Mathew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
The words of Christ reveal that men are required to live by every divine precept. Take note of how Jesus used the word, “every.” Is that not a qualifying word? If you say that man shall live by some of God’s words, well then that would certainly not qualify as to what Jesus was specifying. So we can’t just live by some of God’s words. We must live by every word.
First of all it should be pointed out that Jesus’ reply to the tempter signifies that they were discussing a life and death situation. The tempter told Him, “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” Jesus had been fasting 40 days and was hungry. He was also in the wilderness. So he probably had a long arduous hike ahead of him before he could get any food. He was in danger and the Devil was implying that all He had to do was command the stones to be bread instead of trusting in God to provide His needs. So when He said man shall not live by bread alone, He wasn’t just putting it in the sense of, “I like to live by this rule,” but it was put into a question of life or death.
Note also that Jesus compares it to eating bread. Most people would agree that Jesus is referring to eating food in general. We all know that we could live to a ripe old age and never eat grains in our entire life. Even the word “artos” which is the Greek word Matthew used and which was translated into the word bread can mean any kind of food in general. This same application also applies to the English version of the word bread. The nutrition found in grains can after all be found in other foods. If someone excludes bread from their diet they would not necessarily die, but if they don’t eat any food at all, they will surely die before long. Thus we know that Jesus was talking about food in general. So is not Jesus implying that if man does not live by “every” word of God, then he will surely die? This is obviously the case. To put it concisely a disciple of Jesus cannot disregard even one of the divine principals in the Word of God.
We as Adventists know this. We are all familiar with the term, “the full gospel.” It means that we cannot add to or take away anything from the Word of God. There are grave judgements against anyone who would in Revelations {Rev 22:18-19} and Deuteronomy {Deut 4:2} It would be impossible to preach the whole Bible in one sitting, yet every time we preach the Bible we preach the whole Bible. We all understand and are taught that we cannot pick and choose which scriptures we will obey, yet we do it all the time. In so doing, rather than gathering, we continue to scatter the sheep as described in this quote by E.G. White “To preach what we do not practice, is but to confirm sinners in their impenitence.” {Luke 11:23}
James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
The testimony and the living out of our lives is a sermon that speaks much louder than our words. If we disregard even one of God’s divine precepts then we are teaching others that we don’t need to live by or be concerned with every word of God.
All these things point to the fact that those who know God’s word and do not live by Every Word are in danger of loosing their salvation. Beyond that, they are in danger of a judgement that is probably much more terrible than we can imagine.
Nevertheless, Jesus bears patiently with His people. Jesus came not to condemn men, but to condemn sin by righteousness. Satan was able to deceive the world into thinking that many sins are not really sin. The point of this article is not to condemn or even convict the reader. It is not even to condemn sin, for only Jesus and the Holy Spirit are able do these things. It is to point out what the Word of God says in order to help the Church mature. The purpose is to present scriptures line upon line and precept upon precept. Please review the evidence objectively and when all is said and done let your conscience be your guide.
In the end, when we come to an awareness of “what sin really is” and our misconceptions fall away: Don’t defend sin! People often defend sin. It can be hard to understand why someone who takes the name of Christ would defend sin, yet it has been a recurring theme throughout history. Part of the problem is that Satan’s sophistry is often very subtle. This can result in people being deceived into thinking many sins are not really a sin. This happened in Israel because many people accepted sin since the leaders condoned it and it was practised by the general populace. In light of the fact that history repeats itself (which applies to Bible history in a very profound manner) would it not be expected that the same thing is occurring today? On the other hand, often it is because men love the sin. Even Jesus said that men loved darkness rather than light in John 3:19 . In the end the result was that they crucified Christ.
To get at the heart of the matter, when a Christian continues in sin it means that they love the sin more than they love Jesus. It can be even harder to discern the sin when Satan has cloaked it with subtlety, the leaders of the church condone it and the members practice it. Many people go to great lengths reasoning away justifications for sin to convince themselves that it’s not sin to ease their conscience. Understanding these things can actually help some to stand up, fight the good fight and break free from sin. It can be a very a hard choice to make when sin has rooted itself deep into one’s heart. Everyone must make that choice. Everyone must choose between Jesus and sin. No one can have both.
Conflict and Courage pg. 87 par. 5-6
5 On the way from Midian, Moses received a startling and terrible warning of the Lord’s displeasure. An angel appeared to him in a threatening manner, as if he would immediately destroy him. No explanation was given; but Moses remembered that he had . . . neglected to perform the rite of circumcision upon their youngest son. . . . In his mission to Pharaoh, Moses was to be placed in a position of great peril; his life could be preserved only through the protection of holy angels. But while living in neglect of a known duty, he would not be secure; for he could not be shielded by the angels of God. {CC 87.5}6 In the time of trouble just before the coming of Christ, the righteous will be preserved through the ministration of heavenly angels; but there will be no security for the transgressor of God’s law. Angels cannot then protect those who are disregarding one of the divine precepts. {CC 87.6}
So where do we get these divine precepts? We get them from the 10 commandments and the first five books of the Bible (also know as the Torah or the Pentateuch) where God teaches Israel all His statutes which define what it means to keep his law. Ellen White said that in the final moments of earth’s history, the Sabbath law will be what differentiates those who obey God and those who receive the mark of the beast.
As it says in James 2:10 , if we disregard one of the divine precepts we are neither keeping the Sabbath, nor do we have the Seal of God, nor will we be safe in the time of trouble just before the coming of Christ. Let’s take it even one step further by looking at the sermon on the mount.