Adders and Subtracters

Pharisees and Sadduccees, examples of those who adde to and dimimish from the words of God.

The earliest disciples had held Jesus, walked with Him, and learned directly from Him. This fostered a dedication that was unrivaled in the church age. Dedication and devotion marked the church as a unique body through the early portion of the church age. Martyrdom was common and fervor for the Lord ran rampant. However, during the days of the Byzantine church, the pureness of parts of the church strayed amongst many that identified themselves as Christians. This is easily identified in Deuteronomy 4:2 as adding to or subtracting from the Word of God.

Consider that the problem ran from Judaism into Christianity as Pharisees and Sadducees. The Pharisees added to the Word by adding rules that were not given in the Word, such as additional rules for Sabbath. The Sadducees subtracted from the Word by removing doctrines such as the resurrection. These problems have been accrued under the name of Christianity throughout the church age. While some remain steadfast to the Word of God alone, other groups have identified under Christianity while compromising the foundations of the Word.

“Church History” column, John Melancon, in The Baptist Monitor, Nov/Dec 2022, Vol. 74 No. 6, p. 18