Many people love to mix personal worldly knowledge with God's Word. While it may sound right and appealing to some, mixing personal knowledge with God's Word is never a good thing. Why? Let me explain.
Do Not Tamper With It
Applying the Word of God to any relevant situation is good, but using our own experiences or personal knowledge to interpret and explain the Word of God is quite dangerous: It might either water-down what is said, add some personal ideas to it, or ultimately convey wrong interpretations and applications.
In Revelation 22:18-19, we are given a warning:
"For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
That passage might sound pretty harsh, but it's true. Anyone who adds to or takes away from the Word of God in any possible way violates what God commanded.
Okay, let's say that passage was meant for the book of Revelation only. Still, we're commanded to never add or take away from the Word of God. Deuteronomy 4:1-2 tells us,
"Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you. 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."
What Happens When Worldly Ideas Mix With God's Ideas
Do you want to know what happens when worldly ideas are mixed with God's Word? Here are some examples in the Bible.
1. Half-Truths, or Whole Lies, That Lead to Sin
We see the first mixture between the Word of God and worldly ideas right there in the Garden of Eden. Satan, the father of lies, injected a little bit of doubt to a command that God gave (see Genesis 3:1-5). The result? Adam and Eve were persuaded to sin.
2. Wrong Ideas That Make Us Blind to God's Moves
Jesus was in the midst of the people, yet nobody noticed Him as the Messiah (see John 1:11). Worse, the Pharisees, jealous of Jesus, labeled Him an agent of Beelzebub (see Matthew 12:24). People labeled Him an impostor (see John 10:33). His own earthly family called Him a madman (see Mark 3:21). Think about it: Christ was with them, but their own ideas made them blind to who He really is.
3. Doctrines of Demons Disguised in Jesus' Name
The Bible tells us that there was a host of wrong teachings that attacked the church, which included "another gospel" coming from "super-apostles" (see 2 Corinthians 11:4-5), salvation that required circumcision even after submitting to Christ (see Acts 15:1, 5, 11), and the forbidding of marriage (see 1 Timothy 4:1-5). All of these use some sort of Scriptural backing, but it's all wrong. They might sound Christian if explained eloquently, but they actually hinder one from freely following Christ.
Keep in mind what Jesus said in Mark 13:5-6:
"...Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and will deceive many."
