Lesson 21

Man Is Not To Change What God Says

Man does not have the authority to change the will of God on any subject.  There are a lot of false teachings that are being passed off as the truth.  We have been given severe warnings in several places in the Bible concerning any changes that we try to make to God’s word. As we have already seen in Galatians 1:6-9, if we pervert the gospel by changing it, we will be accursed.

Another such warning comes in the closing verses of the Bible. Revelation 22:18-19 says, "For I testify unto everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, and from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."  Additions, subtractions, and substitutions to what God has commanded is disobedient and sinful.  We have a standard today, and we are warned not to add to or take away from it.  These are very stern warnings that should get our undivided attention.

How much stronger warnings could God give to those who try to make changes to His will when they change immersion into sprinkling, or to change the necessity of baptism for one to receive forgiveness of sins and be saved to their saying that baptism is not necessary for salvation. God has said plainly that it is necessary.  We do not have the right to dismiss what we do not like.  I cannot think of a more flagrant crime against both God and man than to teach lost sinners, who are wanting to be saved, something different than what God says in the Bible.  To make an impression on them that they are already saved, when God has not promised it, is grievously wrong.   

They also say that one’s sins are forgiven and that one is saved when he accepts Christ as his personal savior. They say that he can then be baptized later if he wants to in order to join that particular denomination; but as we have already seen this contradicts what God has said and will cause many people to be lost eternally.  Since many people will not accept what God says notice what He says in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12, "Because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth."  Do you have enough love for the genuine truth of God's word that you will obey it instead of a counterfeit doctrine of man?  If you do not then God has promised to send you a strong delusion that you should believe a lie and be damned.  The false doctrines of men will cause many good people to be eternally lost.   

If you were baptized for some reason other than for forgiveness of sins in order to be saved then you do not have salvation and you are still lost.  Who are you going to follow: God or man?  As our Lord warns us in Matthew 15:14, "And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a ditch." Don’t allow someone, who has added to and taken away from God’s word, to lead you. Open your eyes and read God’s word for yourself. Those who have added to and taken away from God’s word will be lost. If you continue to follow them, then you too will be lost.

What You Need to Do

In Acts 19:1-5 we have an example of twelve men, that the Apostle Paul met at Ephesus. They had something wrong with their baptism. In verses 3-5 we read, "And he said to them, into what then were you baptized? So they said, into John’s baptism. Then Paul said, John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people, that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."  These twelve men had been taught wrong and thus they could not have been baptized right.  When they found out that there was something wrong with their baptism, they made it right. They were then baptized for the right purpose.

 Please refer back to how you answered the questions in Lesson 8 concerning your prior conversion. If you thought you were saved and your sins forgiven when you accepted Christ as your personal savior and you were later baptized, then the purpose of your baptism was not for the forgiveness of your sins so that you could be saved. But now you have learned the truth about the purpose of baptism from the scriptures that have been pointed out.  Please don't rationalize away what you actually did to be saved and now say that you were actually baptized for the forgiveness of sins in order to be saved. Many people end up doing this.  Please do not be misled by false man-made doctrines.  Your soul's salvation depends on your being right with God.

 Is there something wrong with your baptism? You may say no, but if there is, we cannot fool God. He knows for sure and you will suffer the eternal consequences. It will be a sad day if you stand before the Lord on the day of judgment and find out that there is something wrong with your baptism. Have you been baptized for the right purpose and in the right way?  Baptism, that is done according to scripture, for the right reason and purpose, is such an easy thing to do. It is not difficult, at all, to make sure that it is done right.



Questions Lesson 21

Man Is Not To Change What God Says
(click on the button of the answer of your choice)

1)  (Revelation 22:18-19) If we add to God's word

       God will add to us the plagues written in God's word.

       God will be well pleased.

       It will not matter.


2) If one has added to God's word by substituting sprinkling for baptism, then God is well pleased.


3)  (Revelation 22:18-19) If we take away from God's word

       We will still be saved.

       God will overlook it if we are sincere.

       Our name will be taken out of the Book of Life and we will be lost.


4) We will be lost if we add to or take away from God's word.


5)  (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12) God will send a strong delusion that they might believe a lie to those who

        Try to please Him.

        Study His word.

        Do not have a love of His truth.


6)  When we follow the doctrines of men instead of the word of God we do not have a love of the truth.


7)  (Matthew 15:14) If the blind lead the blind

       Both will fall into the ditch and be lost.

       God will have pity and save both of them.

       They are not responsible.


8) We are in no danger of being led astray.


9)  (Acts 19:1-5) What did these twelve men do when they found that there was something wrong with their baptism?

       None of these needed to be baptized.

       They were not baptized.

       They were baptized again for the right purpose.


10) These twelve men refused to be baptized since they had already been previously baptized.

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