Newsletter Vol.3, #38—October 21, 2007

Matthew 11 ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
 

Are You Watching The Superb Owl?

Steven Harper

             What a difference the arrangement of a few letters can make. For instance, what if someone sent you an e-mail with the above question? How would you answer? Would you scratch your head and wonder, "What 'superb owl' is he talking about? Why would I want to watch an owl — "superb" or even an ordinary one? And what makes an owl "superb" anyway? You write back asking him if he has gone completely insane!

          Then you get a follow-up e-mail from your same friend, this time asking you, "Are you watching the Super Bowl?" Oh! Now I get it! It's amazing what a little re-arranging of letters can do, isn't it?

          Unfortunately, a little re-arranging of words and an addition here and there can make a huge difference in spiritual matters. If you remember, the first recorded command of God was that man could eat of every tree in the garden except one [the tree of the knowledge of good and evil], and he was not to eat of it or even touch it lest he die (Gen.2:15-17). Sometime later, the crafty serpent came along and asked a seemingly innocent question: “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (3:1). No, God had not prohibited man from eating of every tree of the garden — just one. The woman obviously understood the command, for she clarified his question (v.2-3).

But then the crafty serpent said, “You will not surely die” (v.4).  This time, he changed only one word. This time he added just one, little three-letter word that changed the command completely [the word 'not'], making it sound like God was actually lying to them, and [if that wasn't enough] he added a few more descriptions to make it sound more appealing (v.5). This time, the woman heeded his words and she took of the forbidden fruit and ate, and then gave some to her husband (v.6-7). The world has not been the same since that day.

          And let us not be fooled into believing the devil is not still at work today, deceiving people just as he did on that day — and with just a little re-arranging of words and a little addition here and there. All it takes is a simple misreading or misunderstanding of what is written in God's word for someone to go in a direction God never intended. The addition [or removal] of just one word can make a huge difference in what is meant by a passage, and even one letter can make a difference. If you think I am being a little extreme, consider the words of the apostle Paul.

Writing to the Galatian brethren, he reminded them that the promise of salvation did not come through the law, but through the promise made to Abraham (Gal.3:15-18). In explaining this, Paul reminded them, “He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ” (v.16). The difference was only one letter [the letter 's'], but the difference was enormous in its proper interpretation and the consequences of that proper interpretation. The truth was God did not promise all nations would be blessed through people [the Jews thought all men would have to come through them to receive God's blessings], but through one person — Jesus Christ. Until they recognized this fact, they would continue to misunderstand how the fulfillment of that promise was accomplished and they would never see that we are children of Abraham by faith, not lineage (cf. v.29; Rom.4:13).

But confusion still abounds in the religious world because of these re-arrangements and little additions and subtractions to God's revealed word. I am constantly amazed when I read that some believe we are bound by the words found in God's word [the Bible] and nothing else. Now, you might be saying, "Well, preacher, isn't that what you believe?" Yes, it is! I am not amazed at the words themselves, but the fact that those words are found within some religious denomination's creed book — additions to the very book they state we must believe and adhere to exclusively! If we really believed that, why is it written down within a creed book — a book that serves as a denomination's outline of their beliefs? Can't we just say, "I believe the Bible"?

These "little" additions [I hesitate to use the word "little" when I see the sheer volume of religious writings that make up the various denominations' creeds and authoritative writings] have not helped us to better understand God's word and they have not helped to unify all believers. If anything, they serve as the very line of division that prevents unity of the faith. If we really believed in the Bible only, why haven't the religious leaders in these groups discarded the creed books and encouraged their members to study only the Bible? There are various answers to that question, and none of them speak well for the men who are responsible for perpetuating the division among professing believers.

Then there are particular issues over which men divide, and often because someone has added just one "little" word that makes a huge difference in interpretation. For instance, how many times have you heard someone tell you that we are saved by "faith only"? If you have challenged them on that statement, maybe they took you to passages such as Romans 5:1 and they then explained, "See! It says we are justified by faith only!" Maybe they will take you to Ephesians 2:8 and they explain, "See! It says we are saved by grace through faith only!" Look at the passages again. It does not say we are justified by faith "only" and it does not say we are saved by grace through faith "only." Many want to sneak in that one little extra word ["only"], and by so doing, they change the apparent teaching of the passages. Do not let this pass by without pointing out they have added to God's word. If they persist, then ask, "Do you believe we are saved by the blood of Christ?" I am sure they will answer in the affirmative, so it should be apparent that we are not saved by faith "only"!

Many seem to want to eliminate the requirement of our Lord that one believe and be baptized for the remission of sins [to be saved] and, because of this, they will not hesitate to add words or take away words if it helps to avoid the obvious teachings of Scripture on this subject. For instance, I have [on more than one occasion] written two short sentences on a piece of paper and asked someone to cross out the one that is incorrect [according to Scripture]. The two sentences are: "Baptism saves you" and "Baptism does not save you." Many times, I cannot get the individual to even choose one or the other [similar to the question of Jesus to the Pharisees, Matt.21:23-27], but I have had some cross out the first sentence. It just so happens that one is the one found in Scripture (1 Pet.3:21), but because so many believe we are saved by the overwhelming [irresistible] grace of God alone and man can do nothing towards his own salvation, they are willing to add one little word ["not"] that changes the requirements altogether. Isn't that the same word the serpent used (Gen.3:4)?

There are many other issues that could be used to illustrate the sad fact that men are willing to alter God's word to justify their personal beliefs, but these should be sufficient to show that it is a dangerous practice. A few years ago, I remember hearing that a manufacturer recalled one particular item [a blow dryer] because the safety instructions were incorrect; there was only one word wrong! The item had gone out to the stores with this sentence on the label: "Do submerge this in water." I hope I don't have to explain how dangerous the elimination of one important word ["not] could be for anyone who used that product!

Similarly, let us understand that when we add to [or take from] the word of God, we are placing our souls — and the souls of others — in great danger. We will be judged by those words some day.

—TRUTH & REASON, a bulletin of the Glendale church of Christ, Glendale, AZ ~ February 5, 2006

Baptism doth also now save us. (1 Peter 3:21)

Baptism doth also not save us. (man)

Change one Letter – Change the Meaning!