Adding to Gods Word

Humility and Truthfulness vs Pride and Lies (Proverbs 30:1-8)

[This is Phil Mills, MD Sabbath school class notes for March 21. There was excellent class discussion
which was briefly summarized in the italicized comments following the questions.]
We are coming to the end of the book of Proverbs. Today we study chapter 30. We can quickly summarize
the first 4 verses:
Vs. 1
The ancient Jews taught that this chapter was written by Solomon under a pseudonym when he
was nearing the end of his life.
Vs. 2, 3 If this belief is true, Solomon had finally learned how little he knew. He had discovered how
little wisdom the wisest of all men possessed. He finally realized, not how smart he was but how
ignorant and limited his knowledge and talents really were. He recognized more fully at the end
of his reign, the truth he had expressed at its opening, that he was but a child.
Vs. 4
He had not ascended into heaven to gain wisdom nor descended from heaven with wisdom. He
did not control the wind in his hands, he couldnt set the boundaries of the oceans, He did not
mark out the size of the earth.
Turning the attention from himself he sought to draw the readers attention to the One who, with His Son,
had the wisdom to do all this.
Do these verses show pride or do they show humility? Humility.
How does Solomon show genuine humility versus pride in the next two verses of Proverbs 30?
Pro 30:5-6 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to
His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.
Humilitytrusting Gods word fully.
Pridethinking I can improve Gods word by my additions.
Does the word of God need my editing? No. The word of God is pure . Do not add to His words.
Is this the only place in the Bible the warning not to add or take away from Gods word is found? No.
Similar warnings are found throughout the Bible (Deut. 4:2, 12:32; Job 13:7-9; Eccl. 3:14; Rev.
22:18-19, etc) so it must be a danger.
Does false humility fool people? Yes.
How can you tell if someone is truly humble? It may be difficult.
Does saying we are humble prove we are humble? No.
Do people who are really humble have to say they are humble? Often saying we are humble is an
expression of pride.
Can there be any greater evidence of pride than our thinking we can improve Gods word? No.
What is the evidence for humility? Complete surrender to the word of God.
What does it mean to add to Gods word? Modifying it in a way that twists, perverts, misrepresents, or
misuses it.
We add to Gods word when we say God doesnt mean what He says or God doesnt say what He means.
What do we call the additions the Jews made to Gods word? Tradition.
What do we call the additions Christians have made to the word of God? Tradition.
Example 1: Baptism
Lets look at an example.
Does Gods word command that we baptize? Yes.

Matt 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded
you .
How does Gods word show how baptism should be performed? By the example of baptisms in the Bible.
Are biblical examples of baptism uniformly by immersion? Yes. John the Baptist, Jesus, etc.
Do the biblical examples of baptism associate baptism with preaching and teaching? Yes (Matt 3:1-6, etc).
Are there any biblical examples of infants being baptized? Not one. Infants were dedicated.
Does any verse in the Bible explicitly say, Do not sprinkle infants and call it baptism? No.
Does the Bible directly address the issue of sprinkling and infant baptism? No.
Are Bible scholars divided on the issue of infant sprinkling? Yes. Some believe that infant baptism is the
Christian replacement for infant circumcision (missing the point that circumcision was received after the
new birth) in the Old Testament.
Since Gods word does not explicitly forbid infant sprinkling for baptism, since Bible scholars and
theologians are divided on the issue, is it proper for the church to decide whether we can or cannot do
this? Does this make it (in the language of the theologians) ecclesiastical not theological? Does it mean
that the church should grant religious liberty to those regions who feel convicted to sprinkle infants so
that we can keep more of our youth in the church?
Does the Catholic church believe in baptism? Yes.
How does the Catholic church baptize? Sprinkling of infants.
Is this adding to the word of God? Yes.
Does this adding to the word of God show pride or does it show humility? Pride.
What does the Bible call those who add to Gods word, truthful or liars? Liars.
Pro 30:5-6 Every word of God is pure. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found
a liar.
Example 2: Sabbath
Lets look at another example.
Is the command to worship on the Sabbath in the Old Testament? Yes.
What was the uniform practice of the New Testament church? Worship on Sabbath.
Does the Bible explicitly say Do not to worship on Sunday? No.
Does the Bible explicitly command Sunday worship? No.
Is it a sin to have a worship assembly on Sunday? No.
Does the Bible directly address the worship of God on Sunday? No.
Are biblical scholars and theologians divided about what the New Testament teaches about Sunday
keeping? Yes. There are a variety of beliefs such as the Sabbath was done away at the cross, that
Christians should keep every day, and Sabbath keeping was introduced after the entrance of sin.
Since Gods word does not explicitly forbid Sunday worship, since Bible scholars and theologians are
divided on the issue, is it proper for the church to decide whether we can or cannot worship on Sunday?
Does this make it (in the language of the theologians) ecclesiastical not theological? Does it mean that the
church should grant religious liberty to those regions who feel convicted of honoring our Lords
wonderful resurrection by a weekly Sunday service?
Does the Catholic church believe that in making the change from Sabbath to Sunday the church was
instructed by Jesus Christ, and directed by the Spirit of God (GC 447)? Yes. They feel this was done by
the Holy Spirits guidance in answer to prayer.
But, if Gods word doesnt teach Sunday by either precept or example, is this adding to the Scripture? Yes.
Does adding to Gods word reveal humility or does is reveal pride? Pride.

What does the Bible call those who add to Gods word, truthful or liars? Liars.
Pro 30:5-6 Every word of God is pure. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found
a liar.
What is one way add to Gods word? Through church ecclesiastical decisions.
Danger Today
Could this even be a danger for the church today?
I was a member of the General Conference Theology of Ordination Study Committee (TOSC). I went
with an open mind and listened closely to every presentation. I was not looking for mans opinions, but
for a word from the Lord. Many papers were presented. Let me read you the opening sentence from a
paper presented by the dean of the seminary:
There is no statement in the Bible: Ordain women to ministry! Moreover, there is also no command:
Do not ordain women to ministry!
When we hear these words what do we know immediately? Proceed cautiously! Danger lurks here. We
must not add to the word of God. That is pride and we would be lying.
The author continued with a very good discussion of proper methods of Bible interpretation and all would
agree with the vast majority of this section. But the introductory sentence shows that Bible interpretation
was not the issue. If it is not in the Bible by precept or practice it isnt in the Bible. The only way to find
something that is not plainly in the Bible is to add it.
A mathematician can hide simple addition by complicated calculus formulas. And a theologian can cover
additions to the word of God using a similar approach.
But to all God gives simple and plain instruction.
Pro 30:6 Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.
The author concluded his paper by repeating the opening thought, Even though there is no direct biblical
statement that we should ordain women to ministry, there is no theological hindrance to doing so.
In other words, in this authors opinion, theologians would not be hindered from adding to Gods word.
But does the Bible grant some special permission to theologians to add to the words of Scripture? No.
It is folly to think that what God said, He did not mean; or what He meant, He did not say.
Would it show humility or would it show pride for theologians to conclude the Bible doesnt stop them
from adding to Gods word? Pride.
What does the Bible call those who add to Gods word, truthful or liars? Liars.
What does the Bible say a listener to such words do immediately? Stop listening.
Pro 19:27 KJV Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.
Isa 8:20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is
no light in them.
Our church has a wonderful organization. We are part of the local church congregation which is part of
the local conference which is part of the local union which is part of the General Conference. The General
Conference is divided into 13 divisions and our own division is the North American Division (NAD).
I am grateful for the church and its organizational structure.
Does Jesus love His remnant people? Yes. Infinitely!
Eph 5:25 Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her.
PK 590.1 Nothing in this world is so dear to the heart of God as His church. It is not His will that worldly
policy shall corrupt her record.
The church is Christs bride. When we are like Him we will love His church. It will cause us pain when
she is in pain. Though the church endures the enmity of the dragon and suffers from his war against her,
she will be triumphant at last. And if we are faithful and loyal to Jesus we will be faithful and loyal to His

church (1 John 4:2). Though adding to Gods word makes us liars (Pro 30:6), saying we love God while
we do not love the brethren also makes us liars (1 Joh 4:20).
Satan is the accuser of the brethren.
PK 585.3 Satans accusations against those who seek the Lord are not prompted by displeasure at their
sins. He exults in their defective character.
When we exult in the churches defects we are like our father, the devil. Just as when we are proud we are
like him (Isa 14:13) and when we lie we are like him, too (John 8:44).
One of the ways God manifests His love for the church is in His reproofs (Rev 3:19). And His reproofs
are found in His word (Pro 6:23).
Our own North American Division appointed a committee to study the ordination of women. This
committee produced a document that is readily available. In its opening comments this document states,
the Bible does not directly address the ordination of women.
When we hear these words what do we know immediately? Proceed cautiously! Danger lurks here. We
must not add to the word of God. That is pride and we would be lying.
Though God loves the church, does He grant some special permission to the church regionally or globally
to add to the words of Scripture? Absolutely not.
Since the committee had to acknowledge they had no Bible basis for their conclusion, what do they have
to do? Let me continue to read from the committees report:
In addition to studying Scripture, we considered numerous papers, books, and resources, and we
undertook various assignments for in-depth research.
In addition to studying the Scripture! What is being inadvertently and unwittingly acknowledged by
this statement? The committee must add to the word of God to come up with their conclusions. The
committee was not satisfied with Gods word alone.
Does adding to Gods word show humility or does it show pride? Pride.
God hates pride (Pro 8:13), He resists the proud (Jam 4:6).
But the document continues:
The committee humbly recommends that the North American Division support the authorization of each
division to consider, through prayer and under the direction of the Holy Spirit, its most appropriate
approach to the ordination of women to gospel ministry.
Through prayer. Is it permissible to add to Gods word if we pray about it?
Under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Does the Holy Spirit guide us to add to His word? Does He
guide us to do the very thing His word condemns? The Catholic church may believe this. The Seventhday Adventist church does not.
Can the word of a priest change a round wafer into the flesh of Christ? Do ministers, theologians, church
administrators, or professors possess alchemist powers to transform the word of man into the word of
God?
Pro 30:6 Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.
No wonder Solomon continued Proverbs 30 with the prayer:
Pro 30:8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me.
At the January, 2014 meeting of the General Conference Theology of Ordination Study Committee, a
summary of arguments against the position of those standing for Bible order was given. At the conclusion
of this 76-page summary a revealing statement is made: There is not a divine command in the Old
Testament, the New Testament, or in the writings of Ellen White against ordaining women to the gospel
ministry. Neither is there an explicit command not to ordain them.
In other words there is no thus saith the Lord.

Was it was appropriate for King Jehosophat to remain dissatisfied with every answer until he heard the
word of the Lord (2 Chron 18)? Is it not equally appropriate for us to demand the word of the Lord,
today?
A member of the Theology of Ordination Study Committee wrote an open letter in response to this 76page summary. Two paragraphs from this response seem especially apropos here:
It is a common error to mistake Gods silence as indicating His affirmation. These things you have
done, and I kept silent; you thought that I was altogether like you (Ps 50:21). Certainly Jesus silence
during His mock trial did not indicate His approval (Mk 14:60; 15:6), rather it was the greatest rebuke He
could give (DA 729). To avoid this mistake in Bible interpretation, we have been instructed to demand a
plain Thus saith the Lord (GC 595), so it is not reassuring to have the North American Division
Theology of Ordination Study Committee report begin its recommendations with The Bible does not
directly address the ordination of women. This is employing a method of biblical interpretation that Jesus
did not use. He said, It is written never It is not written. He asked, What is written in the Law? How
do you read it? (Luke 10:26, ESV) not What is not written in the law? What can you read into it?
You have stated, There is not a divine command in the Old Testament, the New Testament, or in the
writings of Ellen White against ordaining women to the gospel ministry. Neither is there an explicit
command not to ordain them (p. 75). But this, like the confession of Achan, is simply acknowledging that
which cannot be denied. And it is the same line of reasoning used by my Sunday keeping friends: There is
no command in the Bible Keep Sunday holy! or Do not keep Sunday holy! However, the gospel
commission does not direct us to go into all the world and teach whatever is not forbidden. It tells us to go
into all the world and teach what has been commanded (Matt 28:20). Since womens ordination is not
commanded, it forms no part of the message we are to carry to the world and thus has no business being
taught in seminaries and colleges that train Adventist pastors. Neither does it have any place in our
publications.
Why do I spend time on this topic at Sabbath school this morning?
Though I have been closely following the churchs study on womens ordination to the gospel ministry I
have declined to address the issue in our class until today. However, in the past several weeks it became
clear that something must be said. I believe the stability of our beloved church is being threatened by
independent actions of a few in our own North American Division.
As your Sabbath school teacher I have a responsibility under God to present the word of God. With Paul I
want to be able to truthfully say, I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God (Acts
20:27).
What is the final battle going to be over? The word of God versus the word of man.
GC 582.2 The last great conflict between truth and error is a battle between the religion of the Bible
and the religion of fable and tradition.
Is the battle over the word of God new? No, this has always been the battle.
What was the battle in the days of the patriarchs, prophets, and kings? The religion of the Bible versus the
religion of fable and tradition.
What was the problem in the days of Christ?
Matt 15:9 in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.
Is a church that teaches what Gods word does not explicitly forbid, the sprinkling of newborns for
baptism, teaching a commandment of men? Yes.
Is a church that sets aside what God commands, Sabbath, for something that God doesnt forbid, Sunday,
introducing a commandment of men? Yes.
If it is not a commandment of God, what must it be? A commandment of men.
Should we beware of the commandments of men?
Is there worship associated with the commandments of men? Yes.
But what kind of worship is it? Vain worship, useless worship.

When our worship is built around the teaching and practices of men, our worship is vain.
Why do we come to church on Sabbath? Because the plain word of God tells us to worship on this day.
Does the Old Testament plainly direct Israel to choose only godly, wise, qualified, male elders? Yes.
Does the New Testament plainly direct the church to select only godly, wise, qualified, male elders? Yes.
Did both the Old and the New Testament church follow these plain commands? Yes. Jesus ordained
twelve apostles. The early church selected a godly, wise, qualified, male to take Judas place. Paul and
Barnabas were ordained. Paul and Peter taught that the overseeing elders and gospel ministers were to
be godly, wise, qualified men.
Though the Old and New Testament command godly male leadership, does it explicitly say, Do not
ordain females? No.
Since Gods word does not command womens ordination nor explicitly forbid it, since Bible scholars and
theologians are divided on the issue, is it proper for the church to decide whether we can or cannot ordain
women elders? Does this make it (in the language of the theologians) ecclesiastical not theological? Does
it mean that the church should grant religious liberty to those regions with members that feel
convicted the church should add to the word of God by inaugurating a practice that ignores the example
of Jesus? Since we are commanded to follow Christs example, can we call such additions Christian?
Jesus asks the question, why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and not do the things which I say? (Luke
6:46). Why talk about about believing in the headship of Jesus if He is not the head?
Is a church that by its own authority (ecclesiology) ordains women to the office of overseer/elder/gospel
minister introducing a commandment of men? Yes.
What does that make such a churchs worship? According to Christ such worship is vain.
King Ahaz, without Gods command, put in a new and up-dated altar in the temple, moving the original
altar of burnt offering to a different location. Since Moses instruction did not deal directly with a
modernized altar, to add the new altar to the worship service was to add to the word of God. Ahaz
worship modifications did not do away with the altar built to Gods specificationshis worship utilized
both altars. But what valid reason can be given for a change which the Scriptures do not sanction? (GC
54.1).
Of course, other modifications followed (2 Kngs 16:10-18). No good came to Israel from these worship
innovations for the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel (2 Chr 28:19). Attendance
at the temple did not increase and ultimately the temple closed.
GC 289.2 God has in His word established the regulations governing His worship, and men are not at
liberty to add to these or to detract from them.
This is not a matter of religious liberty. God hasnt given us that liberty.
Where does adding to Gods word end?
GC 289.2 The very beginning of the great apostasy was in seeking to supplement the authority of God by
that of the church. Rome began by enjoining what God had not forbidden, and she ended by forbidding
what He had explicitly enjoined.
Those in the church who are pushing for womens ordination need to ponder seriously the path they are
taking (Prov 4:26). There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death (Prov
14:12). For a time God may let us have our own sinful way as He did to ancient Israel. He gave them
their request, but sent leanness into their soul (Ps 106:15).
Pro 30:5-6 Every word of God is pure. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found
a liar.
The Solution
What is the solution to the problem of teaching for doctrine the commandments of men? The example of
Jesus.
Mark 2:2 He preached the word to them.

From the start of His ministry Jesus exalted Gods word. This is what is needed today. This is why we
study the Bible at Sabbath school class.
PH004 21.3 A revival in Bible study is needed throughout the world. Attention is to be called, not to the
assertions of men, but to the word of God. As this is done, a mighty work will be wrought.
How did the early church teach the gospel?
Acts 13:5 they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews.
What is our danger?
GC 595.2 Satan is constantly endeavoring to attract attention to man in the place of God. He leads the
people to look to bishops, to pastors, to professors of theology, as their guides, instead of searching the
Scriptures to learn their duty for themselves. Then, by controlling the minds of these leaders, he can
influence the multitudes according to his will.
What is our task?
GC 595.1 God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard
of all doctrines and the basis of all reforms. The opinions of learned men, the deductions of science, the
creeds or decisions of ecclesiastical councils, as numerous and discordant as are the churches which they
represent, the voice of the majoritynot one nor all of these should be regarded as evidence for or against
any point of religious faith. Before accepting any doctrine or precept, we should demand a plain Thus
saith the Lord in its support.
What will be the result when we demand a plain thus saith the Lord? Persecution of faithful Abels by
progressive Cains.
GC 606.2 since many refuse to be satisfied with the mere authority of men and demand a plain "Thus
saith the Lord," the popular ministry, like the Pharisees of old, filled with anger as their authority is
questioned, will denounce the message as of Satan and stir up the sin-loving multitudes to revile and
persecute .
But we need not fear this. In the passage we have been meditating on together is the wonderful reminder
of Gods protection for his remnant people.
Pro 30:5 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.