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Cannot Add to Bible
Man Cannot Add to the Bible or Preach Any Other Gospel
Scripture states:
If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. (rev 22:18) see
If we were to take this passage at its outward, literal meaning, and reject the Words of Baha'u'llah because they appear to add to the Bible, then, according to the Old Testament, we must also reject Jesus's Words for the same reason:
You shall not add to the word which I command you nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. (deu 4:2) see
What thing so ever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. (deu 12:32) see
Although the Old Testament clearly states that no one can add to the Word, or change commandments or laws, Jesus did both. He changed the law of the Sabbath, which was to be a law forever, and the law of divorce. He changed the law of an "eye for an eye" and a "tooth for a tooth" and many other teachings.
As believers in Jesus, we don't have any problem with this, because He is the Christ. He has God-given authority to do whatever He wills.
The Bible tells us in both the Old and New Testaments that when Christ returns He will add, once again, to the Scriptures:
And he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. (isa 2:3) see
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. (joh 16:12-13) see
To "add" to the Word of God has a deeper spiritual meaning than simply adding actual words. Consider: Christianity has been broken up into sects by religious leaders who have attached their particular interpretation to Scripture and decided that the way to God is through this or that denomination, minister or church. Haven't they, in a very real sense, "added" to the Word of God? Had they followed the spirit of the command that we cannot alter the Word of God, then Christianity would have remained a single Church, as Jesus desired.
The New Testament states:
Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. (gal 1:8) see
How can we reconcile this statement with the fact that Baha'u'llah has revealed new laws and Teachings?
If Baha'u'llah is the Return of Christ, then His Revelation, His "Gospel" (which literally means "good news" or "glad tidings") is the same as the Gospel of Jesus, because through It Jesus's eternal nature is once again speaking to humanity in this day.
In the Bible we read:
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. (heb 13:8) see
This verse from the Baha'i Writings describes the unchanging nature of Christ. It refers to His Divine, not human reality. [The Divine Christ] is the Word of God, the Eternal Bounty, the Holy Spirit. It has neither beginning nor end, for these things are related to the world of contingencies and not to the divine world. For God the end is the same thing as the beginning.. Therefore, the reality of prophethood, which is the Word of God and the perfect state of manifestation, did not have any beginning and will not have any end.. the Holy Reality, of which Christ says, "The Father is in the Son,"has neither beginning nor end." (saq 152-153)
Although the social teachings of religion change as humanity matures-as evidenced by the fact that Christ changed certain laws and teachings-the spiritual teachings never change. For example, the teachings that we should worship God, that we should tell the truth, that sex is unlawful outside of marriage, that we should treat other people the same way that we, ourselves, would want to be treated, that we should overlook the faults of others and strive to better our own characters-these teachings will never change. However, social laws such as those relating to what day we worship, what we can or cannot eat, whether or not we fast, how we pray-these are changed according to the wisdom of God.
Baha'u'llah says:
This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future. Let him that seeketh, attain it. (gwb LXX) see
CHAPTER 6
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