Lesson - 20
Man Is Not To Change What God Says

Man does not have
the authority to change God's Word

We have been given severe warnings in several places in the Bible concerning any changes that we try to make to God’s word. As we see in Galatians 1:6-9, if we pervert the gospel by changing it, we will be accursed.

Galatians 1:6-9
"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any manpreach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

Deuteronomy 12:32
"What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it."

Deuteronomy 4:2
"Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you."

Another such warning
comes in the closing verses of the Bible

We have a standard today, and we are warned not to add to or take away from it. These are very stern warnings that should get our undivided attention.

Revelation 22:18-19
"For I testify unto 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; And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, and from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

How much stronger
could the warnings from God be?

Men still do not listen to the warnings from God and try to make changes to His will when they change immersion into sprinkling, or to change the necessity of baptism for one to receive forgiveness of sins and be saved to their saying that baptism is not necessary for salvation. God has said plainly that it is necessary

They also say that one’s sins are forgiven and that one is saved when he accepts Christ as his personal savior. He can be baptized later if he wants to in order to join that particular denomination; but as we have already seen this contradicts what God has said and will cause many people to be lost eternally. Many people will not accept what God says.

II Thessalonians 2:10-12
"Because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth."

Do you love the truth of God's Word?

Do you have enough love for the genuine truth of God's word that you will obey it instead of a counterfeit doctrine of man? If you do not then God has promised to send you a strong delusion that you should believe a lie and be damned. The fake doctrines of men will cause many good people to be eternally lost.

If you were baptized for some reason other than for remission of sins then you do not have salvation and you are still lost. Who are you going to follow: God or man?

Don’t allow someone, who has added to and taken away from God’s word, to lead you. Open your eyes and read God’s word for yourself. Those who have added to and taken away from God’s word will be lost. If you continue to follow them, then you too will be lost.

Matthew 15:14
"And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a ditch."

Incorrect baptism requires correction

In Acts 19:1-5 we have an example of twelve men, that the Apostle Paul met at Ephesus. They had something wrong with their baptism.

Acts 19:3-5
"And he said to them, into what then were you baptized? So they said, into John’s baptism. Then Paul said, John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people, that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."

When these twelve men found out that there was something wrong with their baptism, they made it right. They were then baptized correctly, in the name of Jesus.

If you thought you were saved and your sins forgiven when you accepted Christ as your personal savior and you were not baptized by immersion in the name of Jesus, then you have not been baptized correctly and are still lost But now you have learned the truth about baptism from the scriptures. We cannot fool God. It will be a sad day if you stand before the Lord on the day of judgment and find out that there is something wrong with your baptism. Baptism, that is done according to scripture, for the right reason and purpose, is such an easy thing to do. It is not difficult, at all, to make sure that it is done right.