The West Side church of Christ

“The Bible says. . .” These words often precede a well-known saying or proverb used to impart a bit of wisdom or win an argument. The problem is that what follows “The Bible says” is sometimes not the Bible at all. There are several sayings that are commonly attributed to the Bible that are not actually in the Bible and in some cases actually teach the opposite of the Bible. Let’s examine a few of these sayings.

First up: “God helps those who help themselves.” This saying originates with Benjamin Franklin (c.1736). He was a deist, meaning he did not believe God plays an active role in man’s life. To him, if man is not able to help himself, man is completely hopeless. The Bible tells a different story. Jeremiah 17:5 tells us the one who trusts in mankind is cursed. Proverbs 14:12, 16:25, and 28:26 all teach us that trusting in ourselves and our ways is the path to destruction. God has a deep interest in helping mankind. In fact, we are told that while we were helpless, ungodly, and enemies of God, God sent Christ to die for us (cf. Romans 5:6-10). This saying also flies in the face of numerous Bible passages teaching that God is present and active in our lives today (Matthew 18:20, 28:20, Romans 8:28, James 1:5, 1 John 5:14-15).

Second up: “moderation in all things.” This saying likely originated with Aristotle’s Doctrine of the Mean although its usage is different than even his original intentions. He was striving to teach people to find that happy medium between two extremes (e.g., the mean between cowardice and rashness is courage), but today this saying is frequently used to say that all things are fine (whether healthy, unhealthy, or even sinful) as long as they are practiced in moderation. The Bible, however, puts a different spin on this saying. Paul, while comparing the training of athletes to Christian living, encourages us to exercise “self-control in all things” (1 Corinthians 9:25). We are to discipline ourselves and remove everything from our lives that is not fitting to Christianity. The reason we exercise such self-control is to prevent ourselves from being disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:27).

Third: “cleanliness is next to godliness.” The exact origins of this phrase are unknown. This phrase is used to say that cleanliness is second only to godliness in importance. The Bible holds a different opinion, however. While not condemning cleanliness, God’s word says our focus should be elsewhere. In Mark 7:14-23, Jesus explained it is not what is outside the body that defiles us, but what comes from inside us. This discussion is on the heals of the disciples being condemned by the Pharisees and Scribes for eating with unwashed hands. Paul, talking of bodily discipline, said it was only of little profit (since it only applies to this life), but godliness was profitable for all things (1 Timothy 4:8). The same would apply to cleanliness. It has some profit, but we should not give too much focus to it; it certainly ranks nowhere near godliness in its import. The real cleansing we need is spiritual not physical (cf. John 15:13, 2 Corinthians 7:1, Ephesians 5:26-27, James 4:8, 1 Peter 3:21-22, 1 John 1:9). Also note that in 2 Peter 1:5-8, it is perseverance and brotherly kindness that are next to godliness; cleanliness doesn’t even make the list. The overall message of the Bible is that nothing should get in the way of service to God including an over-emphasis on cleanliness (or a lack of it for that matter).

The Bible is often misquoted. We need to make sure what we think the Bible says and teaches is what it actually says and teaches. When we hear the words “the Bible says,” we should make sure the Bible actually says it (cf. Acts 17:11). Remember: “All that glitters is not gold” (which, by the way, is Robert Frost not the Bible).

Many people are in a constant dance with the Scriptures. These dancers twist here, turn there and generally maneuver all around in an attempt to see in the Bible what they themselves want rather than looking for what God wants (cf. 2 Peter 3:16). This has been done with the teachings on God’s grace. People have taken the fact that we are saved by grace and not by works (Ephesians 2:5, 8-9; 2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 3:4-7) and twisted it to excuse themselves from any spiritual responsibility. They nimbly dance around the Scriptures requiring obedience, the necessity of church discipline, and standing on sound doctrine and instead tell us that God’s grace is all we need. To understand the Bible’s teachings on grace, we need to recognize a few more facts.

First, we need to recognize God’s grace has been given to all men (Titus 2:11). It is only by God’s grace that salvation has been made available to mankind in the first place (cf. Romans 3:21-24, 6:23). All men, however, do not accept this gift. Writing to the Colossians, Paul equates grace to the word of truth and the gospel and refers to their conversion as the time they heard and understood grace (Colossians 1:3-6). In addition, Paul told the church in Corinth if they failed to reconcile themselves with God they would have received God’s grace in vain (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:1). Only by understanding and obeying the will of God do we accept God’s grace (cf. Matthew 7:21).

Second, we need to recognize we can fall from God’s grace (Galatians 5:4). The churches of Galatia were turning aside to a false doctrine (i.e., justification by law keeping). If we turn aside to doctrines other than Christ’s, we can fall from grace. The Hebrew writer also exhorts us not to fall short of the grace of God (Hebrews 12:15). The whole book is an exhortation not to drift away from the teachings of Jesus (Hebrews 1:1-2, 2:1-4) and to be obedient to His voice (Hebrews 3:14-4:1). Peter encourages us not only to stand in grace (1 Peter 5:12) but to grow in grace as well (2 Peter 3:18). Imagine the grace of God like a room: as long as we are in that room we are saved but when we choose to leave that room by disobedience we forfeit grace and salvation. We must continue to obey the will of God to remain in grace.

Sadly, many today have turned God’s grace into a license to sin and will be condemned for it (Jude 4). If we want God’s grace in our lives we must be obedient to the will of God. Our obedience does not merit or earn our salvation; it is an act of faith in God, belief in His grace, and gratitude for His love.

“If the righteous will be rewarded in the earth, How much more the wicked and the sinner!” (Proverbs 11:31 NASU). The translation of the NASU can be confusing in this verse. The word “rewarded” may be more accurately translated “recompensed.” The idea is they are going to get what is just / due to them. The righteous are sometimes punished on earth. Moses and Aaron were excluded from the Promised Land. David had consequences for his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah. Sin sometimes has consequences even after forgiveness is obtained. If one ruined their liver through alcohol abuse and later came to Christ, they still have the ruined liver as a result of their sins even though they have been forgiven. If this is the case with the righteous, how much worse is it for those who do not care about sinning and do not have forgiveness (cf. 1 Peter 4:18)?

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise wins souls” (Proverbs 11:30 NASU). This is in sharp contrast to the one who troubles his house (cf. Proverbs 11:29). The first part of this proverb seems to be referring to physical blessings. The righteous provide a source of meaningful life and blessings for others. They are healthy (cf. Proverbs 11:28) and provide good fruit to others. They become a source of comfort, advice, and stability for others. The second part of the proverb refers to spiritual blessings. The wise understand there is nothing more important than a soul and will save others from spiritual disaster. There are great blessings on the person who is concerned for others (cf. Daniel 12:3, James 5:20). We should seek to save people from both physical and spiritual disaster in our lives.

No one likes to be wrong. We tend to bristle and jump to the defense when we are accused of being wrong. The fact is, however, sometimes we are wrong. Today, many are adamantly defending a position claiming all God requires us to understand is the basics of His Word. Beyond this all we need to do is love God and love others and whatever we do will be acceptable. We don’t have to worry about following the example of the apostles or concern ourselves with the implications of the Scriptures. Jesus, however, has taught us differently. In Matthew 22:23-33, we have an account where some Sadducees were trying to stump Jesus by showing the resurrection was impossible. Jesus told them: “You are mistaken.” He then goes on to tell them how they are mistaken.

First, they did not understand the Scriptures. The Sadducees thought they knew the Scriptures and to most, it appeared they did. Their argument looked like it was from Scripture (cf. Deuteronomy 25:5), but it was really just a hypothetical question. If they had thought more about the Scriptures, they would not have needed to ask this question. Jesus reasoned with them from Exodus 3:6, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At the time God spoke these words, all of these men had been physically dead for at least 350 years. Still, God says “I am” instead of “I was.” This could only mean that they were alive. Jesus considered this to be a big deal and said they were “in error” because they did not understand this fact. There was no example or direct statement in the pentateuch regarding the resurrection. Jesus condemned them because they failed to see a necessary inference based on the tense of a verb. This shows the precision with which we can study the Scriptures and should aspire to–they are from God, word for word inspired, and preserved down through the ages for us today. If we do not want to be wrong, we must make a careful study of the Scriptures.

Second, they did not know the power of God. When discussing the resurrection, the Sadducees had not considered the power of God. They didn’t see how the resurrection could possibly work, so they dismissed it. They didn’t consider that all things are possible with God. Today, many make the same mistake by considering that God is unable to preserve His word, to record His instructions accurately, to inspire the Bible in a way that all can stand and be united on it, etc. We are told the power of God to save men is found in the Gospel (Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:17-25, 2:1-5). Too many are underestimating the power of God found in the Scriptures. We need to trust that God has revealed His will to us in a way that all can understand, be saved, and be united in doctrine and faith. If we do not want to be wrong, we must realize the power of God and put our trust in Him.

Religious errors and divisions are caused by ignorance of the Scriptures and failure to understand the power of God. Only by carefully studying the Scriptures with a firm faith in the power of God and His revelations can we avoid religious error.

“He who troubles his own house will inherit wind, and the foolish will be servant to the wisehearted” (Proverbs 11:29 NASU). If we act foolishly we could end up losing everything dear to us. The trouble you bring to your family might end up destroying your family (financial, emotionally, etc). or it could end up with you estranged from your family. The trouble a child brings their parents by rebelling causes great stress to the family. The trouble of an affair or poorly managed money ends many marriages and splits families apart. The trouble you bring on your children through harsh treatment and anger can drive them away from you. Even failing to give your children proper direction can be a trouble that may end with them on a path away from you (cf. Proverbs 22:6).

It seems the primary trouble Solomon has in mind in this verse is the mismanagement of money. Not only does one who mismanages their money destroy their family, they end up serving another. Those who do not use their money well will end up serving those who know how to handle money.

“He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf” (Proverbs 11:28 NASU). It seems that wealth will bring us everything we want: security, comfort, entertainment. It seems that money is the solution to our problems and if we just had more all of our worries would fade away. There will come a time in everyone’s life, however, were no amount of money will help us. It doesn’t matter how much money we have, we will all die (cf. James 1:11). Riches are uncertain and can quickly fly away (cf. Proverbs 23:5). It is much wiser to focus on the One who is certain and will gives us true security, comfort, and everlasting joy (cf. 1 Timothy 6:17, Matthew 6:33, Titus 1:2).

In the afternoon on the 25th we will be taking a trip to the pumpkin patch. This post will be updated with more details in the future.

On October 21st at 7:00 p.m. we will be having a night of singing in place of our regular Wednesday Night Bible Study.

Tuesday, October 13th @ 6 p.m. in the Annex. This study will begin a series on Paul’s Epistle to Titus. All women are welcome to come.