Common Misconceptions about the Bible

Self Righteousness

Many people believe that the Bible teaches it's desciples to have a self righteous spirit, while condemning others. Jesus taught the exact opposite. In the book of Matthew chapter 23, Jesus exposed the hypocracy of those who were being 'religious' and acting perfect. These people were the Pharisee's and the Sadducees. He explained that those religious teachers were only doing good things to get the attention of others around them, and to get praised. In verse 28, he said "...ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." (Matthew 23:28)

In the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul said "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one". (Romans 3:10) He continues to say "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). If any claim to be perfect because of their religious works, the Word of God says otherwise. "...let God be true, but every man a liar" (Romans 3:4).

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isaiah 64:6).

Jesus Loves Perfect People

Another common misunderstanding, is that God and Jesus love perfect people, and hate sinners. The Bible actually teaches that Jesus loves the entirety of the world. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son" (John 3:16)

As stated above, Jesus spent a lot of his time pointing out the wrong teachings and behaviors of those Pharisees and Saudducees. Alongside that, he spent a good amount of time with the sinners. Not that he was partaking in sinful activity, but he wanted to teach and show love to those who needed it most.

In the synoptic gospels, Jesus sat and ate with sinners and tax collectors. In which the Pharisees condemned. "And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.... for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Matthew 9:11-13)

"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10) One of the most important parts about the Gospel, is that Jesus died to save sinners. So many people try to complicate such a simple message by adding a false narative. "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." (Romans 5:6) ... "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8

Jesus Was Created by God

Most people hear that Jesus was the Son of God, and automatically think that Jesus was a created being. One of the most important things we can understand and grasp from the Bible, is that Jesus is God manifest in the flesh. "Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. (John 8:58) To the Pharisees and Saudducees, Jesus was making a very straight forward claim. He was stating that he was around since before Abraham, who was born at least 2000 years before Jesus.

Not only was Jesus claiming to be around 2000 years before he was born, "Before Abraham was, I am." In the book of Exodus, when God appeared to Moses in the burning bush. Moses asked what he should call God when he speaks to the Israelites. "And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you." (Exodus 3:14). I Am was not a statement that Jesus was saying, it was a title that he was using, quoting the Old Testament scriptures that the Pharisees and Saudducees studied daily.

The Gospel of John chapter one explains that Jesus was there since the beginning and without him nothing would have been made. "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:3). It also gives a clear example when read on, "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.... And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us" John 1: 10-11 and 14

You Can Earn Heaven

The most commonly mistaken bit of information among most denominations of Christianity today, is that you can work your way into heaven. If you start a conversation with somebody, and ask them if they know they are going to heaven or not, most people will say one of three things.

• "I hope so."
• "Of course, I'm a good person."
• "Because of the things I've done, heaven doesn't seem possible."

But the Bible was written so that you may know for sure where you will end up when you die. "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:13).

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16). The Bible states that those who believe on Jesus, and the work that he completed on the cross, will have everlasting life. Not based on our own works, but based on the work of Jesus. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Heaven's standards are perfection, and God is a Holy and perfect judge. "For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king, he will save us. (Isaiah 33:22). If our righteousness is filthy rags, how is it that we can make it into heaven? "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that dililgently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6).

It is His grace that saves us, which is obtained through faith. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:14). There is only one instruction to make it into heaven. The rest of the commandments just show us how dirty our rags really are, like a mirror, and why we need him.

Visit Our Church