WHERE IN THE BIBLE IS THAT FOUND?
by Douglas Hoff
Occasionally somebody will say,
“The Bible says” and then utter what sounds like a profound truth. It may resemble a verse of scripture and thus
some people will believe it. The
statement may even be true in principle but this does not guarantee it is
actually inspired scripture. For
example, “Spare the rod and spoil the
child” is similar in thought to Proverbs
13:24. However, God’s word states, “He who spares his rod hates his son, But he
who loves him disciplines him promptly (NKJV).” A person may object saying that is only a
minor difference. While that may be so,
every word of the Bible is there for a reason.
God said man shall live “by every
word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Man’s
paraphrase is guilty of adding to and/or taking away from God’s word and that
is forbidden by the LORD (Deuteronomy 4:2;
Another example of a phrase
occasionally attributed to the Bible is, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” The books of Leviticus, Numbers and
Deuteronomy have a lot to say about uncleanness and washing. While the scriptures teach the importance of
good hygiene (e.g., Deuteronomy
There are a variety of reasons why a person would attribute a saying to the Bible. Some are simply ignorant of Biblical teaching and may be just repeating what they have heard. It is important to make sure a statement is really contained in God’s word instead of parroting it. Without diligence a soul may accept something as inspired truth when it is merely man’s opinion.
Others want to use the Bible to give credibility to their views. Naïve souls are more likely to accept a particular statement when they are told it is from the Bible. Some speakers knowingly use this to their advantage to gain approval of their agenda.
The Bible warns about those who use
smooth words and flattering speech to deceive the hearts of the simple. Please stop and think. Did you accept that assertion just because a
preacher wrote it? I hope not. Perhaps you recognize it is part of Romans 16:18. Even if it sounds familiar you ought to
verify that I quoted and used it correctly.
Some accidentally misquote a verse while others do so
intentionally. In either case we must be
careful to “search the scriptures”
(John
A fairly current instance where a
statement has been called scripture comes from Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the
House of Representatives. Since December
2005 she has used a phase at least six times calling it scripture. On
No such statement is found in the entire Bible, especially the book of Isaiah. Neither is this even close to any passage of scripture. Pelosi has been challenged on this point but so far her office has not commented on it.
Why be concerned about this quote? It is dangerous because it can influence
people to accept a false view about worship. While God wants people to employ good
stewardship with this earth, He also gave man dominion over it (Genesis
Failing to investigate can cause souls to be misled. It is always wise to verify statements ascribed to God’s word. If they are not found in the Bible they have no authority in matters of faith. Such “scriptures” ought to be exposed and rejected.