4 Common Sayings Not in the Bible

Introduction

We all have used slogans and sayings in our daily discourse. We see them on billboards and in window fronts. But how often do we stop and wonder what those slogans actually mean? And where those slogans originate from? 

This post is going to address four common sayings that many people believe originate from the Bible but don’t. Many of them sound so nice that we think they would be perfectly Biblical concepts. However, we’ll see the importance of matching up what we believe with Scripture actually says.

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1. Moderation in All Things

The first saying that we are going to look at is “moderation in all things”. You will hear many people, even in the church, who believe this is Biblical. This saying is not only not in the Bible but also isn’t even a Biblical concept. In fact, many of Jesus’ and the Apostle’s teach the exact opposite.

Some believe that this saying originated with the teachings of Aristotle who lived in the fourth century BC.  However, it’s believed that many take this saying from a misinterpretation of 1 Corinthians 9:25.

The King James Version uses the phrase “temperate in all things”. This phrase written in 17^thcentury English can easily be misunderstood in modern American English. We take this to mean “moderate in all things” but that’s not truly how it translates. The original Greek word for “temperate” is “egkrateuomai” which means “to be self-controlled”. So, Paul was really saying to be self-controlled in all things not moderate in all things.

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What Jesus Taught

Time and time again we read about Jesus and His Apostles teaching the opposite of moderation in all things. First, this saying implies that we can indulge in both good and bad things if we do it in moderation. This goes directly against Paul’s teaching in Phil. 3:12-17 and 1 Cor. 6:9-11. It also contradicts what Jesus taught in Luke 9:23, Matt. 5:48, etc. Jesus and His disciples teach us to be sold out, fully committed followers of Christ. We aren’t called to follow Him in moderation (Rev. 3:14-16). He calls us to give up everything for Him.

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2. God Helps Those Who Help Themselves

The saying “God helps those who help themselves” cannot be found in Scripture and is wholly unbiblical. It originated with the Ancient Greeks. It was then stated in its current form in the seventeenth century by Algernon Sidney. The most likely route to us is through Benjamin Franklin in his “Poor Richard’s Almanack.”

Benjamin Franklin, however, was a deist and didn’t hold to the Biblical view of God in Christianity. 

The Christian Scriptures teach us the exact opposite to this. God helps the helpless. He’s with us when we cannot do it ourselves (Matt. 28:20, Jn. 16:7-8, 13, Acts 1:8). In fact, the very message of the gospel is Christ doing for us what we were helpless to do for ourselves. We were lost in our sins with no way to bring ourselves back to God. But in our helplessness, Jesus stepped in and conquered sin and death for us (Rom. 5:8, 6:23) so that through Him we now have a pathway to God.

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3. God doesn’t Give You More Than You Can Handle

This is a sentiment that you will hear quite frequently. It’s meant to be a comforting word, particularly for those who are going through tough times. It most likely originates from 1 Corinthians 10:13.

At first glance, this verse can strike you as meaning the same thing as this saying. However, when we look at the verse for what it says and in the context of the passage, we see a different story. Paul was giving a warning to the Corinthians to not fall victim to the same temptations of their ancestors who were punished in the wilderness. This is a reference to the Israelites, having escaped slavery in Egypt, wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. He noted that the temptations that the Corinthians were facing weren’t new, and that God would give them a way out. 

Theological Implication

This is important to the meaning of the passage. Notice that it’s God who would give them a way out. So, Paul wasn’t saying that God wouldn’t give them more than they, by themselves, could handle but that God would help them with what they could not do themselves.  This is the story of the Gospel and of following Christ. Our sin nature is more than we can handle, otherwise we wouldn’t need the Holy Spirit to change and empower us. We could do it ourselves. 

If we could do it, we wouldn’t need God. We see throughout the Bible that God allowed many to be faced with more than they could handle. Goliath was more than David could handle. The lion’s den was more than Daniel could handle. Pharaoh was more than Moses could handle. Christ, in His love and mercy, is with us and empowers us to persevere where we couldn’t on our own (Matt. 28:20, Jn. 16:7-8, 13, Acts 1:8).

4. To Thine Own Self Be True

This saying is Shakspearian in origin. It originates from the play Hamlet. Many, however, believe it to be a Biblical Saying. It is not. In fact, it’s antithetical to the teachings of Jesus. It’s more of a cultural belief. Our sinful culture teaches that we should find our highest good by seeking self-actualization and self-gratification. This puts US at the center.

However, the story of Scripture is that God is at the center of all. It’s HIS story. Jesus teaches in Luke 9:23 that we are to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. He also teaches in John 3:3, 7 that we are to become new by being born again. The Apostle Paul teaches that we are to be conformed to the image of Christ instead of being conformed to the world (Rom. 12:2). We are to be new creations (2 Cor. 5:17). 

Time and time again in the scripture says that we are to throw off the old self and become new in Christ Jesus, our Lord. We aren’t to be true to ourselves. We are to throw off self and be true to God.

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Conclusion

It’s easy to see how these sayings can be mistaken for Biblical quotes. On their face they sound “kind of right”. Many of them often pull at your heart strings. We typically assume they are God’s words without ever actually asking the question. But we must always compare what we hear with the true Word of God. Whenever we hear a saying that we think comes from the Bible, we should challenge ourselves to find it in the Scripture to validate that it really does originate there. 

Blessings