Distorted Scripture
Over time sayings and teachings about scripture can be distorted when we take them at face value and do not search the scriptures to validate or correct them. I compiled a small list of sayings that people attribute to being in the Bible, but they are not. Now is a great time to have the Word of God renew your mind and see what it says.
Sayings not in the Bible:
“Spare the rod, spoil the child”
“Cleanliness is next to godliness”
“God moves in mysterious ways”
“Pride comes before the fall”
“God helps those who help themselves”
“Love the sinner, hate the sin”
“Money is the root of all evil”
“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”.
“This too shall pass”
“The lion shall lay down with the lamb”
“God works in mysterious ways”
This also works with “Bible stories”. Ones that many of us have heard repeatedly, and even the secular world often know about. Take for example the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1–9). I did a small survey of 25 Christian men, asking them what was the reason that the people of this time built the tower of Babel. (Before reading on, think in your mind how you would answer that question). 90% of them answered similar to this, “they built the tower to reach God”. That may be the portrayal of the story most often repeated, but that is not the reason when you read the Biblical account. The people of that time built the tower of Babel for two reasons. 1) They did not trust the word of God that He would not flood the world again. 2) They did not want to be obedient to Him in what He commanded. We know this by the context of the account. For number one, we read that they built it on a plain (lowlands) so they weren’t trying to reach “the heavens”, or they would have built it on a high mountain. Second, when you see what they built it with, you see they used a tar-like substance (bitumen) over the bricks. Which would have been waterproofing, like the pitch that Noah used on the ark. They did not trust that God would go against His word and flood the world again. They were building a tower they thought would save them from a flood. For number two we see that they didn’t want to spread out like God had commanded saying “lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” So, the tower of Babel was built in direct opposition to trust, faith, and obedience in God.
I point these out because it is so easy for our minds to be impacted by others and this world. We need the Word of God to convict, correct and change us, but we must be daily students of it.