But Luther did one thing in that translation that left him open to much criticism. He took Romans 3:28 and added the word "only." We reckon therefore that a man is justified by faith [only] apart from the works of the law (Rom 3:28). Not only did he add to the Word of God, he made it contradict itself! You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only (Jas 2:24). In a very real way, he disrespected the Word of God.
Most of us would immediately run to the book of Revelation and quote, I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book (Rev 22:18-19). But we need to be careful about that as well. Those verses, in context and as John plainly says, apply to the book of Revelation. You don't pull a verse out willy-nilly and quote it just to win an argument. That's not a whole lot different than Luther's actions. But the concept of presumptuous sin—and it is certainly presumptuous to think one can improve God's Word--and of false teaching runs all through the scriptures. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed (Gal 1:8-9).
I am sure you have heard, if not an urban legend, what might very well be a church legend in similar vein—the one about the woman who told a preacher that Acts 2:38 was not in her Bible, and when he looked, sure enough, it was not. She had taken her scissors and cut it out. I often wondered if she had somewhere pasted something in as well. If you can do one, you can do the other. But we really don't even have to grab the scissors or the paste. All we have to do is ignore what is written and do things our own way to the same effect. Although I am sure Luther, were he alive today, would object, he wouldn't have a leg to stand on.
And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers (1Thess 2:13).
Dene Ward