Years ago someone gave me a poster about “Twelve Rules for Living.” Perhaps many of you, my readers, may have also heard about this same set of rules. I believe this list could have been partly based on, or condensed from, the bestselling book by Canadian clinical psychologist and psychology professor Jordan B. Peterson, titled Twelve Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. [See: http://en.wikipedia.org>12_Rules_for_Life].
One of the rules on the list, expressed humorously, is: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” It is but plain common sense that if something is working perfectly and is not “out of order,” there’s no need to “fix” it. Otherwise, the attempt and effort at “fixing” it might actually “break” or damage it instead!
When it comes to God’s word – the Holy Bible – however, it seems that many have tried to “fix” it when, in fact, Jesus said that “the Scripture cannot be broken”(John 10:35)! God’s word is perfect and whole; it is not broken, nor can it ever be broken at all, even though some have tried to “fix” it, as I will explain further.
However, one can “break” God’s word by disobeying it, just like one “breaks” a law by violating it – and that not without a consequence or penalty, as the same law provides! Much more so, God’s word or law is inexorable, and the consequence of disobeying it – which we call “sin” – is death (Romans 6:23), the ultimate being the “second death” in the “lake of fire” in the last Day of Judgment” (Revelation 21:8; ,20:12-13).
God’s word came to mankind through Jesus Christ, who is called “the Word” (John 1:1), from the Greek Logos, sometimes rendered as “Spokesman.” Jesus came to the world to give us the message of God, our Father in heaven. [See: The Comings of Christ, The True Christ, and Peter Knew “The Holy One.”]
God’s purpose for His word
The apostle Paul, one of Christ’s faithful servants, wrote: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
“All scripture” [meaning, the “written word” of God] has been preserved for us in the book we call “the Holy Bible.” In it we find a collection of writings concerning the origin of mankind, the history of the first generations of men, God’s acts in dealing with man’s sinfulness, and calling out a nation to become His people who would demonstrate to all mankind how men ought to live in a way that would bring true happiness and, eventually, life everlasting, through His own Son whom He sent.
As such, the Bible contains laws – commandments, statutes, judgments, ordinances – that define what is right or acceptable conduct in God’s eyes, and what is not. Paul said: “I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known what covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet’” (Romans 7:7). Psalm 119:172 declares: “For all your commandments are righteousness.” Thus God’s word is our guide to – our instruction about – righteousness and “good works.”
Being of divine origin, the Bible reflects God’s perfect character. In its pages we find instruction on how to become perfect as God is perfect (Matthew 5:48).
As the word of an immortal, ever-living God, the Bible will endure or remain forever [“abide” or “stand forever,” Isaiah 40:6-8, quoted in 1 Peter 1:24-25].
Every single human being will be judged, in God’s own time, by God’s word. Jesus said: “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him – the word I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (John 12:48).
God has appointed Jesus to be Judge of the living and the dead (John 5:22; 2 Timothy 4:1). Revelation 20:11-12 describes a great time of the resurrection of all those who have died without the saving knowledge of Christ. In that “last day” God will open “books” [from the Greek biblia] – including the Holy Bible and The Book of Life — and all these dead will be judged by Christ according to these books and the people’s works. [See: This Is Not the Only Day of Salvation.]
Ultimately every person will be judged according to their works – whether good or evil – and will be rewarded accordingly: everlasting life for those who have done good, and everlasting condemnation or death in the “lake of fire” [the “second death”] for those who have done evil (Matthew 16:27; 1 Peter 1:17; Revelation 22:12; 21:8).
This being the case, all of us should fear tampering with God’s perfect word. As Isaiah 66:2 says, “But on this one will I look: on him who is poor [humble] and of a contrite [repentant] spirit, and who trembles at My word .”
Let’s beware of trying to “fix” God’s word by tweaking it to say what it really doesn’t mean to. Christ is compared to a “stone cut out of the mountain without hands,” which will “break in pieces” all the kingdoms of this world (Daniel 2:45). Matthew 21:44 speaks of that same “stone” thus: “And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
The articles which I have published on this website have sought to set straight God’s word which others have tried to “fix” even though it has never been broken. In trust that these will help you avoid the way of death and instead walk in the way that leads to everlasting life!
Pedro R. Meléndez, Jr.
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