Source.

5 Things Christians Should Stop Saying

1. "It was a God thing."

We say this to give God credit for something He has done and to deflect any attention from ourselves. The problem, however, is that biblically no single event is ever a "God thing". Rather, all things are by Him, through Him and for Him (Colossians 1:15-20). To say something was a "God thing" seems to draw lines of distinction between what God is and is not involved in that Scripture itself does not draw. I rarely hear anyone use this phrase when speaking of a particularly difficult or trying or devastating circumstance. We generally apply it only to the victories. The truth is, all of those are His things.

2. "God showed up in the end."

We say this to put the power of God on display - to show that His will was accomplished and He came out victorious. The problem, however, is that it represents pretty narrow thinking on our part. The truth is that God doesn't just show up for us in the end - He walks with us from the very beginning. Faith doesn't just celebrate the outcomes of God's involvement in our issues, it learns to see and savor His presence in the midst of them. It demands we trust Him in the process, no matter the outcome, believing that whatever He may allow to unfold He has both orchestrated from the beginning and planned to be glorified through in the end.

3. "God will never give you more than you can handle."

We say this to encourage people who are going through difficult circumstances and to ensure them they are strong enough to handle it. The problem, however, is that this passage (1 Corinthians 10:13) actually teaches there will be times we find ourselves in situations we can't handle and that in those times the only way out is through Him. God's intent in this is never to push us away from Him but always to pull us into greater depths of intimacy with Him, so that we might know on an entirely new level that His grace is sufficient for us and His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

4. "Where two or more are gathered..."

We say this to reassure ourselves that God hears our prayers or to justify why we don't attend church. The misapplications are endless. Examples: Where two or more are gathered...there's Church, or God will agree with us in prayer, or the Holy Spirit is among us. The context of this passage (Matthew 18:20) depicts the appropriate measures to be taken in administering church discipline - it's not a description of Sunday's service or Wednesday night's prayer meeting. It's true that God is among us - always (see #2). It's also true that Church is more than just a few people hanging out, and God can still be with you if you are all alone.

5. "The Bible says don't judge."

We say this for obvious reasons - we don't want anyone to call us out. The problem, however, is that Jesus never says don't hold each other in the Body of Christ accountable to truth and righteousness and holiness - He actually commands that we do, but with humility and integrity (Matthew 7:1-5). We tend to have it backwards (see 1 Corinthians 5:9-13) - we point fingers at "those sinners" outside the Church but excuse and brush under the rug the sins within. We have a responsibility to call the speck out of our brothers' and sister's eyes - this is love; but not to the detriment of recognizing the log in our own - this is integrity. Let's not hide our sin behind the misapplication of this statement and miss out on the grace God wants to show us through it.

Interesting list. What do you think of it, and do you think there should be any additions? Discuss.

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6. "Because the Bible said so."

This phrase pushes people away rather than draw them in.
It also makes me laugh.

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AGREED!

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"I know the Bible is true because the Bible told me so."

#BecausetheBiblesaidso

2491236 I like the 5th one because I call people out all the time

2491236 I never say these things...

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7: Saying "He/she is in a better place now".

Assuming that a deceased being is in said better place is an arrogant authorization. After all, none of us know who's in heaven and who isn't.

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Oh, and:

#8 Saying: "Well you'll know I'm right when you're burning in Hell."

This statement makes people laugh because it proves that you can't argue worth a damn. It's THE single most defensive thing a Christian can say in a debate.

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"Well you'll know I'm right when you're burning in Hell."

That seems more of jerk move rather than a defensive thing to say. Have you ever had the pleasure of being told that?

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Absolutely, I didn't respond, just wasn't worth the effort.

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I've heard it a lot for disagreeing with other Christians too, unfortunately.

technically, number 4 applies to whenever you pray, because god is everywhere, so thus, he is with you, and by that logic two are gathered.

2491236 here's another one.

God needs more angels

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I've never heard that one before.

Can't really say I've heard #8 or #9 before.

2491400 haven't heard much from you in a while

About #3. The bible also says that we as humans are incapable of dong anything without him

2491968 I've had a lot on my mind lately.

2491894 ha was listenin ti AIR1 and this lady lost her baby and one of her friends said "God needs more angels"

2491309 Yes!

2491236 I think there are some good things about this list, and some of the things people have added here, but I have a bit of an issue with #1 because I think there are lots of things that are not "God things," especially the really horrible things that happen in our lives. I understand that many people see all circumstances as coming from God, but I think that there are many times when living in a world that's fallen, with people that have free will (and being someone with free will), and an actual enemy of our souls roaming around can throw all kinds of things at us that are not God things. So to make a differentiation and say, "This circumstance is from God and this is not," is a good thing.

To say something was a "God thing" seems to draw lines of distinction between what God is and is not involved in that Scripture itself does not draw.

I'd argue that Scripture does draw that distinction.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10)

When something is being stolen from me, destroyed, or killed in my life, I can be confident that these are not "God things." But when the abundant life that Jesus brought causes something--anything--to happen in my life, I can call that a "God thing" because it is distinct. It's special. It's something that would not be in my life without my relationship with God.

I don't actually use the phrase, but I think the idea behind it is valid. By making no distinction between what comes to us from God and what does not, we set ourselves up to live in a world where God never needs to intervene, His promises can go unfulfilled, and our prayers to Him can go unanswered. Because an unanswered prayer is just as much a "God thing" as an answered one. And I can relate to how tempting that way of thought can be, because a lot of terrible things will happen to most of us if we live any length of time in this world at all. We will lose people we love. We will get depressed. We will be cheated and betrayed by people we trusted. Sickness and death will attack us. And calling all of those "God things" as well invests them with meaning. But I think a better way of looking at it is that God can bring good out of those things when they happen, but they are not "God things" by themselves. The kind of suffering and hardship comes from living in a creation that has been torn out of the hands of God. We could call it a "world thing" I guess (or even a "Satan thing" sometimes), but the God thing comes when God reaches into the situation and intervenes.

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I really don't have a problem with those phrases. I guess it's a question of interpretation.

For example, I don't think when someone says 'It was a God thing', they mean that God wasn't in the others. Just that God helped them through this thing.

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That's a great one, because even though the Bible says a lot, there's also often a perfectly logical or deep empathy-related explanation to most of the rules given in it, like its rules against promiscuous sex, so it's always good to research why the Bible says so to begin with. Too many Christians these days don't research the "why", and thus often either look like they are making the rules up to many, and in other cases, abandon the biblical principles because they mistakenly assume there is no real reason.

2491236 I can honestly say that I've never said any of those things to anypony.

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"Well now we know who/what YOUR God is!"

I got told this one last night. This is a really annoying thing to be told as an atheist. It's usually followed up by "money!" or "yourself!". Sorry, but if you don't have one, then you don't have one.

Also, thanks for looking into my heart over the internet with your superpowers. While you were in there, did you find any murmurs I should know about?