{"id":32428,"date":"2022-09-10T16:09:12","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/9-sayings-that-could-use-a-fact-check\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T16:09:12","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:09:12","slug":"9-sayings-that-could-use-a-fact-check","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/9-sayings-that-could-use-a-fact-check\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Sayings That Could Use a Fact Check"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Aaron Wilson<\/em><\/p>\n

Here are nine sayings Christians often get wrong about the Bible. These aren\u2019t heretical statements; they\u2019re just a few clich\u00e9s that could use a fact check. How many of these expressions have you heard?<\/p>\n

1. \u201cDavid killed Goliath with just a sling and a stone.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The ending of this popular story is more graphic than most storybook Bibles suggest. Yes, David\u2019s stone makes Goliath fall to the ground. However, 1 Samuel 17:51 suggests the killing may have resulted from the blow of the rock and<\/em> David cutting off Goliath\u2019s head with the giant\u2019s sword.<\/p>\n

If you think of David being a precursor to Jesus and how Christ defeated Satan through His death on the cross, there\u2019s theologically rich foreshadowing found in David using one of the enemy\u2019s own weapons to defeat him.<\/p>\n

2. \u201cWhen Christ returns, the lion shall lie down with the lamb.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While lions and lambs make for good alliteration, Isaiah 11:6 actually puts a wolf and lamb side by side. There\u2019s a lion in the passage also, but it\u2019s paired with a cow. The grouping of animals doesn\u2019t really affect the theology of this passage, but inserting Saint Nicholas into the mix? Now, that might be taking some liberties with the text.<\/p>\n

3. \u201cThe last book of the Bible is Revelations.\u201d <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Unlike Psalms and Proverbs, which are collections of writings, the last book of the Bible doesn\u2019t have a title that\u2019s plural. Instead, the book goes by the name, Revelation (with no \u201cs\u201d at the end). It\u2019s one long, connected, revelation\u2014given from God to John on the island of Patmos.<\/p>\n

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4. \u201cNo prophet arises from Galilee.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This phrase was uttered by the Pharisees in John 7:52 to discredit Jesus. Although the Pharisees were dead wrong about the deity of Christ, most Bible students probably assume these religious experts knew their stuff regarding the Old Testament.<\/p>\n

However, a fact check reveals the prophet Jonah was a Galilean, coming from a small town of Gath-hepher near Nazareth (2 Kings 14:25). The Pharisees must have missed the Jonah session of their Old Testament survey class.<\/p>\n

5. \u201cWise men presented gifts at Jesus\u2019 birth.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This one\u2019s going to completely throw off the balance of your nativity set, but there were actually no wise men or magi giving gifts at Jesus\u2019 birth. Rather, the wise men appeared later in the story when Jesus\u2019 family had already moved into a house. There\u2019s also no mention of there being only three wise men, just three categories of gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.<\/p>\n

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See also  The Power of the Ordinary Moments<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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6. \u201cPaul wrote most of the New Testament.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Paul may have written more books than any other New Testament writer, but by sheer word count, the honor goes to Luke whose Gospel and sequel in Acts take up the largest chunk of the New Testament. Luke was also a doctor, so it appears he kept pretty busy.<\/p>\n

7. \u201cOnly those who trust in Christ will be resurrected from the dead.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Christians aren\u2019t the only ones who will be resurrected. Instead, John 5:28-29 states that all<\/em> humans will be resurrected at Christ\u2019s return. The redeemed will be resurrected to a glorious state; the lost will be resurrected to a state of ever-lasting torment. Knowing that all people will experience eternity in bodily form makes Heaven all the more desirable and Hell all the more hideous.<\/p>\n

8. \u201cThe four Gospels record the parables of Jesus.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Well, not all the Gospels. While the synoptic gospels\u2014Matthew, Mark, and Luke\u2014contain more than 35 of Jesus\u2019 parables, you won\u2019t find a single parable in John\u2019s gospel.<\/p>\n

9. \u201cSaul became Paul at his conversion.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The story of Saul becoming Paul makes for a popular account, but Acts 13:9 only records that Saul was also\u00a0known as Paul<\/em>. It doesn\u2019t specify that these two names separated his life before and after salvation.<\/p>\n

In fact, the name Saul is still used in Scripture after his conversion in Acts 9 and in several chapters that follow. However, it\u2019s worth noting that the name Paul is used exclusively in all of the apostle\u2019s epistles.<\/p>\n

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Aaron Wilson<\/h2>\n

@AaronBWilson26<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Aaron is associate editor of LifewayResearch.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n