The Danger of Adding and Removing from Scripture
Deuteronomy 4:2 says: “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.”
God said don’t add anything. Don’t take anything away. Just obey it. But people still mess with it.
• Those who want control add to it.
• Those who want compromise take away from it.
One tries to rule others with man-made rules. The other tries to please the world by removing the hard parts. Both are wrong.
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Adding to God’s Word
This is what the Pharisees did. They weren’t happy with just God’s Word, so they made extra rules and expected everyone to follow them.
Jesus rebuked them:
Mark 7:7-9, “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men… ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.”
People still add today:
• To control others.
• To look more spiritual.
• To protect tradition.
But when you add to Scripture, you act like God didn’t say enough. That’s pride.
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Taking Away from God’s Word
This one’s just as bad. False teachers don’t add. They delete. They skip over verses that convict or offend.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 says: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
Why do people remove from God’s Word?
• To fit in.
• To justify sin.
• To avoid backlash.
Examples today:
• Churches that ignore sin.
• Pastors who won’t preach on hell.
• Christians who twist truth to stay popular.
When you take away from the Bible, you’re saying God went too far. That’s fear.
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Why People Do It
Adding comes from pride.
Removing comes from fear.
Both come from not trusting God.
Those who add think God didn’t say enough.
Those who remove think God said too much.
But God’s Word doesn’t need to be fixed. It needs to be followed.
Revelation 22:18-19 warns: “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…”
That’s serious. Don’t play editor with the Bible.
Just believe it. And obey it.
