Do Not Go Beyond What is Written
Do not go beyond what is written. Paul, the Apostle
I am continually amazed at how complicated we tend to make the Bible. There are difficult passages, it's true, but the vast majority of Scripture is plain and simple. It was made plain and simple because God has always wanted His people to know what He expects of them.
It was true in the time of Cain and Abel, when God said to Cain, "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?" (Genesis 4) It was true in the time of Moses, when God said, "Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people." (Jeremiah 7). And, it is true during the Christian Era, when God says, "Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son." (II John).
Hopefully, we can see that when God speaks of doing what is right, obeying His commands and continuing in the teaching of Christ, He is necessarily inferring that it is possible to do these things. This means His word is clear enough for us to figure out what is right, to understand His commands, and to comprehend Christ's teachings.
Since this is the case, what could prevent us from doing so? There are several possibilities: One is laziness - it does take effort to read and understand God's word. Another is the foolish conjectures of so-called "wise men", when they say, "No one can really understand the Bible". Another is a lack of belief, when people think that the thoughts of men are superior to the thoughts of God (How, other than a lack of belief in God, can you explain people who hold the theories of men in higher regard than the plainly stated truths of God's Word?)
The point of all this is that God's word gives us everything we need. It tells us where we came from, where we are going, and what we need to do to please Him. But, with all of the contrary teachings concerning God and His word, how are we to know what is right? The answer is surprisingly simple: Read the Bible. The reality is a bit more difficult: Do what it says!
Did you think that service to the Father and Son would come without effort?
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22, NIV
