By Matt Haste
What do we believe?
That it is God’s only written revelation of Himself and His standards for mankind.
Why do we believe it?
Revelation 22:18-19 – I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:
if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if
anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his
share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
Why does it matter?
The Bible is God’s ONLY written revelation of Himself. This is a simple statement but it presents a profound reality. This means that if anyone wants to know about God, they have to turn to God’s Word. Spiritual experiences may lead you to think certain thoughts about God but those ideas have to ultimately be weighed against God’s revelation of Himself in the Scriptures. Revelation 22:18-19 reminds us that God takes this matter very serious. Though originally spoken specifically about the book of Revelation, the final warning of this passage is applicable to all of Scripture. We cannot add to it or take anything away from it. It is not ours to mess with. It is God’s revelation of Himself.
The third president of the United States was famous for his disregard of this verse. Thomas Jefferson constructed the “Jeffersonian Bible” by cutting out the portions of the Gospel narratives that contained any aspect of the supernatural. As you can imagine, this greatly changed the story! Jefferson though wouldn’t have it any other way. He just simply couldn’t believe that something miraculous could happen and so he removed all evidence of it from his “Bible”. The result was a Jesus who told thoughtful stories and shared helpful advice but was undeserving of anyone’s worship.
This story may sound outrageous but we do the same thing when we explain away a command of God or justify our own disobedience today. Let’s be careful to heed the warning of Revelation 22. The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself and we should receive it as such.