8 Things The World Says that Sound Biblical, But Aren't.

Have you ever found yourself repeating popular sayings and quotes so much that you were convinced it was a bible verse? You’re not alone. Some quotes sound like they could be a bible verse or they have the overall concept of a scripture, but they’re really not scripture. We have to be careful not to get these mixed up with the word of truth. It can be a slippery slope. The bible tells us to study to show ourselves approved of God. We must be able to rightly divide the word of truth.

‘Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. ‘
2 Timothy 2:15 ESV

So let’s debunk these eight popular sayings and quotes that sound like scripture, but aren’t so we can speak God’s word truthfully.

1. The Three Wise Men

I have to admit that for a long time I believed there were only three wise men and they were present at the time of Jesus’ birth, according to every nativity scene I’ve seen since childhood. The bible never mentions how many wise men there were, only that there were three gifts (see Matthew 2:1-12). I took the “wise men” literal, not understanding what Magi meant. They were also not kings and they didn’t arrive to Bethlehem until much later.

2. Money is the root of all evil

This is probably one of the most misquoted scriptures of all time. It’s only missing a few words, but those missing words are important and change the whole context of the verse. The scripture misquoted is 1 Timothy 6:10 which says “for the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil”. Money is not bad, but the issue is our heart posture concerning money. The rest of the verse clarifies this…“It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

3. The Seven Deadly Sins

The seven deadly sins (pride, or vainglory; greed, or covetousness; lust; envy; gluttony; wrath, or anger; slothfulness) are not a directly quoted list from bible scripture. Although the sins aren’t explicitly listed in the Bible, they were developed from biblical teachings and Greek/Roman concepts of virtue and vice to help monks combat temptation. The list originated from 4th-century Christian monastic traditions. Evagrius Ponticus, a 4th-century monk originally listed “eight evil thoughts,” but the list was finalized into the traditional seven by Pope Gregory I in the 6th century.

4. This Too Shall Pass

This is another quote that is high on the list of being attributed to bible scripture, but is not found in scripture. Although the bible speaks on the temporary nature of earthly struggles, this is a Persian proverb, not a biblical promise. Many scholars often attributed it to 13th-century Persian Sufi poets to describe the impermanence of the human condition. It made its way to Jewish folklore where some argue the phrase was coined by King Solomon. Then made its way into the western culture around the 19th century.

5. God will not put more on you than you can bare

When I hear people say this phrase it is almost always in the context of trying to comfort someone who is going through a trial or tribulation instead of it’s proper context of God providing a way of escape for sin (see 1 Corinthians 10:13). The bible teaches us that we will be pressed beyond our own strength so that we can learn to rely on God. If we could handle every test and trial on our own, then we would be self-reliant, which the bible speaks against. Thank God that He is faithful and won’t allow us to be tempted beyond our ability, but provides a way of escape for us.

6. Be in the World, but not of the world

This sounds like an exact quote from scripture, but it’s not. While, various places in scripture such as John 15:19 and John 17:14-16 express pieces of the sentiment, it is not a word for word bible verse.

7. Pride Goes Before a Fall

This is another idiom that’s close enough to the bible verse to sound right, but it’s not correct. This is a misquote of Proverbs 16:18 that says:

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. ‘
Proverbs 16:18

It may seem like nitpicking, but if you let one misquote slide, then you are on a slippery slope.

8. Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child

This is another idiom that is close enough to the bible verse to sound right. It may be more of a summarization of the teaching in Proverbs 13:24, but it is not the direct quote. We have to be careful of those slippery slopes.