Unfortunately, many Christians do not follow Jesus’ teachings as they should. This is something that has been going on for centuries and it gives a bad name to Jesus. Not only does it hurt other believers, but it can also push unbelievers away from coming to know the Lord.
This is why it is important that we bring awareness around these issues and address them. We do not need to be passive or to see this as something that does not matter.
The truth is that these things do matter. Christians should not say things that Jesus never would. If a Christian does this, it shows their lack of growth in the Lord as well as their lack of maturity. As believers, we do not need to ever say something that Jesus would not endorse.
If we have seen that it is easy for us to say things that Jesus would never say, it is time to repent of these words and choose to honor Jesus with our words instead of dishonoring Him. Here are four things that Christians like to say that Jesus never would.
1. It’s Not That Bad
One thing Christians like to say that Jesus never would is that “it’s not that bad.” I have heard these words more times than I can count over the course of my life.
Whenever you share things, you are struggling with and the person replies with, “It’s not that bad,” it invalidates your struggles and pain.
It also makes you feel even worse about your situation. It can make you feel as though nobody cares about you. This can cause a multitude of pain and anguish to befall the person who was vulnerable enough to share their feelings.
If a Christian has said, “It’s not that bad” to you and it really hurts you, know that Jesus would never say this to you. This kind of statement would never cross the Lord’s mind. He would completely validate your pain and comfort you in your time of distress.
Rather than making you feel bad, Jesus would walk with you through your pain. He is our Good Shepherd and He will always make sure we know we are loved (Psalm 23). Even though other Christians have made this hurtful statement, rest assured that Jesus would never say this to you.
2. Follow Your Heart
“Follow your heart” is another thing Christians like to say that Jesus never would. The idea to follow your heart is not biblical. The Bible tells us that our hearts are evil as Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
As this Bible verse tells us, our hearts are wicked. We cannot simply follow our hearts because they will lead us into sin, evil, and wickedness. Many Christians may have thought it was helpful to tell us to follow our hearts, but it is not helpful in any sense.
If we follow our hearts, it could lead us far from God. Especially for young believers or those leaving for college. They do not need to be told to follow their hearts because it is teaching them something that is not biblical.
Instead, Christians need to be telling each other to follow Jesus. This will be much more beneficial to all believers because we will be obeying God and glorifying Him in our actions.
Jesus would never tell us to follow our hearts. He would not tell us this because He knows how wicked our hearts are. He can see the state of our hearts even though we cannot. The Lord wants us to follow the knowledge that He has given us in the Bible.
The Bible contains everything we need to know and through its pages, we can see what Jesus actually says. Despite some believers might say “follow your heart” in a good way, it is not something that Jesus would say to anyone.
3. If You Do What’s Right, You Will Be Blessed
A third thing Christians like to say that Jesus never would is “If you do what’s right, you will be blessed.” This is also a phrase I heard many times, which has no biblical basis. The truth is that if you do what’s right, it does not mean you will be blessed.
It is also important to question what you mean when you say “blessed.” Is it blessed in the sense of being given the joy of the Lord in your life or material blessings? Sadly, when most believers say this, they are referring to the latter.
Christians need to recognize that just because someone has plenty of finances, a huge house, and an expensive car does not mean they have been blessed by God.
In the same way, just because a person is struggling in life does not mean that God is frowning upon them. Jesus would never tell us that if we do what is right, we will be blessed with all sorts of material blessings.
Rather, He said that we have to be willing to give up everything to follow Him (Luke 14:33). Luke 14:33 alone is a direct contradiction to the saying, “If you do what’s right, you will be blessed.” If someone has told you in the past this unhelpful saying, know it is not true.
Christians who make this statement are not fully understanding the Bible nor are they fully understanding God Himself. If a person truly knew God and spent time with Him, they would not make unhelpful comments such as this one.
The next time you hear these words, “If you do what’s right, you will be blessed,” educate them on what the Bible actually says. Nowhere does God say that if a person is struggling it means that they are not faithfully following Him.
In the same way, just because a person has a vast amount of material possessions does not mean they are blessed.
4. If Something Bad Happened, It’s Because of Sin in Your Life
A fourth thing Christians like to say that Jesus never would is, “If something bad happened, it’s because of sin in your life.” This statement could not be further from the truth. Just because something bad happened does not mean it is because of sin in your life.
Bad things happen because there is sin in the world. Ever since the Fall of Man, sin has entered the world, and it will not be eradicated until God makes all things new.
Since this is true, we know that bad things will continue to happen in the world until the creation of the New Heaven and New Earth.
However, just because bad things happen does not mean it was anything you did. All of us sin and we are fallen (Romans 3:23). If something bad happened every time we sinned, we would be having bad things happening all the time.
Jesus would never say this statement because it is simply not true. He would be quick to tell us that bad things happen in your life because of living in a fallen world.
The Lord would not blame you for the bad things happening in your life. Instead, He would wrap you in the comfort of His love.
Sadly, many people have made unhelpful comments to us, but we can combat these false sayings with the Bible. Whenever someone says something to you that you know Jesus never would tell them what Jesus would actually think of the matter.
Pull up a Bible verse or a direct passage in the Bible and show them what the Lord actually says on the matter. Hopefully, as more Christians learn about the Bible and grow in their relationship with Christ, they will stop saying things that Jesus never would.
For further reading:
Jesus Is Not Who We Think He Is
Jesus on Adultery: It’s More Controversial Than You Think
What Did Jesus Mean by ‘I Have Given You Authority to Trample on Snakes’?
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