There a lot of little phrases that we tend to think are in the Bible but really aren’t. In fact, in most of these cases, these phrases contradict the nature of the gospel. Instead of repeating these mantras, we’ve got to turn them on their heads as a way of preaching the gospel to ourselves every day:
Wrong: God helps those who help themselves.
Right: God helps those who know they cannot help themselves.
Wrong: This too shall pass.
Right: This might not pass. But God is faithful to uphold the weak.
Wrong: Cleanliness is next to godliness.
Right: Don’t worry so much about outward cleanliness; we’ve got bigger problems, namely the dirt of the heart.
Wrong: Jesus Christ is my personal savior.
Right: Jesus Christ has saved me, but He does not belong to me. I belong to Him. And though I am individually rescued, I’m not the only individual that hs been rescued. I have been saved into a family – a community of believers.
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I once heard Danny Akin (from Southeastern seminary) tell a story about a time where he preached against racism at a revival meeting. Afterward, a woman came up to him, holding her Bible, and said, “Doesn’t this book say, ‘Birds of a feather flock together?'”
Good post, Michael. I’ve been doing a series on-and-off for the last year over on my blog. It’s really interesting to see how we latch onto these ideas.
David Dykes of Green Acres has written a book and done an entire sermon series of “No, That’s Not in the Bible”. it can be downloaded for free from iTunes podcasts. It is really great and people were surprised to hear some of the things they truely had held on to were not actually in the Bible.
What about “money is the root of all evil.”?
It should say “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” Big difference.