“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”
If you have been a follower of Christ for more than a few months, you have almost assuredly heard some dear soul assert, “God told me…” This assertion was possibly made in support of some specific information that the one testifying claimed to have received directly from God. If the individual was claiming nothing more than that they had discovered some biblical principal as they read the Bible, and they are now sharing what they believe they have discovered through their reading so that others may judge the verity of that position, I doubt that any of us would have a particular problem with the statement. Such an assertion is, to be certain, inarticulate and liable to misinterpretation, but the speaker meant no harm in what was said.
However, if by that statement, the speaker intended to indicate that God spoke to him or her, there is a problem. In this instance, the speaker making this specific claim is appealing to the Lord’s approval in an effort to compel people to agree with the speaker. After all, who wants to be found in opposition to something that God has said?
However, if you claim that God has told you something, is it possible that you are guilty of misusing the Name of the LORD? Is it actually possible that such a claim is blasphemy? Not only is this possible, but if you claim to have received communication from God that you never received, you are guilty of misusing the Name of the Lord GOD! And according to the Word of God, misusing the Name of the LORD is a serious matter. The Lord takes very seriously misuse of His Name.
MISUSING THE NAME OF THE LORD — A recent translation of the Bible treats this verse as follows: “Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God, because the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name” [EXODUS 20:7 CSV]. It is a tragic truth that the intent of what is said in the Bible is often masked by familiarity of what is written. Thus, while many people have heard warnings against taking the Lord’s Name in vain, they are often confused or ignorant of what is meant by this proscription. People are often misled by the concept of taking the Lord’s Name in vain.
The common perception is that misusing the Name of the Lord is a matter of using His Name as a curse, as pleading an imprecation on someone or something. To be certain, cursing is a terrible blight on the language of the faithful, but cursing itself is not blasphemy. It is not within our prerogative to damn anyone, so any effort to call on God to damn another person is doomed to failure. I well recall a young seaman stationed at Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. He was participating in a Bible study I was leading in the Outer Mission district of the city. One evening he told of some trouble he had encountered at work. His chief was a profane man known for always cursing, especially taking the Lord’s Name in vain. One day, the chief was especially profane, cursing an IBM Selectric typewriter that wasn’t performing as he wished.
Thinking quickly, the young seaman spoke up, saying, “Chief, when God answers your prayer, I hope we aren’t hit by the scatter.”
The brief statement was shocking to the chief, and he responded, “What do you mean?” Then, catching himself, he understood. He had been asking God to damn the typewriter, and if God were to answer his plea, the impact could devastate everything. The shrapnel would by flung far throughout the office.
I had something of a similar incident happen during my final year of graduate studies. A friend whom I had met in New York during my time at the Einstein College of Medicine had secured a post-doctoral position at the medical school in Dallas. Dave was a practising Jew, though he claimed not to really believe what he did. You need to know that Dave was rather profane, often cursing in an effort to emphasise whatever it was he was saying or to simply shock those who heard him speak.
One particular morning, as I listen to Dave speaking about his work, I casually commented, “Dave, I am really embarrassed.”
“Why are you embarrassed?” Dave inquired in response to my statement.
“You’ve prayed more in the last five minutes than I did all morning,” I responded.
“What do you mean? I haven’t prayed!” Dave exclaimed.
“Yes, you have been praying,” I said. “I’ve heard you call on the Name of Jesus Christ repeatedly. Not once have I heard you say, ‘Oh, Abraham,’ or ‘Oh, Isaac,’ or ‘Oh, Jacob.’ I have not heard you call on the name of Buddha or Mohammed or Confucius, but you have been calling on the Name of Jesus, the Anointed One of God continually. You’ve been praying more in the past five minutes than I did all morning.”
It was obvious that my observation struck home with Dave; he never again used the Name of Jesus in my presence during the days of our acquaintance. It was an unconscious act for Dave to call on the Name of Jesus. However, he hadn’t realised that it was actually a prayer to the Risen Lord of Glory. To be certain, Dave was misusing the Name of Christ the Lord, but it would not necessarily count as blasphemy. I base this conclusion on the words of the Saviour, Who has taught us, “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven” [LUKE 12:8-10].
I wonder whether our tendency to claim that the Lord has shown us something is one of the most misleading habits perpetuated among Christians today. Moreover, to make such a claim is a violation of the Third Commandment, which warns us, “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain” [EXODUS 20:7]. If Jesus is God, and He is, then claiming that He has spoken when He was silent is a grave violation of this Commandment.
Well, you might ask how Christians take the name of the LORD in vain. This is a sin of intent. Why do we mention God’s Name when we want to make a statement? Isn’t it because we are seeking to elevate our own credibility? The thing is, we are not really thinking of His Name, we are thinking of our reputation! By appealing to God’s Name, we imagine that we are adding the weight of His Holy Name to our words. It is as though we hold the opinion that by doing this, our words are given authority and respectability. You see, we are not thinking of God’s Name and His glory when we do this—we are thinking of our own glory!
You may have heard even a respected preacher or a noted Bible teacher who in the course of his presentation claim, “The Lord told me…” Whether or not the speaker was conscious of what he said, by making this statement, he was attempting to compel his audience to listen. I mean, really, if God is speaking through that man, we have no choice but to pay attention! We don’t want to be found ignoring God, do we!
Nevertheless, here is something to consider—if God really told me something, why must I bring His Name into the issue? With the completion of the Book of Revelation, isn’t the canon of Scripture closed? Is God really giving us more Scriptures that are to be collected and read? Since it is true that we cannot add to Scripture today, then the reason a speaker would claim His authority in making any statement is solely to elevate the speaker’s own authority. Otherwise, his congregation might cease listening!
If a speaker actually has a word from the Lord, he can say what he has to say without invoking God’s Holy Name. God will speak for Himself in any matter that He needs to introduce. Either the Word which He has given is sufficient to reveal His mind, or we need to be seeking a god who is able to more clearly tell us what we need to know. If I speak on the authority of this Word, which is the Word of God, it will be enough to reveal His will. The Spirit of God will perform the work that Jesus said He would perform if I get out of the way. Jesus has said, “I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you” [JOHN 16:5-15].
The Spirit of God will validate what has been given; He will reveal the mind of the Risen Saviour. That is how we received the written Word of God. Peter speaks of this when he writes in his first missive, “Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look” [1 PETER 1:10-12].
Then, writing in his second letter, Peter testified, “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain” [2 PETER 1:16-18].
The Apostle is testifying that he has first-hand knowledge of what he is telling. Then, he says something stunning. Peter writes, “We have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” [2 PETER 1:19-21].
People at this late stage of the Age of Grace may say, “The Lord told me…” We can almost hear the reaction of the angels of God as they raise their eyebrows and exclaim, “Really?” God’s angels have heard the voice of the Lord on multiple occasions as He dispatched them to perform His holy will, and you may be assured that they have not heard Him say something that was not delivered in this written Word! Should you hear someone say “God told me,” you may be quite certain that whatever is about to be delivered did not originate with the Lord God.
We have a fascinating account of two kings preparing for battle that is provided in the account of the Kings of Israel. Listen as the Word of God instructs us. “For three years Syria and Israel continued without war. But in the third year Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. And the king of Israel said to his servants, ‘Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we keep quiet and do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?’ And he said to Jehoshaphat, ‘Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?’ And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, ‘I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses’” [1 KINGS 22:1-4].
It is a time of peace for Israel and for Judah. The kings of these respective nations are at peace themselves. During a state visit, the king of Israel makes a serious accusation against Syria. He sounds like Vladimir Putin, claiming that territory belonging to Israel had been taken unjustly. What was needed was a good war to take back what rightfully belonged to Israel. Turning to Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, the king of Israel asks if Jehoshaphat will join him in this war. Jehoshaphat, sounding like Joe Biden during a lucid moment, ad libs, “You bet!”
Jehoshaphat almost immediately had second thoughts, however, and began to doubt the wisdom of what he had just said. Therefore, we continue reading, “Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, ‘Inquire first for the word of the LORD.’ Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, ‘Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?’ And they said, ‘Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.’ But Jehoshaphat said, ‘Is there not here another prophet of the LORD of whom we may inquire?’ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil.’ And Jehoshaphat said, ‘Let not the king say so.’ Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, ‘Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.’ Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, ‘Thus says the LORD, “With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.”’ And all the prophets prophesied so and said, ‘Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph; the LORD will give it into the hand of the king’” [1 KINGS 22:5-12].
All the advisers agreed. But somehow, though the advisers claimed divine certitude, the king of Judah was uneasy. Jehoshaphat had acted precipitously in agreeing to go to war, at last he wanted to know what God might say about the matter. All the prophets whom the king of Israel had gathered agreed—God was going to give the kings victory. If the king wanted to hear something positive, they’d give him positive! However, Jehoshaphat was restrained in his enthusiasm for these presumed prophets. He insisted that there must be another person whom the kings could consult. The king of Israel admitted there was one more, but no one wanted to hear that prophet because he never said anything good about the king of Israel. Nevertheless, Jehoshaphat insisted that they should hear him, and thus, the king of Israel consented to send for this man.
We resume the biblical account at this point. “The messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, ‘Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably’ But Micaiah said, ‘As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I will speak.’ And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, ‘Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?’ And he answered him, ‘Go up and triumph; the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.’ But the king said to him, ‘How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD’” [1 KINGS 22:13-16]?
There must have been something in the tone of his voice that betrayed what was really taking place in Micaiah’s heart. Perhaps it was sarcasm, or perhaps an air of disdain for the kings seated before him, something made it evident that he was saying what the king of Israel wanted to hear rather than what the Lord GOD had spoken to the heart of His prophet. So the king of Israel commanded the prophet of God to speak nothing but the truth. At that, the prophet spoke, but neither the king nor all the prophets who had spoken before Micaiah spoke were pleased with what they heard.
Here is the divine account, “[Micaiah] said, ‘I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, “These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.”’ And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?’ And Micaiah said, ‘Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; and the LORD said, “Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?” And one said one thing, and another said another. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, “I will entice him.” And the LORD said to him, “By what means?” And he said, “I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.” And he said, “You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.” Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the LORD has declared disaster for you’” [1 KINGS 22:17-23].
Now, here is the purpose of this extended recounting of what took place on that day before the Jehoshaphat united with the king of Israel to attack the king of Syria. One man, speaking on behalf of the Living God, had exposed four hundred presumed prophets as people who misused the Name of the LORD. Enraged, “Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, ‘How did the Spirit of the LORD go from me to speak to you?’ And Micaiah said, ‘Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself’” [1 KINGS 22:24-25].
If someone claiming to prophesy in the Name of the Lord is actually speaking at the Lord’s direction, what is said will come to pass—and it will come to pass sooner rather than later. God will verify His Word through the testimony of the Spirit of God in the heart of His people and through what has been written in His Word. If those claiming to speak in the Name of the Lord are exalting themselves, attempting to make themselves appear as though they enjoy a closer relationship with the Lord than what is real, that also will become apparent, if it is not already obvious. Redeemed people will have a disquieting sense that what has been said is wrong. The failure of what is prophesied becomes evident when that which was prophesied fails to come to pass. God’s Spirit testifies to the spirit of those who are redeemed, just as the Apostle has testified when he wrote, “These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual” [1 CORINTHIANS 2:10-13]. Spiritual people are attuned to the words of the Spirit because He dwells in them. Errant words will make the spiritual person ill at ease because the Spirit will not permit error to find lodging in the heart.
The person who misuses the Name of the Lord is inviting divine censure, and that is never a positive outcome for an individual. As the LORD prepared His people for the passing of Moses, God spoke, saying, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ And the LORD said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?’—when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him” [DEUTERONOMY 18:15-22].
No one likes a name-dropper. People who drop names are only trying to make themselves appear to be someone they are not or to seize authority they don’t possess. If I were to tell you that I know the Prime Minister or the Premier of our province, who would I be trying to make look good? It wouldn’t be the Prime Minister or the Premier! If in the realm of the Faith I was to claim to personally know John MacArthur or Franklin Graham, would I be thinking that I make them look good through such a claim? The answer is obvious that I would be trying to build my own reputation in your eyes. It is the same with God. When someone drops His name in conversation, in what they write, or in a sermon, that person has violated a trust that would cause the angels to blush. Isn’t it because the person is afraid that no one will believe what they say that they would even think to drop God’s Name in order to lend validity to what they are saying?
THE LORD’S JUDGEMENT ON THE ONE MISUSING HIS NAME — God does not consider the misuse of His Name as some minor indiscretion, a mere aberration. Candidly, it should terrorise the one misusing His Name when one realises that God has warned,
“To the wicked God says:
‘What right have you to recite my statutes
or take my covenant on your lips?
For you hate discipline,
and you cast my words behind you.
If you see a thief, you are pleased with him,
and you keep company with adulterers.
“‘You give your mouth free rein for evil,
and your tongue frames deceit.
You sit and speak against your brother;
you slander your own mother’s son.
These things you have done, and I have been silent;
you thought that I was one like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.
“‘Mark this, then, you who forget God,
lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!’”
[PSALM 50:16-22]
Regardless of how one conceives of his or her spiritual condition, it is a serious matter should God identify you as being wicked. It is not your conception of your character that counts—it is the reality of your condition. If you are a child of God through faith in the Son of God, the Lord will discipline you if such is needed. However, if you have no vital, living relationship with the Lord GOD, it is a tragic truth that you are wicked in His sight and all the curses listed throughout His Word attach to your life.
Assuredly, no follower of the Saviour would want to identify with those whom God calls “wicked.” This being true, Christians must train themselves to be cautious in their speech, refraining from asserting that God has spoken when in fact He has been silent. Your supposition that God is saying something in His Word that is beyond the scope of what has been accepted among the faithful throughout the millennia since the Word was given is not justification for novel statements.
Not only must Christians be cautious in their own speech, but we who follow the Risen Lord must be firm in rejecting those deceitful individuals who attest that God has spoken when what is being claimed has no basis in Scripture. As followers of the Risen Saviour we must not give credence to those who are undeserving of even our momentary attention. We must know that anyone misusing God’s Name exposes himself or herself to eternal danger. God is patient, but His patience must one day give way to His wrath. And none of us would wish the wrath of God on another. And yet, in the Psalm just quoted, God threatens divine retribution on those who misuse His Holy Name. And that should give each of us pause to guard our tongue.
The brief words of our text affirm that the LORD will not hold guiltless the one misusing His Name. People go to great lengths to attempt to define what is meant when God says, “You shall not take the Name of the LORD your God in vain.” It is enough to know that God is warning that frivolous appeal in His Name or casual reference to what is claimed that He has said is in view. In short, the one who will honour the Living God must avoid making claims about what God may or may not have said.
Among other reasons for us to be cautious in this manner is the fact that we open ourselves to a serious charge when we begin to speak beyond what is written because we inevitably begin to interject our own ideas as though our words were equivalent to God’s words. Surely, this is the rational behind Jesus’ warning concerning our speech, when He said, “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil” [MATTHEW 5:37]. We do emphasise that God has spoken through His Word, and we will boldly affirm what is written. However, we must be cautious not to imagine that our interpretation is infallible. It is enough to note what God has said and trust that the Spirit of Christ will apply what has been said to the heart of those who know Him as Master.
You may have noted the emphasis throughout the Word of God on being an individual of few words. For instance, before He gave us the Model Prayer, you may remember that Jesus cautioned the disciples, “When you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” [MATTHEW 6:7-8].
The Master was building on the concept that is delivered through the Word of the Wise Man, when he wrote,
“When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.”
[PROVERBS 10:19]
What was written in this instance is but anticipation of what would be written in the Book of Ecclesiastes. There, we read, “Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few” [ECCLESIASTES 5:2].
Permit me to make just a brief observation or two before we push on. If I treat what God has said, or even what God has not said, in a frivolous manner, I face a serious censure as Jesus warned. Do you recall Jesus confronting the religious leaders in the days He walked on this earth. On one occasions we hear the Master sternly teaching, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” [MATTHEW 12:33-37].
In short, Jesus revealed that it is what lies within the heart that is expressed through the words we speak. What I am in reality is revealed through my speech. If I am deceitful, I will appeal to God for verification of what I say, but I will be lying.
The Master told a parable on one occasion that merits our careful consideration. The parable Jesus told explains that a nobleman entrusted his wealth to his servants, with the stipulation that the servants would put his money to work. The nobleman was leaving to be crowned as ruler of a kingdom, so he would not be able to be present to care for his own affairs. One of the servants received ten minas. Another servant received five minas. And a third servant received one mina. As the nobleman was leaving, each of these servants received a solemn charge along with the moneys the nobleman entrusted to them; he charged each of the servants, “Engage in business until I come” [LUKE 19:13b].
Now, you undoubtedly remember this particular parable, so it shouldn’t be necessary for me to relate the details of the parable at this time, except to take note of how the nobleman judged the servant who did nothing to multiply what he had received. The nobleman said, “I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant” [LUKE 19:22]! The criterion for judgement was the slothful servant’s own words. That is precisely the basis for God’s judgement witnessed throughout the Word of God, and that must give us pause. The Lord holds me to account for the words that I have spoken!
If I am judged by my words, how much worse will that judgement be when I have ascribed to the Lord words that He neither spoke nor even thought to speak? Do I not invite His wrath when I attempt to compel Him to speak according to my imagination? For me to speak according to what God has said is one thing, but to attempt to make God speak according to what I think is something that cannot be imagined. To attempt to do this would be tantamount to exalting myself to the position of the Lord and reducing Him to my servant, doing my will rather than doing what is good and what is of eternal worth. Surely each follower of the Risen Lord of Glory will take seriously the thought that we must not attempt to manipulate God through saying that He has said what He never said!
WHEN THE LORD SPEAKS — Nevertheless, having made this assertion, we know that God does speak. On rare occasions God does speak through dreams and visions. Though this particular means of divine communication is the exception, that truth nevertheless may be witnessed even on occasion to this day. I realise that there are always some charlatans who will seize upon an acknowledgement such as this, claiming to have received divine communication while dreaming. But there is a vast difference between a dream from God and dreamy speculation. What must never be forgotten is the essential understanding that the Lord will never deliver any communication that is at odds with what He has already given in His written Word. The Bible is always our final appeal for what God has said. If you wish to know the will of God, you must look to the Word which He has given. In doing this, we are assured that all will be on an equal footing.
Recall, for instance, the words with which the Revelator closes the Apocalypse. “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” [REVELATION 22:18-19]. And these are not merely the words penned by the Revelator, but they are the words of the Saviour Himself. Thus, we read in the verse that follows, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’” And John responds to that assertion, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” [REVELATION 22:20]! Amen, indeed. May the Lord fulfil His promise, and may He do so soon. Amen.
What John writes in that cautionary statement echoes words that God gave Moses long years before John’s vision of what was to come upon the earth. Moses testified, “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you” [DEUTERONOMY 4:2].
Later, Moses would add yet another caution, warning, “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it” [DEUTERONOMY 12:32].
God’s Word is not to be treated as suggestions. He speaks to His own, calling each one to a life marked by obedience. And the obedience we give to Him is not a slavish, craven, cringing life in which we check in our brains at the door of the church. Rather, in Christ we are set at liberty for the first time. It is not that we are free to do as our fallen nature desires, though we do have that freedom if we are willing to accept the discipline of the Lord; in Christ we are free to do what honours the Lord, and we are given the power to do those things. We don’t live by a set of rules that must be memorised and slavishly followed; we walk by the Spirit Who sets us free.
We witness the repeated call of the Lord to His holy people, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” [GALATIANS 5:1].
Soon after writing these words, the Apostle would write, “You were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” [GALATIANS 5:13-14].
Paul instructs us through the Letter he penned to the Christians living in Rome. He was speaking of the transformation to which they had testified when they were baptised. As the confessing child of God was dipped beneath the water and then raised again, that one was testifying that the old nature was dead in sin, but now in Christ the one being baptised was confessing that he or she was alive. Looking back to the life that the believer once lived out, Paul testifies, “When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” [ROMANS 6:20-23].
Freedom in Christ is the testimony and the experience of each one who has been born from above and into the Family of God through faith in the Risen Lord of Glory. They do not need to fabricate words for God, attempting to put words in His mouth; it is enough that they are alive in Christ. Therefore, we who are born from above are content to speak God’s Word just as He has given it. Have you believed? Receive Christ as your Master. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
