4. This too shall pass.
I confess to saying this in the midst of trying circumstances. It’s an overly simplistic statement when you’re facing a myriad of issues, but for some reason, it can bring a modicum of comfort. However, it’s not in Scripture. While the origins of this saying are sometimes attributed to Solomon, it isn’t in any of his recorded writings in Scripture. The most common attribution outside of the biblical king is that it came from a folklore poem by Persian Sufi poets.
5. God helps those who help themselves.
Dear Algernon Sydney and Benjamin Franklin, thanks for this. Did you know that when you penned and uttered these words that they would become a bully stick for many in the church? Probably not. Still, the sentiment that God only helps those who help themselves has caused much damage, not only in churches but in society in general. And the sentiment at its core goes against Scripture. If God only helps those who help themselves, then why did He send Jesus to the cross to reconcile us to Himself? Or why did Jesus say the poor would always be with us? Why are we called to those who are destitute, the widow and the orphan, if they just need to help themselves? Certainly, we must hold people accountable as we offer help, but our requirement to help is not predicated on our ascertaining of their ability to do for themselves.
6. God wants me to be happy.
We often use this when we consider things that we want and need to justify what we want with what we mistakenly think God wants for us. It’s not that God wants us to be unhappy. However, His definition of happiness and ours are often vastly different. In fact, when Jesus gives the Sermon on the Mount, he uses the word blessed nine times in the opening verses. When you look up that word in Strongs, Vine, and any other concordance and word dictionary, that word means happy. But we should all look very carefully at how Jesus defines happiness. Poor in spirit. Peacemakers. Pure in heart. Persecuted for His name’s sake. Merciful. Meek. How does this line up with our definition of happiness?
7. Pride comes before a fall.
Like “money is the root of all evil” this is a contender for being this close to being correct. However, a miss is also as good as a mile. Proverbs 16:18 states that, “Pride comes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” This distinction is important. Pride is what caused Satan to fall from Heaven. Scripture is rife with how much God hates pride. He actively opposes it. It is significant that Solomon essentially says the same thing twice. The word haughty means pride and arrogance and the word fall is defined as calamity or ruin. Many people seem to use the misquote with an air of lightness, almost indicating that a “fall” is more like a silly trip over a crack in a sidewalk. However, Scripture clearly shows that pride and arrogance bring destruction and calamity to those who refuse to repent.
As we look at these sayings, it’s easy to see how words can get twisted and misplaced or mis-assigned. Then we believe things that we mistake for Scripture. It’s important that we seek to study the Scripture in its inerrant truth and seek to know what it really says rather than what we think it says. That way, as we lead disciples in the church, we aren’t teaching fallacy, we’re teaching His truth, His word, His gospel.
