Religious Pacifiers

Religious Pacifiers
Fancy Phrases And Words Of The Biblically Ignorant

Even before I ever met the Lord and got saved, one of my pet peeves has always been the things that people say to convince themselves of their status and/or righteousness. Some of these things, I admit, are very cute and quite ear catching, but do very little to convince me of what the speaker thinks of themself. I'm sad to say that I've found this trend to be very prevalent in the church as well as in-the-world.

I'm going to take this time to quote and address a number of these cute little sayings and point out the apostate, if not sacreligious nature of them. As time goes on and as I hear more, I'll add them to the list and filter them through the Bible and see how they strain out. Let's get started :

UPDATED 5 / 7 / 03
CUTE LITTLE SAYINGS	BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE
"Jesus helps those who help themselves."	If this rediculous statement was true, then why didn't we all just "help ourselves" to salvation and thereby stop Jesus from having to suffer and die on the cross? The truth, according to Luke 4:18, is that Jesus came to "to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised," all of whom could not achieve a goal on their own. Also remember John 15:5 wherein it says "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing" and Philippians 4:13 which says "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." So if we aren't capable of doing anything without Jesus, how can it be said that he only helps those of us who help ourselves when it is Him through whom we do all things?
"God is my co-pilot."	This cute little bumper-sticker saying puts man in the drivers seat, almost suggesting that we expect God to go everywhere we choose to go and bless whatever we choose to do by His presence. But Jesus said "Follow me," which meant that HE leads the way and runs the show, not man. So in actuality, God is the PILOT, and there is no co-pilot... only passengers.
"God said it, I believe it, And that settles it."	Ever seen this other cute little bumper sticker saying? See anything wrong with it? What about the order in which the lines are said? See it yet? O.k, think about it like this... If God says something, does He require you and I to "believe it" before it becomes true, or is it true whether or not we believe it? The way this little saying is worded factors man in as an obstacle that God's word must leap before the matter can be settled and suggests that we have the right to determine whether or not what God has said can be true. Also, it suggests that if man doesn't choose to believe it, then what God has said isn't true, effectively setting up man as part of the decision making process, which he has NEVER been and NEVER will be. So, what the saying should say is this : . "God said it, And that settles it, Whether or not we choose to believe it."

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