Deuteronomy 4:2 (NIV) Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.

In life, there are many times when we need to add or subtract from the things that we say. Sometimes you need to add context to something you've said and sometimes you need to take back (or take away) something that we have said in haste or that wasn't true. We add and subtract from things that we have stated all throughout our lives. It is something that is necessary to maintain good lines of communication. But when it comes to what God has said, then that addition or subtraction is not allowed.

What God has said stands for all eternity. His commands are etched in time and outside of time. They are pure, unadulterated and uncorruptible truths that hold everything together, making decency and order out of chaos. For example, before God created the heavens and the earth by His powerful and life-giving Word, everything was formless, dark and empty (Genesis 1:1-2). God brought order into disorder through His spoken Word. Through His omnipotent "Let there be" proclamations, He created everything that we see and experience, including all living things. There is nothing as powerful and nothing as true as whatever God speaks. His words are not only true, but they define truth. Everything that is true lines up with His Word. That’s why adding to them or subtracting from them is not only forbidden, but it also doesn’t make any sense to do it. You don’t need to add anything to the truth and you certainly don’t need to take anything away (subtract) from it. To do so would be to take it from being the truth to being something else.

Down through the ages, people have added to or subtracted from God’s Word. It is currently being done in the times that we are living in. People have added what they thought was missing from God’s Word and they have also subtracted what they don’t like. They’ve made their own version of truth, which is nothing more than a lie. They explain it away by saying that the Word of God has evolved or that the truth that we read in the scriptures was for the age that they were written in. “We are living in a new era,” they say. We may be living in a new era, but truth still remains as truth. For example, God has made the law of gravity a truth that mankind lives by and is affected by. While we have grown in knowledge over time, the law of gravity still applies today. Why? Because it is truth and truth does not change. Jesus said that He is the Truth (John 14:6). He embodies truth and His words are true. They continue to be true today and we will do well to live by them. Always remember that no matter what anyone says, math is not allowed when it comes to what God has said.

Pastor Joey Vazquez