We live in the age of the soundbite, where pithy sayings and trendy slogans are king. We put them on t-shirts, coffee mugs, and social media. We even hear them expressed in sermons and on Christian radio. But too often, we fail to hold these one-liners up to the light of Truth to check their accuracy. While not all Christian cliches are wrong, neither are they right (even if they sound good).
Here are 7 popular lies Christians often believe:
1. Follow your heart.
Our culture maintains this instruction as imperative for happiness and success. Nobody’s leadership matters more than what your heart is telling you to do. And the Christian community has started believing this as well. Yes, Christians must do what God is leading them to do, but the heart isn’t always the right metric to assess God’s leading.
Regardless of how well-intentioned the encouragement may be, this is poor advice. The Bible mentions the heart over 300 times, and the theme is consistent:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
2. God helps those who help themselves.
This phrase is often quoted as coming from the Bible, when in fact, it was Ben Franklin who printed these words in 1736. Jesus’ entire earthly ministry could be summed up as “helping those who could not help themselves.” And while God does expect His children to do certain things—in obedience to His commands—He has a proven track record of helping the helpless and those who are utterly lost.
3. God needed another angel.
Generally, this phrase is intended as sincere encouragement for someone who has recently lost a loved one. But it isn’t correct, and there are more encouraging options. The Bible is clear that angels and humans are not the same, nor do we become angels when we die.
4. God will never give you more than you can handle.
Christians lose their jobs, their homes, and their loved ones. Believers around the world are mocked, beaten, and killed for their faith. The reality is that God often allows events into our lives that are meant to make us lean harder on Him. He can promise “a way of escape” in 1 Corinthians 10 because He is faithful.
5. I am #blessed.
To be sure, God has given each of us far more than we deserve. But generally when someone speaks of being blessed, that blessing refers to something tangible, something material. It is good to give God glory for His provision, but how does the Bible define “blessing”?—
Blessed are the poor, the meek, those who grieve, those who hunger and thirst, and those who are the pure in heart (Luke 6).
6. When God closes the door, He opens a window.
Yes, God can do anything. He can close any door (and open any window, for that matter). And He will never abandon His children. But for some believers, this phrase is used to imply that God will always create a way for Christians to fulfill their deepest desires. And that implication doesn’t have Biblical merit.
Our deepest desires aren’t always the “good” that Romans 8:28 speaks of when it promises that everything will work together. In this case, the only “window” we can speak of with confidence is eternal life with God.
7. You are never safer than when you are in God’s will.
If “safe” in this instance refers to the safety of eternal security, than yes. You are never safer than when you are in God’s will. But too often, Christians use this line to conjure notions of physical security—or safety—in dangerous situations or places. And God never promises that Christians will be unharmed, even if they are doing exactly what He has called them to do. If fact, sometimes He promises the opposite, as He did believers in the New Testament—
“You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives” (Luke 21:16—18).
Bottom line: It’s always a good idea to evaluate everything we hear against Biblical truth, and to explain what we mean in carefully chosen words. Basically, when it comes to Christian cliches, it is often a good idea to avoid them … like the plague.