The Waters of the Flood and ANE Cosmology

By Jeremy Myers

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In seeking to understand what is going on in the account of the flood and why the waters that came upon the earth, we must understand the Ancient Near East cosmology. That is, what they thought about how the world worked, and what connections existed between the spiritual realm and the physical realm.

The Waters in the Ancient Near East Cosmology

In reference to the flood, one of the most important points to grasp is that in ancient Middle Eastern cosmology, the waters of the world—especially large bodies of water such as the ocean and the sea—were considered to be the dwelling places of powerful deities.
Though he goes by different names in different cultures one of the more prominent pagan deities was Yamm, the god of the sea. As such, when we read in numerous places in the Bible about the raging waters, and God’s control of them, it is not that God is fighting the waves of the ocean, but that God is viewed to be at war with Yamm, the god of storms and chaos (cf. Ps 69:1-2; 74:13; 77:16).
In his book, God at War, Greg Boyd shows the depth and breadth of this imagery throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. In reference to Genesis 1, he says that all ancient Near Eastern people would have understood the imagery of the “the deep” and “the waters” which covered the earth.
Such imagery was prevalent in ancient creation myths, and typically, when the gods of these myths set out to bring order to the chaotic waters, they did so through war, battle, and violence (Greg Boyd,  God at War, 159-164). The Hebrew God of Genesis 1, however, needs no violence. He brings order to the chaos with nothing more than His voice (Greg Boyd,  God at War, 86). He simply commands the anticreation chaotic waters to retreat, and they do! Yamm is shut up behind closed doors by the command of God.
At the end of the creation account, God gives dominion over the earth to mankind—the pinnacle of His creation. The dominion over the earth is understood as the rulership, control, or authority over the earth. But when Adam and Eve sinned, when they fell to the temptation of the serpent, they forfeited their dominion over the earth, and gave that authority to a different “god of this world.”
Greg Boyd describes it this way:

We compromised our assigned task to have dominion over the world and thus subjected ourselves and all of nature once again to the destructive influence of the forces that oppose God. The guardians of the world, and therefore the world itself, were thus taken hostage by an illegitimate hostile power. Satan now seizes “control of the entire world” and becomes “the prince of this age” and “the ruler of the kingdom of this air” (1 John 5:19; John 12:31; Eph 2:2; cf. 6:12)…
This reacquired demonic lordship… led to a partial return to the judged state of affairs in Genesis 1:2, when the Lord allowed the chaotic waters to burst upon the earth with the flood (Genesis 6-8). The intended viceroys of the earth had become so corrupt that they apparently cohabited with sinister angelic beings (Genesis 6:1-4), and the Lord was grieved to the point of wishing he had never created humanity (Genesis 6:5-6). Hence he allowed the “deep” (Genesis 1:2) once again to cover the earth, as he sought to start over the project of recovering the earth for his glory (Greg Boyd,  God at War, 111).

The Waters in Creation

Once we see the mythological imagery of spiritual warfare in the heavens between God and the waters, and we understand from Genesis 1 that from the darkness and chaos of the water, God is seeking to bring beauty and order, we are then in a position to understand Genesis 6–8. Genesis 6 is seen as a natural consequence of the forces of chaos that live in rebellion against God having control over the earth. Though God locked them away with His word in Genesis 1, they once again gained control of the earth through the actions of Adam, and as a result, death reigned from one generation to the next (see the emphasis on death in Genesis 5).
Eventually, the Satanic powers brought so much evil into the world, that they were once again able to lead the world to the brink of complete destruction. This is what Genesis 6 describes. If the spiritual forces that are at war with God were driven back in the creation event, then God Himself is driven back by these chaotic forces when they conscript mankind to fight for their evil cause against God. Humanity becomes such a good ally in the war against God, that “every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen 6:5). Evil had become so great upon the face of the earth, that a return to the pre-creation chaos was inevitable.
This reversal of creation occurs in Genesis 7 when the flood waters come upon the earth. As a result of this onslaught against God, the forces of chaos are able to get God’s creation to revert to their state of being formless and void.
In the flood, just as in Genesis 1:2, the waters covered the face of the earth. This warfare imagery is clearly evident in Genesis 7 where it says over and over that “the waters prevailed” (Genesis 7:18, 19, 20, 24). Just as God had breathed into living beings the breath of life (Gen 2:7), so the waters which fought against God’s creation were able to take the breath of life away from all that God had made (Genesis 7:15, 22).
Then, finally, in Genesis 8:1, 9, God begins to fight back against the waters by sending wind to blow over the surface of the deep, just as He did in the creation (Genesis 1:2). As a result of the wind blowing over the water, the waters recede and are restrained (Genesis 8:2-3, 5)—again, just as they were pushed back in creation. Eventually, dry land appears (Genesis 8:13) and the animals and humans can be fruitful and multiply upon the face of the earth as God originally ordained (Genesis 1:22, 25; 8:17).

The Waters in Genesis 6-8

So what do we see in Genesis 6-8? While some people see only a mythic fable in the flood account, in which imagery of water and wind illustrate the constant struggle between good and evil, I believe that the imagery does actually represent a historic reality. While it is true that the powers of darkness are waging war against God and His good creation, this war is not only a spiritual battle, but is a battle that has wide-reaching ramifications in the physical realm, and influences all life on earth.
Although we must not ignore the imagery of the wind and the water in this text, nor must we think that the flood account is nothing more than a ancient myth designed to illustrate a spiritual truth. The historical reality of the flood and the spiritual truth that it reveals are both present in this text, and both shed light on what occurred in the flood event.
When we consider the historical reality and the spiritual imagery together, what we see in Genesis 6-8 is the near victory of the forces of evil against the power of God so that the waters threaten to kill everything that has the breath of life. In the cosmic war between God and His rebelling creation, the first battle was won by God in Genesis 1 when He pushed the chaos back by His mere word. He brought light, beauty, and order to that which was formless and void. But evil rallied their forced and gained a great ally when they deceived Adam and Eve to hand over the Satan the dominion of the earth. The powers arrayed against God were able to get the pinnacle of God’s new creation to betray God and fight for them in their evil cause. The evil they accomplished soon became so great, it threatened the very existence of God’s good creation.
When God saw what was about to happen to His world, He stepped in to rescue and deliver as many as He could from the approaching storm. But in the end, only eight were saved, and the flood waters that came upon the earth returned everything to the way they were before Genesis 1:2. Though God had rescued a remnant, it appeared that God had lost this battle. Nevertheless, He immediately set out to rebuild and restore His creation. He once again sent the wind to push back the waters into their designated places, to dry out the land so that humans and animals might once again have a way to fulfill their God-given task of filling and subduing the earth.
The waters of the flood cause the world to revert the the chaos of a pre-creation state. The flood reveals cosmic warfare between God and Yamm, the god of chaos and storms.
Have you familiar with this imagery behind the waters of the flood in Genesis 6-8? What are your thoughts about how this sheds light on what is going on in the flood?

Preachers of LA – Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

By Jeremy Myers

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Thanks goes out to Neil Braithwaite for alerting me to this new series coming to television, “The Preachers of LA.”

Words fail me so you will just have to watch the video… http://youtu.be/Ml8bQDnnkKk
The fun really starts at about the 1:10 mark…
What is your response after watching this video about the Preachers of LA?

Righteous Judgement

Righteous Judgement
(En Español)

In my various writings and public speaking, I have urged the born-again church to resist the trends of self-righteous anger and bitter cynicism that exist in our world. Instead, let us seek to possess the "higher . . . thoughts" of Christ (Isa. 55:9).

In truth, our calling is to serve God as ambassadors of Christ (Eph. 6:20). A true ambassador is not only pledged to represent his or her leader; the ambassador is one who knows what that ruler actually thinks and what he would say. He receives regular communication with that leader and is current on his leader's short-term and long-term goals. Should the ambassador be ignorant of the ruler's view, he is trained to not offer his own opinions; he is to wait until he hears from the one he represents. The world doesn't want to know what we think. There are some seven billion opinions in the world today; what the nations need is not to hear our opinion, but to hear the One we represent: our King, Jesus Christ.

I have also endeavored to put a roadblock in front of false discernment. We must avoid the self-righteous, religious approach of the Pharisees. When I urge people to not be judgmental, I am not saying don't discern. Spiritual discernment is an art form, while judging by outer appearance is an instinct of the flesh. I am saying we must learn how to wait, listen and, in meekness, discern the higher way of Christ.

Judgment That Is Righteous
Yet inevitably there are still questions. What about the Lord's admonition calling us to "not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment" (John 7:24)? What is righteous judgment?

In discussing this with others, I've noticed that the words righteous and judgment seem to be all that some see in the verse. However, the first part of the verse explains, at least partially, the second half: righteous judgment is that which is "not . . . according to appearance." Righteous judgment comes from another source, that which is higher than the instincts of the flesh.

You see, there is a difference between discerning a need that you are determined to pray for and, in contrast, simply finding fault which often degrades into gossip and slander. God does not call a person into a "ministry of judging others" just because one has always been fearless to "tell it as it is." Faultfinding is not a gift of the Spirit.

If your judgment is truly from God, it will not be an isolated gift. You will also have humility from God, love, and lowliness of mind as well.

Righteous judgment proves itself genuine by the virtues that support and present it.

All the virtues of the Spirit -- love, joy, peace, gentleness, etc. -- should be functionally evident in your character. If so, you will have been known to be gentle, loving, lowly of mind and wise. When you bring a righteous judgment, your character affirms that your judgment is not an emotional reaction, but you come as one sent from God -- like Christ, you are typically full of grace and truth. You speak as an individual who is seriously concerned with bettering the life of others.

As John wrote,

"By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world" (1 John 4:17).

Yes, the day of judgment is coming. Our goal should be that "love is perfected with us." In the seasons of judgment, we are called to a life of perfect love, for "as He is, so also are we in this world."

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20 Pictures of Jesus (Pt 2)

20 Pictures of Jesus (Pt 2) – David Platt

David Platt describes 20 pictures of Jesus.
11. He’s ending
12. He loves his fiercest enemies
13. He’s the Savior King
14. He’s Righteous Judge
15. He’s filled with God the Spirit
16. He’s loved by God the Father
17. He’s the new Adam
18. He’s the true Israel
19. He’s the Light of the World
20. He’s the hope for all nations

Love Just One

Love Just One
By: Francis Frangipane
(En Español)

The Upward Call
It is sad, but many Christians muddy along, hoping for nothing loftier than a short reprieve from sin and self-condemnation. Should the lowliness of our sinful state have veto power over the enormity of God's promises? May it never be! For Scripture assures us that our call, even as lowly as we feel sometimes, is an upward climb that relies upon faith in God's abilities and Christ's redemption. We are not harnessed to our flaws and weaknesses; rather, in spirit-to-Spirit fusion we are united to the resurrection power of Heaven! Our call is not merely to attend church but to walk with God, whose eternal goal has predestined us to be "conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom.8:29).

Yes, let us deeply repent for our sins and learn to walk humbly with our God, but let us not assume faith must depart so humility may arise. No, our adoption as sons and daughters has made us joint heirs with Christ. You see, everything concerning our salvation and the gifts of God in our lives comes to us not as something we attain by works but as an inheritance we receive by faith.

"The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:16-17).

Therefore let us set our hopes high upon the promises of God. Though we fall, the Lord will lift us (Prov.24:16; Micah 7:7-8). God's grace will not wilt because we're weak. In ever-increasing degrees He will work in us conformity to Christ the Redeemer. Let us take faith: God will help us.

The Voice of Love
Let me take our statements of faith further and make our quest for discernment as practical as possible. If we seek to know Christ's motives we will soon perceive His thoughts, for thoughts exist to fulfill motives. Christ's motive for coming to mankind is to reveal the Father's love. If we obtain His motive, we will increasingly hear His thoughts.

Thus, as we seek true discernment, let us make our steps practical by turning our focus upon Christ's love. Indeed, God's Word tells us that "faith work[s] through love" (Gal. 5:6). Our discernment is made more sure as we rest our heads upon Christ's breast and listen to His heart.

Yet I also acknowledge that, for some, to love as Christ has loved us remains an ideal too far to reach. Therefore let's start small and bring this task close to home. Rather than attempting to love everyone, let us reduce our challenge and determine to love just one person. Now I do not mean stop loving family or those you already love. I mean add just one person and love that individual in a greater way.

This person may be a lost neighbor or a backslidden friend; he or she might be a sick acquaintance or an elderly person from church or a child in pain. The Lord will lead you and help you reduce your goal to genuinely loving just one soul.

Come to this experiment without seeking to correct him or her, unless they themselves ask for advice. Pray daily for the individual. And as you listen to the voice of God's love, something inside you will flower and open naturally toward higher realms of discernment. Inspired by God, impulses and ideas born of love will increase in your relationship with others as well, and the knowledge and insights you gain from loving just one will become a natural part of your personality in loving many.

Yes, discernment will grow as you love just one.

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Why Accountability Groups Don’t Work

By Jeremy Myers

I have never been fond of accountability groups. I have been a part of several over the course of my life as a pastor, church member, and seminary student. I always felt like there was something… manipulative about them.

Accountability Groups I Have Been In

Here is my sense of every accountability group I have ever been in: they pretty much only force people to become liars.

Here is my sense of every accountability group I have ever been in: they pretty much only force people to become liars.

Oh sure, maybe the specific sin that the group meets together about is discussed and out in the open, but most often, the other sins are kept hidden and safely locked away. Furthermore, what happens most often in accountability groups is that if a person doesn’t want to talk about his sin, all the accountability group does is make him feel more guilty about it, which then makes him fall into the sin even more. I was in one accountability group where we were dealing with issues of sexual temptation. The group lasted about two years, and we all did pretty good admitting our failures and praying for and encouraging one another. The group fell apart when one of the members got arrested and sent to prison for molesting a young girl. In the two years we met, he never said a word about any such struggle, temptation, or risk he was facing in this area. Not one word.
I was part of a different group a while back, and I recently learned that one of the men in the group is facing the possibility of divorce because of an addiction to pornography which he hid all those years.
I am not judging or condemning these men. What I am saying is that accountability groups don’t “work.” Some people will swear that accountability groups do work, and that every person should be part of one, but I’m just not so sure….
While counseling and accountability groups might be temporarily helpful for some, they do not result in lasting success for the vast majority of people who participate in them.

What Accountability Groups Focus On

Accountability groups usually focus on guilt and peer pressure to modify behavior. There are other behavioral management techniques that are sometimes used as well, but for the most part, there is very little about an accountability group that is overtly “Christians.” Oh sure, the accountability group might pray and talk about the Bible, but in general, there is very little difference between a Christian accountability group and any other form of behavioral management group. And usually what is discovered in these groups is that even IF a person is able to modify one behavior or overcome one addiction, they often fall into some other sort of destructive behavior or addiction, which often makes their overall condition worse than it was before.
When Accountability groups do work, it is often not due to the accountability group itself, or what it is doing, but because the person who experiences “success” stumbled upon some the truly biblical and Christian ways of dealing with sin (which I will explain below).
Here is the main problem though with accountability groups: They cause us to focus on our sin.

Here is the main problem though with accountability groups: They cause us to focus on our sin.

And as any psychologist will tell you, the more you focus on something, even if it is focusing on trying not to do something, the harder it is to not do what you are focusing on. Take the classic example of the “Do Not Touch – Wet Paint” sign. People usually feel no desire to touch walls and railings in public places… .until you put up a sign which says, “Do not touch! Wet Paint!” Then every person walking along the wall feels the strong urge to touch the wall and see if the paint is wet.
So also with our sin. When we walk around all day thinking, “Do not look; do no taste; do not touch” (Col 2:21), we will constantly struggle with urge to look, taste, and touch. This is essentially what Paul is saying in Romans 8:5-7 when he talks about the mind set on fleshly things. If we set our mind on things of the flesh, even if we are setting our mind on not doing things of the flesh, we will face the constant struggle of falling into fleshly things, and will frequently stumble. And then when we do stumble, we often feel so guilty for our failure, that we think to ourselves, “Well, I’am already sinning, I might as well make the most of it. And we plunge headlong into the sin and gorge our fleshly inclinations. I mean, if we have to ask God for forgiveness anyway, we might as well make it count, right?
So this ongoing struggle continues. We try and try and try to not sin. We walk around repeating the mantra to ourselves over and over. “Do not look. Do not taste. Do not touch.” Then we do look, or we do taste, or we do touch, and once we do, we feel so guilty, we can’t face God, we feel like death, and so we decide to just enjoy the sin while we’re in it, but that only makes things worse on us in the long run, until eventually, we feel so filthy and disgusting, and get so angry at ourselves for the way we behaved, we come slinking back to God, begging and crying for forgiveness, and we confess our sin to our accountability group, and they forgive us, and tell us to try harder. And we commit to trying harder.
And for some people, it actually works! But this is the biggest trap of all!

The Biggest Trap of Accountability Groups

Let me be honest. Accountability groups actually “work” for some people. Those who have the most resolve, the greatest discipline, the highest amount of self-control. They can make accountability groups work. And they have all the secrets on how they changed their life and live free from sin. They write the books and preach the sermons and lead the groups. And week after week after week, they announce “success” to their accountability group, and everyone else looks up to them and thinks, “Someday, somehow, I will be just like him — free from sin and temptation.”
Do you see what happens when someone is successful in an accountability group? It turns into self-righteous pride for him, and idolatry for everyone else. The successful person become self-righteous about his success (which is by far the worst sin of all), and often looks down on all the pitiful failures who just cannot gather together the resolve to keep themselves free from sin. Everybody else ends up feeling like more of a failure, because obviously, the accountability group works for some people, and it must be their own weakness, or lack of spirituality, or little faith, or failure to read their Bible and pray enough, or whatever it might be to grant the success that others experience.
This is why accountability groups don’t work, even when they “work.”

So what is the Alternative to Accountability Groups?

You know what the alternative is to accountability groups?
It is one word: love.
We don’t need accountability groups to defeat sin in our lives. We just need to know that sin is already defeated because of God’s love.
We don’ t need to strengthen our resolve. We just need to recognize that no matter what — yes, NO MATTER WHAT — God loves us. He cannot love us any more. God doesn’t wait for us to fix our lives before He loves us. He loved us while we were still sinners (Rom 5:8). And it is not as if God loved us while we were sinners, but once we believe in Jesus to become His children, He only loves us while we remain free from sin. No! He loves us NO MATTER WHAT!
God does not love some future version of you more than how much He loves you right now.

God does not love some future version of you more than how much He loves you right now.

It is not as if God is saying, “Well, I love you about 90% of the time right now, and if you would just stop drinking too much, I would love you 91%.” No! He loves you 100% right now. Whether you sin or not. W Let me put this dangerously. If we are talking about when God loves us more, it may be most accurate to say that God loves us more when we sin. I don’t mean by this that we should go out and sin more so that God can love us more. No, what I mean is that when we recognize we are sinners, and take that sin to God, it is there, in the midst of our sin, that God can show His love to us. You see, when we get caught up in our own self-righteousness, we think we have earned God’s love. We think that the love God is showing us is because of our own goodness.
But God doesn’t love us because of our goodness. He loves us simply because He is love (1 John 4:8).

God doesn’t love us because of our goodness. He loves us simply because He is love (1 John 4:8).

Here is a little exercise I have found to helpful when dealing with sinful tendencies in my own life. When you are facing temptation, and especially when you fall to the temptation and find yourself in the midst of sin, try this: invite God into the sin with you.
I know, I know. This sounds totally contrary to everything church teaches us about God and sin. God can’t be near sin and all that. That’s garbage. As I’ve written previously, the reason God cannot be in the presence of sin is because sin burns away in the raging fire of His love, grace, and forgiveness. So when you are sinning, invite God into it. Here is the type of conversation I have:

“Whoa! How did I get involved in this! Uh-oh. This isn’t good. Hey God! Are you seeing this?”
Yes, Jeremy. I see what’s going on here. 
“Sorry about this.”
It’s all right. I still love you. 
“You do? Don’t you see the filth I just walked into?”
Yep. I see it. I’m here in it with you. I’m not going to abandon you to this sin. I love you and will never leave you. 
“Wow.”
Yeah…. You know, it’s kind of silly how you ended up here. Did you see the steps you took to get here? 
“I saw it. I’ve been down this road a thousand times. I knew what was coming, but I just didn’t care. I’ll be honest, though, I kind of wanted to go down this road.”
I know. And I’ll walk this road a thousand times more if you want. I do appreciate the honesty, though. Always before, you denied any knowledge of how you ended up sinning. At least now you are beginning to recognize it and admit what happened, and talk to Me about it. I like that. 
“I like that too. Thanks. And hey, I’m sorry.”
I forgive you. I have already forgiven you. And I love you. 

You see? All God really wants is to let us know how much He loves us. And this love of God is the one and only thing that will EVER help us gain freedom and victory over sin. It is only when we see how much God loves us that we can invite Him into that sinful space with us, so that He can work within and inside the sin, to show us that His love is greater than any satisfaction or enjoyment we could get from sin. But until we see how much God loves us, we will be to scared of God and of our sin to take our sin to God and have an honest conversation with Him about it.
And look what else is happening. Rather than focusing our mind on things of the flesh, we are focusing our mind on the things of the Spirit, and especially the main truth of the Spirit-filled life, that God loves us and is on our side.
When we focus on sin and trying to overcome sin, it only results in more sin. Never less. Sure, we may gain “victory” over some type of sin, but all we really end up doing is trading one sin for another, and usually the other sin is some sort of religious self-righteousness, which is worse than the sin we started with.

Don’t Turn to an Accountability Group; Turn to God

So when you sin, don’t become guilt-ridden. Don’t beg and plead to God for forgiveness and promise to try harder next time. Don’t make resolves and promises you can’t keep, and even if you can keep them, will only result in self-righteous pride.
And whether you have an accountability group or not, don’t depend on other people to keep you free from sin. You can’t do it, and neither can they! Instead, when you sin, just take it to God. Seriously. Just talk to God about it, and thank Him for His unconditional love and limitless grace.
Until we begin to understand God’s love for us, sin will always cause us to run from God, hide from Him, and keep Him at bay. He doesn’t like this, and neither do we, for it only leads to greater separation from Him, and more sin.
The point of life in Jesus is not to sin less, but to grow in intimacy with God.

The point of life in Jesus is not to sin less, but to grow in intimacy with God.

And the close we get to God, the less likely it is that we will sin, not because we have developed some great inner resolve, but because we will learn that life with God is better than anything that sin and the world can offer. When we allow God into our struggles with us, we are still growing in intimacy with God, even in the midst of our struggles! It is a beautiful, gracious process, so that, in a way, even our sin is redeemed! It is a crazy thing when sin helps push you deeper into the loving and forgiving arms of God.

10 Christian Clichés To Avoid Like the Plague

By Jeremy Myers

There are numerous Christian clichés get people nodding their heads in agreement and saying “Amen!” in sermons, but when you stop to think about them, they are not only meaningless, but also border on heresy. OK, maybe heresy is too strong a word, but at the bare minimum, these Christian clichés are dangerous.

On the surface, many of these Christian clichés appear to be true (some are even quotes from Scripture), but they are almost always used in a damaging and controlling context and teach people some very bad theology.

So don’t say the following Christian clichés

1. Where God guides, God provides. The worst Christian clichés are the ones that rhyme. Like this one. But more than that, the message of this Christian cliché is awful. When people say this, what do they mean by “provide”? Does this refer to money and finances? That is the context in which I have always heard this statement said. So, if this Christian cliché is true, then the only things we should follow God in are the areas where we have money and finances to do it? And even if you do receive lots of money, or lots of people, are you sure this is God’s green light to move forward? It seems from Scripture that God is most often at work in small ways, foolish ways, insignificant ways, and with people who are nobody, and who have no money, no power, and no prestige.
2. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. Hey, it rhymes, so it must be true! Gag me. Maybe God didn’t bring you to it at all, but you brought yourself to it. Or maybe He did bring you to it, but He is not going to bring you through it, because He wants you to sit in it for a while and learn something. And even if He is going to bring you through it, maybe it will take decades.
3. The greatest distance in the universe is the eighteen inches between your head and your heart. This Christian cliché is quite popular, but thankfully it doesn’t rhyme. What people mean when they say it is that following God about more than just what you know; it is about what you do. I suppose this is true at one level, but the fact of the matter is that what we do is most often based on what we think. This is why Paul encourages his readers to “renew their mind” in Romans 12:1-2. The renewal of one’s mind leads to the renewal of actions and behavior.
4. You can’t outgive God! Again, this Christian cliché is almost always said in the context of some call for monetary donations to a building project, a ministry opportunity, or some other fundraising campaign. And while it is true that God is more generous than we can ever imagine, it is not true (as is often taught) that if we give lots of money, God will give us even more money. Don’t give beyond your means to a church or ministry based on this faulty understanding of finances. We can give generously and joyfully, to ministries and people that are serving in the Kingdom of God, but don’t expect that by giving, God will give you greater financial wealth. He probably won’t. 
   
5. We are saved by faith alone but not by a faith that is alone. This is based on a misunderstanding of James 2:14-26. Related to this is the statement that “Even demons believe.” I’m not going to say much about this, because I have written on these Christian clichés elsewhere. Click the links to read more.
6. When God closes a door, He opens a window. What does this even mean? And even if He does open a window, what am I supposed to do? If I wanted to walk through a door to a certain opportunity, and God “opens a window,” does that mean I just get to sit there and look out the window? Am I supposed to crawl out the window? I just don’t get this Christian cliché.
7. Man meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. So, God is in the business of getting evil people to do evil things? I know that Joseph said something like this in Genesis 50:20, but pretty much just like every other verse quoted out of context, we should not understand Joseph to be saying that evil things that happen are good. God never calls evil “good,” and neither should we. Evil is evil. What Joseph meant is similar to what Paul says in Romans 8, that although evil things happen, God can bring good from them, and still accomplish His goal and purposes in our lives despite the evil.
8. Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together. Yes, another Scripture that is quoted a lot. This one comes from Hebrews 10:25. I wrote on this misquoted verse previously as well, and won’t say anything more about it here, except to say that this Christian cliché is often used as a club to beat Christians over the head who are following Jesus by loving and serving others, but who may not “attend church” on Sunday morning in a building with stained glass and a steeple. I don’t think that is what the author of Hebrews had in mind…
9. A Bible that’s falling apart usually belong to someone who isn’t. In my experience, those who have Bibles that are falling apart should just go buy a new one. I have also seen Bibles that were falling apart because they were severely abused by their owners… you know, thrown into duffle bags with the gym clothes and poorly-sealed tupperware container of leftovers. A Bible doesn’t fare well in those situations. But even when Bibles are falling apart because their owner truly does read and study it all the time, many of them are some of the proudest, self-righteous, judgmental Christians I know. Being a Bible expert does not guarantee Christlike behavior.
   Being a Bible expert does not guarantee Christlike behavior.
10. God said it. I believe it. That settles it. In other words, “I just believe the Bible.” Riiiiight. Me too. So when we disagree, who is correct? This Christian cliché is another idea I have written about elsewhere (see this post, for example), but my concern is that when most people say “The Bible says” what they really mean is, “My understanding of the Bible says…” Any Bible student who has read more than two books on any subject in Scripture will be aware that different people read various passages in Scripture in different ways. Settling theological or ethical debates is not a matter of just quoting Scripture.
    Settling theological or ethical debates is not a matter of just quoting Scripture.
    We need to actually understand what the Scripture says in its various contexts, and then bridge the gap between those contexts and our own. In this process, there are thousands of possible ways to go astray, and so in many areas of theology and Christians ethics, what we believe must be held with a degree of humility.

Bonus Christian clichés:

One bonus Christian cliché is that sign to the right…”This is a ch ch. What’s missing? U R.” This Christian cliché always reminds of that sign you see at swimming pools: “Welcome to our  ool. Notice there is no P in the pool. We’d like to keep it that way.” The ironic thing about this church sign is that sitting in a building on Sunday morning doesn’t make you part of the church. In fact, someone can be a fully-devoted follower of Jesus Christ, loving and serving others on a daily basis, but not ever “attend church” yet still be a member of the Body of Christ. Nothing magical happens by sitting in a pew on Sunday morning to sing a few songs and listen to a sermon. I kind of covered this point above already, with the Christian cliché about not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.
“I’ll pray about it.” This isn’t a Christian cliché as much as it something Christians say when they want to get themselves off the hook for their own personal decisions. I remember when I was a director for a Bible camp, and a young male teenager wanted to work as one of my counselors. He asked his dad, and the dad said, “I’ll pray about it.” As his father walked away, the young man looked at me and said, “That means no.” We can’t fool our kids! If you have to make decision, and you want to say “No,” then say “No.” If you want to say “Yes,” then say “Yes.” But don’t blame God for your decisions by using the cop-out Christian cliché “I’ll pray about it.”