Popular Christian Sayings We Should Stop Using

 “God hates the sin but loves the sinner.” 
The sobering fact of Scripture is that God is so holy and righteous that he really does hate the sinner. Psalm 5:5 clearly states that “The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes;
You hate all who do iniquity.” Again in Psalm 11:5 the psalmist writes and tells us, “The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,
And the one who loves violence His soul hates.” Leviticus 20:23 tells us that “they did all these things, and therefore I have abhorred them.” Hosea 9:15 says, “All their evil is at Gilgal;
Indeed, I came to hate them there!” Over and over again in Scripture we read that God really does hate the sinner but it doesn’t stop with just these clear statements. Many times throughout the biblical history we see God bring destruction on those who work evil. God hates sinners. He is wearied, frustrated, and angry with those who work iniquity. He doesn’t care how you stack up to the worst criminals and murderes in the world. 

It’s imperative that we understand in this that God can in his holy and perfect way hate the sin and the sinner while still be willing to forgive at the moment of true faith in Him and repentance from sin. 1 John 4:8-9 and other passages clearly teach that God is also love and therefore loves the sinner. How can this work? How can God both hate and love sinners? This is the mysterious nature of a perfect God. The fact that God hates sinners should both convict and frighten us. But the fact that God loves the repentant sinner should both comfort and strengthen us.

“God told me to do this/that.” 
The truth is that God really does speak to us, but he doesn’t speak to us through special revelation outside of His Word. With the influx of Pentecostal beliefs in our day I am convinced that much of what we attribute to God’s speaking to us is really our own inward musings. There is not much more you can do to one-up your Christian brother than to imply that God somehow conversed with you in a special way that your friend was not privy to. God does speak to you but He does so through His revealed Word. To say (or even imply) that God has somehow given you a direction that no one else was able to receive strikes against the very foundation of a belief in a completed cannon of Scripture. 

“I have an unspoken.” 
I think it’s time that we just let this phrase retire completely. The phrase is used to keep hidden things hidden from people we are supposed to be transparent to. Usually when this phrase is used we aren’t told who the request is for, what’s wrong, or even what is hoped for. The other Christians in the room are simply asked to pray for something that they have no idea about. Part of the purpose of praying in groups, is that we make our requests to known to God together. James 5:16-17 clearly states, “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other.” This verse does not tell us to conceal or put a face on. If you can’t tell your Christian friends about your needs than why bring it up at all. 

Posted by Caleb