The Bible does not say that

What the Bible Actually says

Last week we looked at does Evil really exists and did God create sin.

Tonight we are going to look at some things that we have all heard but the Bible does not actually say.

There are many phrases used among churchgoers that sound scriptural yet are contrary to what Scripture actually teaches.

These inaccurate beliefs about God and our Christian walk can be damaging rather than helpful.

This study looks at common misconceptions and what Scripture actually tells us about how believers should approach these situations in life.

We are going to look at four things tonight

I. God helps those who help themselves

The belief that God helps those who help themselves often feeds an unhealthy mindset that we alone are responsible for our happiness, security, and well-being.

God calls us to seek Him first, trusting that He will provide for us out of the bounty of His love and care.

In doing so, we also find the rest, security, comfort, and healthy community that our hearts crave.

A 2017 Barna study reported that 52% of practicing Christians strongly agree that the Bible teaches God helps those who help themselves.

This phrase can be traced back to ancient Greek culture.

Modern culture idolizes self-sufficiency.

We love stories about people who began with nothing and, through sheer grit and perseverance, became self-made men and women.

We might think of this as the American dream.

What the Bible says in Matthew 6:25-34

Matthew 6:25–34 NASB95

25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

These verses directly oppose the statement that God helps those who help themselves.

Jesus reminds us that we are best served when we seek God first in our lives rather than the counterfeit comforts and securities that we spend so much of our time running after/

In this passage Jesus strikes at the tendency to center our lives around food and clothing, thus missing life’s real meaning.

We were created to love, worship, and serve God and to represent His interests on earth.

One of the greatest dangers of believing that God helps those who help themselves is the tendency toward hyper-independence, or the belief that, when push comes to shove, the only one you can depend on is yourself.

Trusting in God does not mean that we sit around doing nothing all day, expecting that God will show up and do everything for us, just like we cannot expect the dishes to become clean if we never put them in the dishwasher, add the soap, and press the start button.

Some effort is required of us.

When we seek God first in our lives and take the time to discover His best for us, all of our other priorities and concerns fall into their proper place.

We no longer have to strive for perfection and security in our own strength.

God will supply our needs, not necessarily our wants but our needs.

II. God wants all believers to be wealthy

We call this the prosperity gospel.

The belief that God wants all believers to be healthy, wealthy and comfortable is an extrabiblical belief that is contradicted by Scriptures.

We are not promised that our lives will be free from suffering in this life.

However, we are promised that we will not face pain and suffering on our own.

There are multiple verses that prosperity gospel preachers use, and a couple of them are, John 10:10

John 10:10 NASB95

10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

and also 3 John 1:2

3 John 2 NASB95

2 Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.

As we hear those two verses let us take into account Paul’s life.

Paul often spoke of who he was before Christ and who he had become in Christ.

Prior to meeting Christ, he was a proud man who believed that his position in society was proof of his spiritual and moral superiority to others, but after he submitted his life to Christ, he came to see how foolish such thinking was.

By the time Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians, he had come to see that security, contentment, and God’s favor were not measured by external circumstances; rather it was the power of Christ at work in his life through the Holy Spirit that enabled him to find peace, rest, and contentment in spite of his external circumstances.

Philippians 4:11–12 NASB95

11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

Christians often quote Philippians 4:13

Philippians 4:13 NASB95

13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

They believe that with Christ on their side, they will find success in all their endeavors.

What Paul says is nearly the opposite, the verse refers to Paul’s ability to be content in all things.

To achieve this contentment, Paul need the strength of Jesus.

The strength of Jesus is Paul’s life was evident in his ability to be content when he did suffer.

We must always put Jesus’ words in John 15:5 into action.

John 15:5 NASB95

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

With Jesus we can do all things, without Jesus we cannot do anything.

When our faith is fixed on the manifestations of blessings and healings in our lives, it becomes focused on the gift rather than the Giver.

When the gift does not come we open ourselves to fear, doubt, self-condemnation, and potentially the judgment of others who are also walking in this misconception.

This can lead us to question whether God really cares about us the way the Scriptures say He does, causing us to miss out on the greater blessings of a deep and abiding relationship with our heavenly Father.

Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:8-10

1 Timothy 6:8–10 NASB95

8 If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Godliness with a full stomach, clothes on our back, and a roof over our heads is enough for us to be content.

Everything else is a bonus.

Godly people are content with their needs being met.

The abundant life in Jesus is not about material riches but about heavenly riches.

III. Judge not that you be not judged.

Now the Bible does say that and people like to quote that verse.

Matthew 7:1 NASB95

1 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.

People like to take Jesus’ words here and use them to justify their sinful actions in life, and rebuke anyone that tries to hold them accountable.

However, these words were not spoken to give license to sin; rather, they are intended to cause believers to pause and consider the motive behind their words and actions before calling others out in their sin.

Let’s look at more than just verse one here.

Matthew 7:1–5 NASB95

1 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2 “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5 “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Do not judge here does not forbid judging of any kind, for the moral distinctions drawn in the Sermon on the Mount require that decisive judgments be made.

Jesus’ demand here is for His disciples not to be judgmental and condemning.

There is a difference between judgment and accountability - especially within the confines of the church.

As believers we are not given license to sin; we are called to live holy and upright lives, not only to serve as witnesses to the gospel of Christ but also to safeguard ourselves from the dangers and natural consequences that accompany living in sin.

Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth was written specifically to call out the church for their pride - a pride entirely unwarranted, given that they were not judging a man in the church for having sexual relationship with his father’s wife.

Paul expects the man to be removed from the church before his behavior causes more people to sin.

There are a few distinct characteristics of this situation that warranted the type of church discipline Paul calls for: It was public knowledge.

Everyone knew what was happening.

It was consistent.

This was not a one-time affair, but an ongoing relationship.

It was unrepentant.

In the eyes of those participating, there was nothing wrong with this wicked and destructive behavior.

The purpose of Paul’s letter was not to cast judgment - elevating Paul as morally superior - but to bring the church into a place of repentance and restore it to spiritual health.

When a doctor informs a patient of the risks of an unhealthy lifestyle, a good doctor is not casting judgment on the patient.

Rather, they are encouraging the patient to be more mindful of their choices so they can avoid more serious - and potentially life-threatening - consequences down the line.

1 Corinthians 5:9–13 NASB95

9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.

Here we see the situation in Corinth is the result of the church not looking out for each other.

They were concerned with not associating with sinners outside the church but forgot to take care of the sin inside of the church.

The behavior of the church was similar to the Pharisees’ practice of separating themselves from the common sinners while ignoring the sin in their own lives.

Matthew 23:27–28 NASB95

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 “So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

If someone claims to be a brother or sister in Christ (a Christian), but their consistent fruit shows otherwise, it is important to address the situation before it hurts others.

This will also, hopefully, bring the wayward souls back into the fold.

The word judge means to draw a conclusion or opinion.

The danger in judging others is that we may come to a wrong or negative conclusion about someone based on what we see rather than the whole truth.

Judging others in this petty way that Jesus warned against leads to putting another person down.

Part of judging correctly is that we must first deal with our own sin, then we can see clearly to help others who are caught in sin.

Judging others becomes sinful behavior when we judge with pride, comparison, or to belittle another.

Judgment like this can harden our hearts, increase arrogance, and hurt those that we judge.

God formed the church for community, accountability, and honesty.

As believers, we must be willing to submit ourselves to this design if we want to grow and mature in our faith.

Without accountability, it is far to easy to find excuses for poor behavior or to justify unhealthy practices.

When a healthy body of believers works together to encourage one another to walk in the Spirit, we set ourselves up for long-term health and success, and our witness to the world is strengthened as well.

IV. God does not give you more than you can handle

God brings us to the end of our own strength to teach us to look to Him rather than to ourselves or to others.

When we learn to trust in His strength rather than our own, we find that we can endure in peace and in joy, even when God takes us beyond what we can bear.

God wants us to learn that we can depend on Him regardless of our circumstances.

If you have ever gone through a particularly difficult season in life, it is likely you have heard the saying, God will not give you more than you can handle.

Though it is kindly intended, nowhere in the Bible are we told that God will limit our hardships and sorrows to what we can bear.

However, we are promised repeatedly through Scripture that God is present with us in our difficult seasons and will see us through.

2 Corinthians 12:7–10 NASB95

7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Here we see a torment or a thorn that Paul has and he has prayed three time that God remove this thorn in the side.

The root word Paul used here for thorn describes a tent stake, not a thumbtack, meaning this was a major irritation.

Paul felt like his affliction was more than he could handle, and he wanted to be open about his experience.

It is easy for us as Christians to talk ourselves into thinking that having a weakness makes us a bad Christian.

In actuality, recognizing our own weakness is an essential part of growing in our walk with Christ.

It is when we recognize that we have come to the end of ourselves that we are in the best possible position to recognize that God Himself is our refuge and strength.

When Jesus is Lord of our life, we are trusting Him enough to hand over control of everything.

You no longer rely on your strength to get through difficult times.

God does the heavy lifting.

Paul leads by example in boasting in his weakness and his need for God to get him through trials.

If we want the church culture to be that of Christ, we as followers of Christ need to willingly admit our weakness and need for God’s strength.