I suspect you’ve heard at least one of these five things taught from the pulpit, and probably from social media before. But I suppose the main question is, when you heard it, did you believe it?
1. Money Is the Root of All Evil
If you’ve explored these types of lists online before, you may think this one is low-hanging fruit. “Money is the root of all evil” is on every list like this one. Why is it on every list? People continue to claim it!
There’s a store near my hometown that is run as a faith-based business. They sell delicious produce and deli sandwiches. Their tip jar says, “Money is the root of all evil. Cleanse yourself here!” Obviously, this is meant to be funny. Hopefully, as a faith-based organization, however, they are quite aware that this phrase is not what the Bible says. What does it say?
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
1 Timothy 6:6–10
Has money played a role in the downfall and sin of many people? Absolutely. Was money the root of the problem? Nope. What was? The love of money. Consider any sin, and it has been committed by someone because of the love and pursuit of money.
We have a few videos on this channel that condemn and expose the false teaching of the so-called “Prosperity Gospel.” However, we hope we have never given the impression that the opposite of the Prosperity Gospel is the Poverty Gospel. No, the opposite of and answer to any False Gospel is simply The Gospel. To quote my friend Dewayne, “The Bible never demonizes wealth.” Read the New Testament, and you’ll see plenty of rich people, plenty of poor people, and plenty of average people who are living pure lives in Jesus Christ.
2. The Bible Is a Book of Rules
When I was young, the church I was a part of, emphasized repetition and memorization. Every Sunday my family went to church, we would repeat from memory what they called “The Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6:9–13). We also memorized the Ten Commandments. I was never encouraged to read the Bible for myself. It wasn’t until I was nearly an adult that I did read Scripture for myself, and it was much different than I expected. I don’t recall anyone ever explicitly telling me that the Bible is simply a list of do this and don’t do that; however, based on my childhood, that’s exactly what I expected.
Does the Bible include rules? Yep. So do families. Perhaps some parents do give their children the impression that living with them is all about obeying commandments. Yet it is meant to be so much more.
The first chapters of the Bible are not about what people should or shouldn’t do, but they are about what God did! In fact, most of the Bible is all about what God has and is doing while He interacts with His creation. The Old Testament is full of the accounts (not just commandments) of the lives of families and nations navigating life in light of the love of God. The New Testament unlocks another dimension of the Old Testament: how God was working through those families to bring about redemption of mankind. The first five books of the New Testament are the account of Jesus’ life on earth and the first thirty-five or so years of His church. The rest of the New Testament is interactions inspired by the Holy Spirit between Christians. Are commandments part of that? Yes, but again, it is so much more than that.
Perhaps you’ve heard that the acronym B.I.B.L.E. stands for “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.” I’ve seen it on church signs and on social media. I’ve even heard it from the pulpit. However, when one reduces Scripture to “basic instructions,” I believe the richness and life of Scripture is sucked dry and turned into a dead letter full of law and condemnation. Yes, the Bible has basic instructions, and they will certainly prepare you for your departure from earth (death). I recommend you learn them and obey them at all costs—but only if you truly are motivated to do so because you have seen Jesus and want to pursue His truth.
If you haven’t read the narrative (not just commandments or basic instructions) of the Bible lately, I recommend you pick up a copy and read Luke and Acts, ideally in one sitting. Once you’ve done that, dive into the letters from the apostles and prophets (Romans to Revelation) to Christians around the world. You’ll see that the Bible is not just a book of rules.
3. Saul (Also Known As Paul) Was Saved On the Road to Damascus
When I was a teenager, I went to a lot of youth events with the local Baptist church. The teachers often spoke of “Damascus Road Experiences.” They would reference how, as they thought, Saul was saved on the road to Damascus. And then they encouraged the young folks to have “transformative moments” like Saul had when he met Jesus.
In Acts 9, Saul of Tarsus was on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus to persecute Christians, because he wanted to stamp out the rumor that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah and had risen from the dead. All that changed, of course, when the Lord Jesus appeared to Saul on the road. Saul saw the Lord, changed his mind, was convicted of his sins, obeyed Jesus by going into the city, and began praying and fasting for three days. Even after all that, however, Saul was still not saved. How do we know? After those three days, Ananias went to Saul to tell him many things, including when Jesus would wash away his sins. Check this out:
Then he [Ananias] said, “The God of our fathers has chosen you [Saul] that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”
Acts 22:14–16
You may have heard preachers say that all you have to do to be saved is say a quick prayer and invite Jesus into your heart. The first red flag to that teaching is it’s actually nowhere in the Bible. Second, if there was ever an opportunity to confirm the modern-day “Sinner’s Prayer,” this was it. Does the Bible confirm it? Nope. Saul fasted and prayed as a sinner for three days after believing in Jesus, but when Ananias came to him, he said to Saul, “Why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” After three days of prayer, Saul still had not called upon the name of the Lord, and he was still in his sins. Prayer doesn’t wash away your sins. Jesus does through His death. And Saul (also known as Paul) later taught that for one to be placed into the death of Christ, one must be “baptized into His death” (see Romans 6:1–7).
Saul wasn’t saved on the road to Damascus. Related, many people also believe Jesus changed Saul’s name to Paul on the road to Damascus. We’ve got another lesson that covers both of these misconceptions in detail. Check it out here.
4. The Devil Rules Over Hell
Pop culture paints the devil as a horned, red gremlin ready to party. Not only is this picture incorrect and absurd; it’s also dreadfully dangerous. Satan would love for everyone to picture him as a cute cartoon character, rather than “a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
I had a friend in high school who would laugh at her sins and say, “It’s okay. I’m ready to go to hell in a pretty pink hand basket.” I’ve heard non-believers say, “If God is real, I don’t want to go to heaven. That seems so boring. I want to party with the devil and my friends in hell.”
When we neglect Bible reading and we allow pop culture to replace solid teaching, this is the result. People believe God is some old, bearded man who rules heaven, and that’s where the “good” people get to hang out in their pressed white suits and padded rooms, and the party animal known as the devil rules over hell for those who want to cut loose. The truth is, the devil hasn’t even gone to hell yet. Jesus said:
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”… Then He will also say to those on the left hand, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Matthew 25:31–41
First, the devil didn’t create hell; God did. Second, God didn’t create hell for the partiers. He created it for the devil and his angels. And they will experience hell for the first time at the coming of Christ. In James 2:19, the Bible says the demons believe in Jesus and tremble. The devil and his demons have rebelled against God and His authority. They’re not happy about what they’re going to face in hell.
The Bible describes hell as a place of outer darkness, separate from God for all eternity, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. The devil will not rule over that, much less host a party of everlasting destruction. God is good, and God is love. Since God will not be in hell, goodness and love also won’t be there. Isn’t that sobering? If you haven’t obeyed the gospel yet, it’s high time you do so. If you’d like to learn more about how to obey the gospel, check out this lesson.
5. God Won’t Give You More Than You Can Handle
Oh, man. This one has so much to unpack. When someone is facing the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, or crippling addiction, Christians feel like they’re supposed to be the ones to make the suffering person feel better. They reach into their back pocket and pull out this well-worn piece of “comfort”: “It’ll all be okay. God won’t give you more than you can handle.”
This slogan is terribly misleading. It communicates (falsely) that there’s no chance I’ll ever face terminal cancer, the death of a child, or a debilitating disease. Why? Those are all things that are more than I could handle. And in the midst of suffering, it would only make things worse for a Christian to come along and say, “Cheer up, buddy; God won’t give you more than you can handle.”
First, this assumes that God is the one who gave the person the suffering to begin with. Second, this phrase is not just absent from the Bible, but it’s also anti-Christ and anti-gospel. How so?
Let us first ask, where do people get this idea? Apart from just repeating what someone posted on social media or something they heard from the pulpit, is there anything from the Bible that could give someone this idea that God won’t give people more than they can handle? Perhaps from this passage:
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:13
This is a beautiful truth, but it doesn’t teach that God won’t give us more than we can handle. It teaches that when temptations—not trials, not tribulations, but temptations—come your way, God is faithful and will ensure you have a way to escape. You’ll never be able to accuse God of allowing you to be tempted beyond what you are able. You’ll not be able to say it’s God’s fault that you sinned.
However—and hear me out on this—He will allow you to face circumstances beyond your ability to handle, fix, or face…by yourself. The modern “gospel” is all about self and self-reliance. When you are facing death and are about to take your last few breaths, will you say, “I can’t handle death. It’s a good thing God won’t give me more than I can handle.” The mantra is “I can do this!” Let me ask you: When it comes to repairing your relationship with God, do you have it within yourself to fix it? When it comes to the forgiveness of your sins, do you say, “I can do this. This is something I can handle!”? You cannot say that and believe in the gospel of Jesus at the same time.
The same apostle who wrote to the Christians in Corinth, “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able,” also wrote to them:
For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.
2 Corinthians 1:8–11
Paul and his companions were clearly facing more than they could handle. Jesus promises His disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). When that happens, what will the sober-minded person do? The same thing Paul and his friends did: “We should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.” Life is hard and is often harder than we can handle. But Jesus always offers Himself as the answer. So, instead of reposting that Osteen-ism when suffering comes your way, trust Jesus who says:
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden [in other words, those who are facing more than they can handle], and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
Matthew 11:28–30
Will you face more than you can handle? Yes. Will you face more than He can handle? Never. That will be your reminder that life is more than you can handle…without the work of Jesus.
Here’s another myth: “Christianity is a relationship, not a religion.” Ready to bust that one? Check out this article.