believers “on the last
Day,” those who contradict and explain away what He said, teaching their own
ideas as the Word of God, are rebelling against God (John 6:40). [John
While the world at large sees nothing wrong with contradicting or explaining
away what the Bible says, those who do it are doing the work of Satan, for that
is exactly what Satan was doing when he told Eve that she would not die if she
ate of the tree “of knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 3:4).
Since false prophets seek to exalt themselves, they
usually claim to have ideas, explanations, or interpretations that no one else
has, and that always involves addition to God’s Word (Jeremiah
Whenever unscriptural ideas or assumptions are read
into the text of Scripture, they produce unscriptural interpretations, and
those interpretations lead to conclusions that contradict what the Bible says.
Therefore, if we are to be true disciples of Christ, we must eliminate the
human element from our theology (John
In order to avoid error, we need to begin by learning those truths that are
that are so plainly stated in Scripture they need no interpretation. Once they
have been learned, you can use them as a standard by rejecting and eliminating
any ideas or interpretations that contradict them. For example: Those who read
the Book of Revelation often jump to conclusions, let their imaginations run
wild, and read into the text things that are not there. However, if they would
begin by learning those truths about Christ’s return that are so plainly stated
that they need no interpretation, they would find that:
Christ explicitly said, “Every one who looks to the Son, and believes on him, may
have everlasting life: and I will raise him up on the last day” (John
In another place He said,
“The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him on the last day” (John
John wrote: “Martha responded, I know
that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day (John
Paul wrote, “I
charge you therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall
judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom” (2Timothy
4:1).
And, Christ also said, “My
kingdom is not of this world” (John
Because a correct interpretation of the Book of
Revelation will never contradict these plainly-stated facts, we know that the
nineteenth chapter of Revelation is not saying that Christ will return prior to
the “last day” (John
Likewise, because Christ explicitly said that His
kingdom was not of this world, we know that Revelation 20:4 is not saying that
He will physically reign on this sinful planet (John 18:36). Furthermore,
chapters nineteen and twenty agree with what I have just said, for neither of
them says anything about Christ physically appearing, or physically reigning on
this sinful planet before the last day. Those ideas are simply being read into
the text.
Many people wind up reading their own ideas into the
text because they believe that what it says is all a
matter of opinion. In fact, I recently heard someone say that the words, “Judge
not, that you be not judged” could be interpreted a thousand different
ways (Matthew 7:1). However, because most “interpretations” add to what is
written, I would like to show you how you can eliminate false interpretations
while allowing the Bible to interpret that verse.
First of all, because the Bible says, “we
write none other things to you, than what you read,” we need to make a clear
distinction between what the words actually say and all of the interpretations
that people dream up (2Corinthians
However, because Paul rebuked the Corinthians for
not judging wicked behavior on the part of their fellow members, we
know that Matthew 7:1 is not telling us that it is wrong to condemn wicked
behavior, or to exclude those who are unrepentant (1Corinthians 5:1-13 and
6:1-9). Likewise, because John the Baptist condemned Herod’s adultery, we know
that Matthew 7:1 is not telling us that it is wrong to condemn the sins of
rulers (Matthew 14:3-5, Mark
I have just shown you how you can let Scripture
interpret Matthew 7:1. Furthermore, that is the best way to interpret any
verse, because when we interpret a verse that way, we can be certain that we are
not adding to God’s Word. In fact, whenever I say that an unclear passage of
Scripture is teaching the same truth that is plainly stated in another passage
I cannot be adding to the Word of God. Furthermore, even if I was totally
wrong, the interpretation would still be the Word of God because it is plainly
stated in Scripture.
It is important for us to deal with other people in
love, and Christ wants us to be known for our love (John