Towards the end of 2020, I felt a strong pull to get closer to Christ. I wanted to build a relationship with God. The Holy Spirit began to convict me of many sins I was not ready to let go of during that time. However, I told myself that if I wanted to get closer to God, I must pray and read the Bible. I challenged myself to read from Genesis to Revelation. I was not expecting the word of God to come alive and activate gifts inside of me that I never knew were there.
Although the spiritual gifts were such a wonderful surprise, I was bothered by how many things I was taught growing up that I didn’t see in the Bible. Teaching false truths reveals who learns the Bible for themselves and who goes by word of mouth.
1. EVE ATE AN APPLE
Genesis 3:6 says, “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” The Bible does not tell us what kind of fruit – just that they ate the fruit of the tree.
2. ALL SINS ARE EQUAL
No scripture in the Bible says “no sin is greater than the next” or “all sins are equal.” The Bible does say in James 2:10, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”
3. GOD FORGIVES ALL SINS
God indeed forgives all sins, but there is one unforgivable sin… “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 12:31-32, Mark 3:28-30)
4. THIS TOO SHALL PASS
Believers often say, “The Bible says, ‘This too shall pass.'” This saying is nowhere in the Bible. This saying is just a friendly reminder that storms don’t last forever.
5. ANGELS HAVE WINGS
The Bible does not say that angels have wings. Angels are described as angelic spiritual beings who resemble humans. They are thought to be “terrifying” to look at since they often say to humans “Do not fear.” It is not to say that the idea of wings is wrong, but the Bible doesn’t say angels have them. However, it does say that the cherubim and seraphim have wings. (Exodus 25:20, Isaiah 6:2)
6. GOD IS AGAINST THERAPY
The Bible does not say we cannot seek help from sources other than God. While it is true not everybody needs therapy, some of us do. The Bible does not oppose wise counsel. It is perfectly fine to seek Jesus and a therapist.
7. Money is the root of all evil
1 Timothy 6:10 reads, “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” The “love” of money is the root of all evil, not money itself.
8. SEVEN DEADLY SINS IN THE BIBLE
Pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth are sins in the Bible but are not categorized as the “7 deadly sins.” That myth was made up by Roman Catholic theology.
9. DEFEATED FOE
A “defeated foe” is nowhere in the Bible. However, I do understand why believers call Satan that.
10. AGE ACCOUNTABILITY
Nowhere in the Bible says that anyone under age 12 is exempt from sin or judgment. That’s like telling a 10-year-old child who has murdered someone, “It’s fine. Just be sure to commit your sins before your 12th birthday.” The Bible clearly says we are born sinners (Psalm 51:5), and all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Neither age nor disabilities exempt us from sin or judgment. Stop telling children that lie, leading them astray. “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6).
11. KING DAVID WROTE THE BOOK OF PSALMS
King David is not the only author of Psalms. The other authors include Asaph, the sons of Korah, Heman the Ezrahite, Solomon, Moses, and Ethan the Ezrahite. The rest of the authors are anonymous.
12. Jesus’ birthday is December 25th (Christmas Day)
This one may seem obvious, but some people believe this. The Bible does not tell us Jesus’s birthday is December 25th. Christmas is a pagan holiday. Nowadays, people mostly celebrate it for gift exchanging and spending time with loved ones. We should celebrate and praise Jesus every day!
13. THE THREE WISE MEN
“And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11). The Bible doesn’t say there were three wise men. It says three gifts.
14. THE WORD TRINITY
There are three (The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit). Jesus informs us that he and the Father are one (John 10:30). He also informs us about the Holy Spirit, “God’s Spirit” (John 14:16-18). The word “trinity” is nowhere in the Bible.
15. WOMEN CAN’T PREACH
This one isn’t much of a myth. The idea that women cannot preach comes from 1 Corinthians 14:34, “the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak but should be in submission, as the Law also says.” Other verses include, (1 Corinthians 11:1-16 and 1 Timothy 2:12). I love how the website below interpreted this topic. Click the highlighted link to read the full article.
As with most scripture, some people will take it out of context or use it to feed their self-righteous ego. Concluding, “It’s in the Bible.” Yes, it is. The point is, during those times, it was prohibited, but time continues to evolve. If God can use a donkey to speak to someone (Numbers 22:28-31), then a woman can exercise her God-given spiritual gifts. Times change, and God’s word remains the same.
“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever, and this word is the good news that was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:24-25).
16. That is from man, not god
I cringe when I hear people say things like, “Paul (or others in the Bible) said that, not God.” The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:16,
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” (KJV)
Another version says,
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (ESV)
If it had not been for these “people” in the Bible, we wouldn’t even know about Jesus or God’s existence. Neither God nor Jesus has their own “Book” in the Bible. We only know about them because of those who shared their testimonies and from witnesses.
When you read the Bible for yourself, you will probably have to unlearn what you were taught and relearn what it actually says. There are said to be texts and books removed from the Bible, which is kind of scary because there is a warning about this found in the last chapter of Revelation,
“For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19).