Proverbs 30:5-6 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.
The Word of God.
The word “ canon” is the term used to describe the complete number of the books of the Bible-the closed cannon of the 66 books of the Holy Scriptures. It is derived from ancient words meaning “measuring stick” and applied here to designate those books that meet the requirements of being acknowledged as divinely inspired by God.
The Bible warns against either adding or subtracting from its contents. Revelation 22:18 (For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book) makes a conclusive statement, positional in God’s providence and wisdom, at the Bible’s end. While it refers directly to the Book of Revelation, most Bible scholars also provide a finalizing footnote on this subject: “Add to or subtract from the Bible at your own risk.” (A classic study of the judgment for “taking away” from God’s Word is seen in Jeremiah 36:20-32.
In this regard, we are wise to understand terms. When we refer to the “revelation of the Scriptures,” it is important that we distinguish this consummate order of divine revelation from any other use of the term, however sacred. There are many today who do not know the difference between a “revelation” (an insight or an idea that may be of God, of man, or of the Devil) and the revelation of God, which is in the closed cannon of the Scriptures.
Because there are many books that claim to be divinely given, a casual or gullible attitude toward them can result in confusion and eventual destruction. It is interesting to note that even in Jesus’ time, several books held by some today to be intended for the OT were in existence then. Yet, in the 64 times Jesus quotes from the OT, not once does He quote from any of those books. The Bible is complete, completely trustworthy, and sufficient to completely answer anything we need to know for eternal salvation or practical wisdom concerning our relationships, morality, character, or conduct.
You can gauge how closely God and His Word are connected in John 1:1-3 in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. We have to rely on the Word of God because we are uniquely created to worship God alone; nothing else can truly bring lasting peace and satisfaction.
Too often Christians in the modern church find themselves passive intellectually, accepting almost anything they are taught or simple challenging a doctrine on the basis of how it feels instead of looking to see whether it has biblical foundations. Contrast this with what the Boreans did in Acts 17:11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. They did not take for granted what many had to say. They relied on the Word of God.
Amen and Amen
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