At the end of the Revelation there is a strong warning not to add or subtract from it.

“And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book.  And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.” Rev 22:18-19

Even though this warning is specifically for the book of Revelation I believe the principle of not adding to or taking away from the Bible stands for all 66 books.

When we add extra rules to the Bible we become legalistic.

Paul warned the Corthians not to go beyond what is written because this leads to pride.

“That you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. I Cor. 4:6b.

Make sure you do not make helpful tools for you into rules that everyone should do.

When we take the parts of the Bible away that make us uncomfortable, we miss vital truth and water down the gospel.

Our culture would like Christians to adapt our message, but we must not. The power of our message only holds strong when we stick to the truth.

In an attempt to win them over we confuse true seekers if we don’t address the hard parts of the Bible. When they do eventually hear the truth they will wonder why we were not more straight forward.

The great thing about God’s Word is that it tells us everything we need to know to follow him and live productive lives.

What are some other reasons that it is important not to add or subtract from the Bible?

Share on Facebook or Twitter or post a comment. Get daily updates by subscribing by email. From my reading in Revelation 22 in the One Year Bible New Testament.