DON’T GO BEYOND WHAT IS WRITTEN!

This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. —I Corinthians 4:1-2

Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other. For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? —I Corinthians 4:6-7

             We are to follow Paul’s example as he said, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (I Corinthians 11:1).  So, like him, let us—

• Be servants of Christ
• Be faithful with the “mysteries God have revealed”
• Be proven faithful with the trust given to us
• Not go beyond what is written
• Not be “puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other”
• Realize we are no different than anyone else
• Understand what we have is what we received
• Not boast in what we have as though we did not receive it

It is so important that we cling to God and what He says.  That is what is important.  Beware of those who “go beyond what is written.”  Those who put their own ideas ahead of God’s Word will lead others astray down the same road to also put as first priority what God has to say.  Jesus said, “Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down” (Mark 7:13).  Beware!  This is so important to apply to our lives today because so many “traditions” are canceling out the Word of God through adhering to them.

You have probably heard this illustration before and it is told with variations.  This is how I remember it—

“A wife was baking a ham and before she put it in the oven, she cut off the end of it and threw it in the trash.  Her husband saw her do this and said, ‘Why did you cut the end off and throw it away.  It is perfectly good.’  She responded, ‘That’s what my mother always did.’  Her husband asked, ‘Well, why did your mother do that?’  His wife said, ‘I’m not sure.  I will call her and ask.’

She called her mom and asked, ‘Mom, I am baking a ham and before I put it in the oven, I cut off the end of it and threw it away cause that’s what you always did.  Why did you cut off the end and throw it away before you put it in the oven?’  Her mom said, ‘Well, that is what your grandmother always did.  You should call her to find out.

The wife did call her grandmother and said, ‘Gram, I am baking a ham and cut off the end and threw it away like mom did and she did that because she saw you do that.  So, why did you cut the end of the ham off before you baked it?’  Her grandmother responded, ‘Well, I don’t know why you two did it, but I did that because my pan was too short!’”

             So why do we do what we do?  Is it because it was always done that way and so we continue doing so?  Is what we are doing in line with God’s Word or some man’s idea.  In the passage above we are told— “Do not go beyond what is written.”  Beware of those who promote their own ideas or the ideas of others and do not align with what God has said.  Beware!  Yes, Dear Father, may I cling to what you say and what you desire by the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Your Son Jesus for Your glory and the benefit of many others.  So may it be!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zaaiFp4RSM&list=RD9zaaiFp4RSM&start_radio=1