Whether you live in the suburbs or the country, we all understand the value of a good fence. Some fences are specifically designed to keep things in, such as at a zoo. Some fences are carefully made to keep things out, like around a military base. Some do both, such as the fence I installed in our yard to keep pets in and wild animals out.
God has done something similar with the Bible. Some might feel “fenced in” by what God has done, but with the right perspective it’s a great source of peace. A fence protects what is inside from external harm and can also provide a safe area where those inside don’t harm themselves. Consider sheep, who are consistently used in the Bible as a metaphor for God’s children. A proper sheep fence keeps out marauders and wild animals, but also protects the sheep from wandering off into an unsafe area like a ravine. The prophet Isaiah said, “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way...(Isaiah 53:6),” highlighting the fact that when we choose our own path instead of God’s, it is sinful. What if we stayed on His path, inside His fence?
God wants us to be saved and has already given us everything we need to please Him (2 Timothy 3:14-17). God doesn’t change (James 1:17; Malachi 3:6) and His Word doesn’t change with the times. Since He is perfect and His word is complete, then as His children we have no business changing (adding to or subtracting from) that word. We must treat God’s Word with great respect, given that He will ultimately judge us by it (John 12:47-50).
In the Navy, my aircrew was meticulously trained to conduct many different missions. Finding and tracking submarines was the hardest, so difficult that we were told which tactics were approved and then repeatedly trained not to deviate from them. After training was completed, we were sent on many exercises and real-world missions with the expectation to only use approved procedures every time. Even though this stipulation was not mentioned in every mission brief, it was still understood to be in force. The tasking authority would simply say, “Find this submarine, track, and report,” with the implied understanding that it would be done in an authorized way. While this might seem limiting, it was actually a great comfort because we had “top-cover.” No matter if the submarine was finally located and tracked or not, if you had complied with your training you were approved by the authorities. After all, even if the sub wasn’t found, they knew where it wasn’t, and so there was great value placed in compliance.
Human logic aside, we are fortunate to have the infallible word of God to rely upon for spiritual guidance. God has told His people multiple times that they cannot add to, take away from, or modify what He has told them to believe or do. While this stipulation is repeated in the Bible, like the Navy illustration above, it doesn’t accompany every command and honestly isn’t needed to be understood as required. Many verses in the Old and New Testaments direct God’s children to follow and not modify the word He’s given (i.e., Deuteronomy 4:1-2, Deuteronomy 5:32, 2 John 9, Revelation 22:18-19).
If we do something in the name of God, it means we do it according to, or within His authority. Jesus acknowledged that not all who called Him ‘Lord’ would be accepted into the kingdom of heaven, even if they said they did mighty works “in His name” or by His authority (Matthew 7:21-23). What matters is if we actually do God’s will, not just claim to as we do our own thing outside the fence of His word. Otherwise, we too will be judged as those “who work lawlessness.”
The Apostle Paul warns that there was one true message of the gospel delivered and it cannot be altered (Galatians 1:6-9). He also warned “not to go beyond what is written” (1 Corinthians 4:6). Going “beyond what is written” means adding to, taking away, or modifying God’s written word, the Bible.
Some might argue that if something isn’t specifically prohibited, then it is ok. However, the evidence from scripture teaches that when God specifies one thing, everything else is excluded. Man’s mind and God’s mind are vastly different (Isaiah 55:8-9) so it makes sense that God doesn’t tell us everything (Deuteronomy 29:29), just what we need to know. What God does not say isn’t man’s business, it is God’s. Consider Leviticus 10:1-3, where Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s sons and priests of God, “offered strange fire before Yahweh, which He had not commanded them.” These men, Moses’ own nephews, were executed for this. It wasn’t that they did something on a forbidden list, but rather that they did not do what God had specifically told them to do. If God had merely said to offer incense and not said where to get the fire from, the priests would have been free to make a choice. However, God’s specific direction excludedeverything else. Another lesson we find is that when God specifies and we go beyond it, we are not treating Him as Holy and have gone outside the fence of His word.
Jesus spoke about adding religious observances not mentioned in God’s Word (Mark 7:1-13). Jesus quoted Isaiah to the Pharisees, “But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine the commands of men.” The Pharisees weren’t fenced in by God’s word, they had added to it.
God in His Word has provided the ultimate fencing to protect us in every way. It is perfect and thus we don’t need to build onto it or change it in some way. If there are changes that need to be made, we should direct those efforts at ourselves and totally submit to God as our sovereign.