Things NOT found in the Bible, part 3   Introduction When I first became a Christian back in 2001, I would try to discuss the bible with people at work and share what I learned by reading the scriptures. I’d inquire what church people go to, and their beliefs, and in the other the conversation usually concluded with the phrase; “You believe what you want to believe, and I’ll believe what I want to believe.” The way people say that, or the other phrase, “It doesn’t matter what church you go to, we all worship the same God,” makes me want to find those phrases in the bible. Hint: They’re not in there! These phrases, that people use, as if quoting scripture, is basically a way of telling me that this conversation is over and you won’t convince me that your way is right. Let’s see what the bible has to say in regards to these phrases.   What I believe First, let’s look at the phrase, “You believe what you want to believe, and I’ll believe what I want to believe.” As I st

  Things NOT found in the Bible, part 2   Introduction Growing up as a child of the 70s, one of the phrases I seemed to hear a lot is, “Money is the root of all evil”. Naturally, it is used in regards to someone being obsessed with it or deep in debt. However, when you really think about how we use it daily, the question to ask is, Is money evil?   What does the Bible Say? Normally, I would save this statement for later in the article but I’m sure, by now, that you’ve figured out that there is a similar verse in the bible. In 1 Timothy 6:10, the apostle Paul writes, For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.   In this verse, you will notice two things different from the statement above. First, Paul says the “love of money” not just money. Second, he states it’s the “root of all kinds of evil” not every form of evil. So, we can conclude that using mo

  Things NOT found in the Bible, part 1   Series Introduction Over the next several weeks we’re going to ask the question, “Is that in the Bible?” We’ll look at some things that people think are in the bible and then we’ll look at some things that people may not have realized are in the bible. This first group are things that you won’t find in the bible.   Introduction Many statements people have made over the years they claim come from the bible; usually by saying, “That’s in the bible!” But when challenged, they couldn’t tell you where it’s found in the scriptures. One of the things that I’ve learned, early on when I became a Christian, is to demand book, chapter, and verse for the things that we believe in. If it is in scriptures, they should be able to show you where it is.   Wash Your Hands One of the first things we’re taught as children is to wash our hands before a meal. Even if we didn’t play outside, or get dirt on them, our mothers would tell us to get