“Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.’”

1 Corinthians 4.6; Revelation 22.18, 19

God cannot emphasize enough the importance of full, complete, and continuous obedience to His Law. Israel is to “be careful” to do so, reading the Law, studying and discussing it, looking to her elders and judges to explain and apply it, and dutifully keeping their steps within its path (Ps. 119.59, 60). In order to secure the further benefits and blessings of God’s covenant, Israel must not omit any part of the Law, even though it seem difficult to understand or hard to bear. Nor must they add anything to it, thus presuming to improve on God’s revelation by their own wits.

Paul would tell the churches in his day the same thing – not to “go beyond” what was written in the Word of God, but to keep their obedience within the framework of divine revelation. And John warned any who would add to his words, the last of the apostolic generation, of judgment to come on those who presume to add their own words to God’s as of equal standing.

This series of In the Gates we present a detailed explanation of the Law of God, beginning with the Ten Commandments, and working through the statutes and rules that accompany each commandment. For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the practice of ethics, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.MyParuchia.com and click on our Book Store.