Does the Bible Really Say That? by Bill Crofton

I love Chicago.  My wife Jane goes there at least once a year for an oncology consortium, and they invite me up to have prayer.  Hey, I carry her bags and get to watch the Cubs!  It’s been a few years now, but I remember when the Chicago Bears’ coach, Mike Ditka, got fired.  His comment at a press conference on it was, “As the scriptures say, this too shall pass.”  I really like and enjoy Mike Ditka.  “Da Coach” was a beloved figure - but not a great Bible scholar.  

It turns out there actually is no place in the Bible that says, “This too shall pass.”  It sounds kind of biblical, but it’s actually not in the Bible.  That happens quite a lot. 

There are a surprising number of statements people think are in the Bible that are not.  Have you ever heard someone say “God will never give you more than you can handle?”  It’s not in the Bible.  The Bible says God will not allow someone to be tempted beyond what they can stand.  The Bible does not say God will not allow you to be given more than you can handle.  Come on, people are given more than they can handle all of the time.  It drives me crazy when people think that’s in the Bible.  Another example, “Spare the rod and spoil the child.”  Not in the Bible.  “God moves in a mysterious way.” It’s in an old song.  It’s not in the Bible. 

I once got into an argument with my mother-in-law (Yep, true).  We were visiting them in Nashville, and she was saying she loves that Bible verse that says, “God helps those who help themselves.”  I said, “That’s not in the Bible.  That’s actually opposed to the whole idea of the Bible, which says God helps us; we can’t help ourselves.”  She said, “No, not only is it in the Bible, it’s my favorite Bible verse.”  I said, “I am a seminary graduate.  I’ll bet you $20 it’s not in the Bible.”  No kidding, she stayed up half the night looking for that verse in the Bible.  She couldn’t find it because it was Benjamin Franklin!  It’s not actually in the Bible. I’m not sure we should bet on what’s in the Bible, but I needed the twenty bucks.

The spiritual dimension of our life is really important, right?  Question: Are you hanging onto any spurious statements you might need to get rid of? The FHC October sermon series has to do with passages that are in the Bible but often get misinterpreted or misunderstood.  For me, as I continue my journey through scripture, it seems I have more questions than answers.  How about you?  I am okay with that, but there was a time it would have quite possibly kept me up at night.  Remember, God invites us to “reason” with Him in our journey through life.  

Bill Crofton