Don't Write Your Own Bible

(Proverbs 30:6 KJV) Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

A word of caution to preachers, teachers and apologists. How often do we “add” (3254) to the “words” (1697) of God? This could also point toward the Revelation:

Revelation 22:18-19 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. (NASB)

We used to have a way of reporting statistics. After we would give some numbers we would add, “Ministerially speaking.” This would let people know that it might not be absolutely accurate. In preaching a lot of sermons contain ideas that are not firmly based in the word of God. They are our interpretations. Sometimes that is what preaching is all about, but there is a fine line sometimes. Pastors sometimes throw in their own opinions as if it were scripture. Beware of this.

Some books are offering their advice as if it is the word and it is really modern pop-psychology. I remember a big push for reconciliation. It was presented as our Biblical obligation. It was usually presented in the context of racial reconciliation. The only problem is that the word is usually used in the Bible to discuss reconciliation between God and man. Be careful that what you are pushing is consistently grounded in scripture.

This would also be a caution to those who publish paraphrases of the Bible. Sometimes the “modern” equivalent of the Greek and Hebrew is in your imagination, not the text. Beware. Too much license in proclaiming truth will cause God to “reprove” (3198) us.

Recently I read The Sermon on the Mount by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. In the passage about turning the other cheek, etc., he goes into great detail how the scholars of Israel had been adding the traditions of the elders to the Word of God. Jesus works on clarifying the difference. He says they were adding to the words of God. Let’s not make the same mistake.