What People Say vs. What Scripture Actually Says

By Pastor Steve Pierce

Many people like to quote scripture. That’s good. But sometimes they get it wrong. And that’s not good. Lets look at a few examples.

• People say: Money is the root of all evil.

• God says: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” (1 Tim 6:10) 

• Money is not evil on its own, but we can use it for evil purposes. It can become an idol and that’s not good.

• People say: It’s bad to be angry.

• God says: “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,” (Eph 4:26)

• Anger is not a sin. But letting it cause you to hurt others or to cause pain is. You must learn to control anger, so it does not control you.

• People say: Man is evil.

• God says: “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.” (Gen 8:21)

• Man is not evil, but all of us have a choice to make. We can follow the evil that can be found in our desires or follow something better. Someone better. Jesus.

• People say: God is mean.

• Bible says: “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8)

• God is love. We only know how to love because of God.

When you hear someone quote scripture, sometimes it’s a good idea to double check they were right. Don’t be afraid to admit you aren’t familiar with a verse when you hear it quoted and then look it up. Learn it correctly and very nicely help others to learn and apply it correctly. Its simple,  “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)