Beware Of Altering God’s Word

By C. H. Spurgeon
Every motive that could move men to alter the Word of God has been fully stated in various portions of the Bible. It shows that God was aware from the first of the reception that would be given to His truth; and it is as instructive to the humble believer as it is humiliating to the modern man who critically cuts away portions of God’s Word.

The desire to alter the Word of God is dangerous. In the wilderness God Himself pointed this out: "Ye shall not add unto the Word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it" (Deut. 4:2). The nations they were advancing to conquer had long cast aside their allegiance to their Maker, and the least tendency to question or alter God’s Word might result in the same downfall for Israel. Deuteronomy 12:32 distinctly refers to this danger, and reasserts the warning: "What thing soever I command you…thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it."

The act of altering the Word of God is sinful. "Every word of God is pure…Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar" (Prov. 30:5-6). He who essays to improve upon it imputes error to the all-wise One. Only unholy minds could attempt it.

The desire to alter the Word of God is weakness. Jeremiah’s was a terrible message, and he might yield to feelings of pity for his race. God saw this, and in words that could not be misunderstood, He said to the prophet: "Diminish not a word" (Jer. 26:2). If God’s message is diminished, its power is lessened, and its results are consequently less certain. The authority, the power, the meaning, the terror of God’s truth must be preserved in all their fullness if God’s purposes are to be carried out.

The ambition to alter the Word of God is Pharisaic. To break the perfection of the law and teach our own alterations or additions as if they were of God is vile indeed. "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:19-20).
Our Lord reproved this spirit in scathing and unmistakable language. Why is it His Words are forgotten? "Ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition... teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Matt. 15:6-9). The Pharisaic spirit thus renders impossible obedience to God as the supreme teacher.

The craving to alter the Word of God is accursed. Revelation 22:18-19 should be read with fear and trembling: "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: 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."

Thus all down the ages God has warned men against this crime. He is a jealous God, and has determined to visit with the direct punishment all who dare to alter His complete and full revelation. This is a crime of the present day: the Lord preserve us from it!

Baptismal Regeneration

Matthew 28:19-20
Baptismal regeneration is the teaching that a person must be baptized in water before they are saved. We’ve already encountered this heresy when we dealt with Catholicism and Mormonism. Another proponent of this false doctrine is the Church of Christ.
The Church of Christ (sometimes called “Campbellites” after their founder Alexander Campbell) bears several similarities to Roman Catholicism:
• Both believe there is no salvation outside of their church.
• Baptism performed by one of their priests/elders is essential to salvation.
• Any Christian can lose salvation.
• No one can have absolute assurance of salvation until they die.
• Jesus Christ is not coming back to earth to reign upon the throne of David (a-millennialism).
“Cambellites” will argue in a well-defined circle. Around they will go like they were on a religious Indianapolis 500. It starts with Mark 16:16 and ends with 1 Peter 3:21. In between they will have pit stops at John 3:5; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; Romans 6:3; Galatians 3:27; Ephesians 4:5. After 1 Peter 3:21 he will return to Mark 16:16 for another lap around the course.
The basic error in this “run-around” is false idea that every baptism in the Bible is a water baptism. There are actually seven different baptisms in the Bible and only four of them involve water.
1. Baptism of Israel in the sea (1 Cor. 10:2).
2. John’s baptism (Acts 19:3-5 cf. John 1:28-32; Mt. 3:1-6). To manifest the Messiah to Israel and prepare her for the kingdom.
3. Baptism of suffering (Mt. 20:22)
4. Kingdom baptism (Acts 2:38). Similar to John’s baptism.
After Jesus was crucified, buried and risen, the question on the minds of the Apostles was: “Lord wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6-8).
Ten days later, thousands of Jews from all over the known world gathered at Jerusalem for the Jewish Feast of Pentecost (Acts 2). God sent the Holy Ghost upon the disciples and the Apostle Peter preaches to those Jews gathered at Jerusalem:
• To Jews only (Acts 2:5, 14, 22, 36).
• Confronts Israel with their sin of murdering their Messiah (2:22-23, 36)
• Jews are convicted and ask what they should do (2:37). No one is asking how to be saved in the context.
• Peter’s answer (Acts 2:38).
• Three thousand accept Peter’s invitation (2:41).
5. Church Age Baptism (Acts 8-10; 16:30-33).
• Up until Acts 8, only law abiding Jews are baptized.
• In Acts 8:5, 12 the Samaritans (half Jews) get baptized. But they still do not receive the Holy Ghost until the Apostles camp up from Jerusalem and laid their hands on them (8:14-17).
• In Acts 8:35-39 Ethiopian eunuch (Jewish proselyte) is baptized.
• In Acts 10 the first Gentile is baptized.
1) Peter is lead by the Lord to preach to Cornelius.
2) Before he can finish his sermon, Cornelius’ household receives the Holy Ghost, without baptism or the laying on of hands (10:43-45).
3) Peter then baptizes them (10:47-48).
• From Cornelius onward people are saved without baptism (Acts 16:30-33).
6. Spirit Baptism (Mt. 3:11 cf. 1 Cor. 12:12-13; Gal. 3:27; Eph. 4:5).
7. Fire Baptism (Mt. 3:11 cf. vs. 10, 12).
With that in mind, we will look at the Campbellite’s “proof-texts:”

I. Mark 16:16—One is damned for NOT BELIEVING. Believing is the essential for salvation, not baptism (cf. Acts 9:42; 11:21; 13:12, 39, 48; 14:1; 15:9; 16:1; 17:4, 34). No where does the Bible say, “He that is not baptized shall be damned.”

II. John 3:5—“Born of water” refers to the physical birth of a baby. Baptism is not mentioned within 15 verses of the context!

III. Acts 2:38—The word “for” doesn’t always mean “in order to.” Sometimes it means “because of” (see Luke 15:14—“for thy cleansing”).

IV. Acts 22:16—Paul was already saved prior to baptism as evidenced by Ananias referring to Paul as “Brother…” (cf. v. 13). It was the calling on the Lord that washed away his sins, not arising to be baptized (cf. Rev. 1:5).

V. Romans 6:3; Gal. 3:27— NOT water baptism. It is Spirit baptism.

VI. Ephesians 4:5—ONE real baptism—Spirit baptism. Baptism of any kind occurs only ONCE AND IS NEVER REPEATED.

VII. 1 Peter 3:21—Baptism is a FIGURE of salvation.

SUMMATION: 1 Cor. 1:14-17—If baptism is essential for salvation, why didn’t Paul make it a priority?
• Romans 1:16—No baptism for salvation.
• Romans 10:9-13—No baptism for salvation.
• Ephesians 2:8-9—No baptism for salvation.
• Titus 3:5—No baptism for salvation.

Wrinkles

Job 16:6-8, "Though I speak, my grief is not asswaged: and though I forbear, what am I eased? But now he hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company. And thou hast filled me with wrinkles,which is a witness against me: and my leanness rising up in me beareth witness to my face."

Job was clearly speaking in the physical realm but there is a spiritual side to this. Age takes its toll on us and we begin to show it, but the Christian walk does too. "Thou hast filled me with wrinkles." You try creams, makeup, injections, and face-lifts to make you look younger – and to some degree of success. But the marks of your pilgrimage; your battle scars, don’t seem to go away. You have some wrinkles that go down to the depths of your soul – hurts, injuries, wounds received from the hand of Satan, sinners, and even the saints. You wish they would never show - that some sort of spiritual cream would magically make them disappear. But every time they reappear you sigh in frustration.

Dear friends, please hear me out. You have no reason to be ashamed, in fact, you should bear your marks as a testimony of the Savior. Today’s thought reminds us that bearing your cross after Christ will mean splinters and scars. These "wrinkles" are marks of ministry – the price we must pay to serve the Lord. Paul put it this way, "From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." (Galatians 6:17). Though the devil would like you to feel ashamed or embarrassed for what you have been through, don’t let him trouble you anymore for it was the Lord who gave you those "wrinkles." Wear them as a testimony.

Better Than I Deserve!

Gen 32:10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant;
We have all been asked, “How are you doing?” Most answer, “Fine,” even if they feel lousy. However, there is one standard answer that fits every occasion and every condition. When asked, “How are ya doin’?” I simply answer, “Better than I deserve.” I get all kinds of looks and reactions! Most say, “Oh, you deserve to be doing good.”
The truth is, I’d hate to think what I’d get if I got what I deserved! It’s not that I’m what people would call a “wicked-bad person.” Actually, most people who know me would say I’m a pretty good guy. But, when it comes to getting what we deserve, it doesn’t matter what people think about us. What you or anyone else thinks you deserve and what God says you deserve may be two different things.

WHAT DO WE DESERVE?
A.Deserve means “to be worthy of” (Websters). It can be applied in an evil sense (“he deserves to die”) or a good sense (“I deserve a raise”). It is only found two times in the Bible:
• Job 11:6–…God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.
• Ezra 9:13 – And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this;
Both verses convey the idea of someone deserving worst than what they were getting because of their iniquities (sins). In other words, they were doing better than they deserve! They recognized God didn’t owe them anything and no one else owed them anything.
The question is—Do you want what you rightfully deserve (judgment for your sins in hell), or would you rather receive what you don’t deserve (salvation in Jesus Christ)? God has already been merciful to you by giving you this opportunity to accept His free offer of salvation through His Son. Will you receive it?
“How are you doing?” Can you say YOU are doing better than you deserve? As long as you think you are worthy of heaven, you will never see heaven. Before we can be saved we must admit “I deserve to go to hell.” Can you say that? Say it with me, “I deserve to go to hell.”

Remember, the word deserve means “to be worthy of.” Jacob admitted, “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies...” (Genesis 32:10). The Apostle Peter recognized his unworthiness when he said to Jesus, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8). Peter was admitting he didn’t deserve to be in the Lord’s presence.” May we all be as honest regarding our unworthiness. The Lord is not our debtor. Any blessing, or restraint of punishment is because of the grace and mercy of a loving God!

Be an Overachiever

Joh 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

You and I each know at least one person who we consider to be an overachiever. They never stop working. They always need to be accomplishing something new. They have to be the best. They seem to work beyond their ability to get things done. Many think that it’s wrong to be an overachiever. “Why should we be so committed to achievement that it drives ourselves and others crazy?”

Jesus was an overachiever.
· He walked on water.
· He raised three people from the dead.
· He fed thousands of people with a minimum of food.
· He made lame men walk, blind men see, and dumb men speak.
· He calmed storms at sea.
· He died for the sins of the whole world.
· He arose from the dead.
· He ascended into Heaven.
· He sits on the right hand of the throne of God.
“Of course, Jesus is an overachiever,” you say, “He’s God!”

Jesus wants you to be an overachiever. But let’s define the word overachiever a little differently. Let’s think of an overachiever as a person who accomplishes things above his own natural ability.

John 14:12 - Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

John 15:16 - Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Acts 1:8 - But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Phil 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Why would Jesus ever want you to be an overachiever?
· Because much can be accomplished for His glory when we trust Him.
· Because it shows how much we love Him.
· Because the needs are so great and Christ is so compassionate.
· When we overachieve properly He gets the glory.