Julia Melatis – Author

I woke up Thursday morning with this article on my heart. God was feeding me the answers in a dream. There are so many things that people believe are from the Bible, that are not. Some aren’t even close. This is one reason that we need to be in the Word and remember what we read, then, we can live it and instruct and correct others along the way.
“Pay close attention to your life and your teaching; persevere in these things, for by doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 1 Timothy 4:16.
There are so many things in this world that sound like wisdom, but are contrary to the Word of God. It troubles me when I see fellow believers quoting false prophets on social media. The Word tells us, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” 1 John 4:1. We cannot do that if we don’t know the Word. So, let’s take a walk through the Word, so that together we can shine the light of the Word into the darkness of this world.

Saying– God never gives us more than we can handle/bear.
*Jesus said we will have troubles. There are many troubles we cannot handle on our own. God doesn’t want us to try to handle life in our own power. He promises that if we turn to Him, He will help us through them. This saying is a misrepresentation of this first verse in 1 Corinthians 10:13.
Bible— “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV
“I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” John 16:33 HCSB
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” 1 John 5:4 ESV
“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37 NASB
“So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment.” 2 Peter 2:9 NLT
“And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:13 HCSB

Saying– God helps those who help themselves.
*This is similar to the first saying. The world always wants us to look at ourselves and what we can do. But the truth is, this life is not about us, but about God in us. First, after telling us not to worry about anything (Matthew 6:25-32), Jesus tells us, “But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:33-34). God is the Helper to the helpless. He also expects His people to help others.
Bible — “But You Yourself have seen trouble and grief, observing it in order to take the matter into Your hands. The helpless entrusts himself to You; You are a helper of the fatherless.” Psalm 10:15 HCSB
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly….But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6,8 NIV
“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or without clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and visit You? ’ “And the King will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” Matthew 25:37-40 HCSB
“Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul.” Psalm 54:4 NASB

Saying–Moderation in all things.
*This sounds so biblical, but it’s really not. The Bible does speak a lot about self-control. It is even one of the nine parts of the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). But there are definitely some things that we should avoid.
Bible — “Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. However, they do it to receive a crown that will fade away, but we a crown that will never fade away.” 1 Corinthians 9:25 HCSB
“’Everything is permissible,’ but not everything is helpful. ‘Everything is permissible,’ but not everything builds up. No one should seek his own good, but the good of the other person. 1 Corinthians10:23-24 HCSB
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control, as against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit. We must not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:22-26 HCSB
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. Therefore, brothers, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you.” 2 Peter 1:5-11 HCSB

Saying–Money is the root of all evil.
*This is a misquote of 1 Timothy 6:10. Money is just a thing. Like everything else in life it is our thoughts, attitudes, and affections for things that can cause us to sin. We need to realize that all we have comes from God and our trust needs to be in Him and not the things of this world. Worry over the things in life is putting our thoughts and energy into the wrong things. Worry is a form of fear. And there are about 365 verses in the Bible that tell us, do not fear, in addition to the ones on worry. It is fear and worry that cause people to put too much trust in money.
Bible — “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.” 1 Timothy 6:10 NASB
“No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money.” Matthew 6:24 HCSB. Note: The Aramaic word translated as money is mamónas (mam-mo-nas’) which brings a broader definition of the word, “the treasure a person trusts in”.
“This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t He do much more for you — you of little faith? So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat? ’ or ‘What will we drink? ’ or ‘What will we wear? ’ For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:25-34 HCSB
“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 HCSB

Saying–We are all God’s children.
* We are all God’s creation, but the Bible is clear about who are God’s children. Only those who are born again by receiving Jesus are adopted by God.
Bible — “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God–” John 1:12 NIV
Jesus replied, “I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 HCSB
“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15 NIV
“Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.” Ephesians 5:1 HCSB
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him.” 1 John 5:1 HCSB

These next few may not be sayings, as such, but the beliefs are widely held.

Belief–He’s a good person, he will be okay.
*I have been told this on multiple occasions in regards to my unsaved husband. But this is not what the Bible teaches. This is a lie of the enemy. The measuring stick is not your goodness compared to the goodness of other people, but compared to a pure, sinless God. Jesus was the only person ever to live a sinless life. From the first sin in the Garden of Eden God instituted the blood sacrifice choosing to substitute the life of an animal for the life if the sinner. The greatest gift God has given us is the life of His Son Jesus. He became the last and best “spotless Lamb”, the final blood sacrifice for sin. We no longer need to sacrifice animals to cover our sins. His blood washes clean all those who are repentant and receive Him as their Savior. It is only through repentance and receiving Jesus as our Savior and Lord that we are saved and inherit eternal life.
Bible — “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23 NIV
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 NIV
But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us —not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy —through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. He poured out this Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior so that, having been •justified by His grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:4-7 HCSB

Belief–All religions lead to the same place.
*The whole of the Bible points to the truth that there is only One God and One Way to Him, Jesus.
Bible —  “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 HCSB
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live.” John 11:25 HCSB
“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God.” John 3:16-18 HCSB
If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. Romans 10:9-10 HCSB

Belief–I am within my rights to not forgive someone who has hurt me, it would let them off the hook.
*Forgiveness is not about letting the offender off the hook. God has forgiven us our sins; how can we not do the same for others. Jesus commands us to forgive, and our own forgiveness depends upon it. Unforgiveness leads to bitterness in our hearts. Forgiving is for our own benefit, so that our hearts don’t become hard.
Bible — “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14-15 NIV
Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how many times could my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times?  “I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus said to him, “but 70 times seven. Matthew 18:21-22 HCSB
All bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ. Ephesians 4:31-32 HCSB
No one should seek his own good, but the good of the other person. 1 Corinthians 10:24 HCSB
“[Love] does not act improperly, is not selfish, is not provoked, and does not keep a record of wrongs.” 1 Corinthians 1`3:6 HCSB

If you have any questions about whether a saying or belief is biblical, ask your question in the comments. If you enjoyed this article, please like it and share it with your friends.

Grace, blessings, and peace,
Julia