I really wish I could remember where I first heard this idea presented so I can give credit where credit is due, but somewhere along the way I learned about this and want to share it with you.
“Not” is an amazingly simple word, a very small word, and an extremely and critically important word.
God said: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die (Genesis 2:17, KJV). (Emphasis mine)
Satan said:
Ye shall not surely die (Genesis 3:4, KJV). (Emphasis mine) Satan just said the same thing God said except he added one small little word… “not.” Jesus said:
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved (Mark 16:16, KJV).
Many in the religious world do what Satan did. They say,” He that believeth and is not baptized shall be saved.” God says:
… even baptism doth also now save us (1 Peter 3:21, KJV). Many will tell you baptism does not save us. Beware of the “not.” God also told us we are saved by faith; we believe that too. In order to be saved he tells us – through his word – that we must hear, believe, repent, and confess. We believe all these things because His word has told us. We know we cannot just take what we want from scripture but must consider the whole council of God (Acts 20:27). We must accept the whole of the instructions given for our salvation. Just doing some falls short. Be wary of those who change the scriptures in any way and especially of the subtle little “not” being added to God’s Word. Remember Satan’s lie to Eve and realize the devastation this little word can cause.
To insist that we do what God said isn’t “works salvation,” it is obedience to God. We need to hear his word and do or obey it (Luke 6:46-49, Matt. 7:21-27, Rom. 6:16-18, Luke 11:28, I John 2:3-6, Heb. 5:9).
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves (James 1:22, KJV). With love and prayers for your salvation,
Gary Woodall