Things Jesus Didn’t Say
I think one of my biggest pet peeves is to hear Christians quote things that neither Jesus nor scripture said. Here are my top five things that neither Jesus nor Scripture said:
God will never give you more than you can handle.
Actually Jesus said the opposite. If you were to read John 16, you would hear from Jesus that being a disciple will be very difficult. The promise is instead that we will not go through the trials of life alone. We will have the gift of the Holy Spirit which will provide peace and comfort to use in those trials.
I’ve said these things to you so that you will have peace in me. In the world you have distress. But be encouraged! I have conquered the world.” - John 16:33
America first! (Nationalism Is Okay)
Not only does Jesus not say this, but even our own troops know this to be untrue. They say God THEN country. In Scripture, it makes it clear we are citizens of another Kingdom (Ephesians 2:19-22) and that our mission is global (Matthew 28:19-20). Our ultimate allegiance is not to the country we live in. That is not to say you cannot or should not support your country, but that your priority should be seeking God’s kingdom first. This is also why Christian Nationalism is wrong. A huge conflict of interest arises when a Christian supports nationalism. As a follower of Jesus, you cannot value your country to the exclusion or detriment of another. That’s the opposite of the Gospel.
You get what you deserve.
This statement is probably the most UNCHRISTIAN of all statements because it denies one of the most important principles of our faith. This statement denies grace. United Methodists understand grace as a gift from God, “the undeserved, unmerited, and loving action of God in human existence through the ever-present Holy Spirit.” Jesus never said, “You get what you deserve.” In fact, He taught several times in the New Testament the exact opposite! In Luke 19:1-10, Jesus encounters Zaccheus, a chief tax collector and a very rich man. Jesus has dinner at Zaccheus’ house, which offended the Pharisees and chief priests because Zaccheus was a “sinner.” Jesus then declares, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Learn to love yourself.
Don’t get me wrong as God’s creation I do believe that learning to love yourself is important. However, Jesus taught us that the second-greatest commandment after loving God was to "love your neighbor as yourself," Christ assumed that we already know how to love ourselves. Moreover, Jesus when pressed by the disciples on how to love our neighbor, said in John 15:12 to “love each other just as I have loved you.” How did Christ love us? Well, he gave his life.
Scripture is the total authority.
Both Scripture and Jesus do not teach scripture as the sole infallible source of authority for Christian faith and practice. Sola scriptura (scripture alone) is a formal principle of some Protestant Christian denominations. By contrast, the Protestant traditions of Anglicanism, Methodism and Pentecostalism uphold the doctrine of prima scriptura, with scripture being primary and illumined by tradition and reason. Which is right, sola scriptura or prima scriptura? Well, according to both Scripture and Jesus, I would have to say prima scriptura. In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus repeatedly referred to scripture as he taught, but then added his insight to it. For example, in Matthew 5:21-22 Jesus says, ““You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” Jesus both refers to scripture (what was said to people long ago) and added his personal insight to it. Jesus believed in the importance of Scripture and that it is inspired by God, yet also demonstrated that the Word of God was revealed through more than scripture alone.
This Sunday, February 12th, we will continue the conversation of sola scriptura versus prima scriptura. We will continue our reading of the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus refers to God inspired scripture to teach a new thing. Join us for this conversation in worship at either 8:30 or 10:45 AM.
In God’s grip,
Pastor Chuck Church
