April 8, 2025 • 10 mins
Ray, E.Z., Mark, and Oscar examine phrases often mistaken for biblical truths and verses taken out of context, emphasizing the need to rely on God rather than self-reliance. They discuss misconceptions such as “God helps those who help themselves,” highlighting that Christianity is about dependence on God, not personal effort. They also address the misinterpretation of “God won’t give you more than you can handle,” explaining that God often allows overwhelming situations to draw believers closer to Him. Other topics include the misquoted “Money is the root of all evil” (which actually warns against the love of money), the difference between fleeting happiness and true joy in Christ, and the misunderstood command to “judge not,” which actually calls for righteous judgment. They conclude that God works through every circumstance to transform believers into the likeness of Christ, using even hardships for His purpose.
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Learn more about the hosts of this podcast.
Ray Comfort
Emeal (“E.Z.”) Zwayne
Mark Spence
Oscar Navarro
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Today we're talking about that's not in the Bible,
examining verses that don'texist, but we'll also talk about
verses that are taken out ofcontext, that I mean almost are
not verses and that they aremisapplied, and so yeah.
So yeah, all right, thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Thank you for joining us.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
I would like to be joining us friends, I think this
is an important subject because, as a new Christian, I remember
sitting there.
I was about three days old andI had a Bible on my lap.
It was a huge Bible.
I thought I want to conquerthis.
I want to be able to say that'snot in the Bible.
After 50 years I haven'tconquered it.
There's so many verses Ihaven't even understand as I
understand or got to in a sense,like Leviticus and stuff like
(00:43):
that.
But when someone says God helpsthem, that help themselves, I
want to be able to say that isnot in the Bible, because that's
the basis of Catholicism Godwill help you.
After all, you can do Same withMormons and it's a deception
and so we need to know what'snot in the Bible.
I mean for those who don'tunderstand the principle it's
(01:03):
easy to know what's in the Bible.
I mean for those who don'tunderstand the principle.
It's easy to know what's in theBible Jesus wept I know that
verse, so you can say that is inthe Bible, but to say it's not
in the Bible you need to knowthe whole of scripture, right?
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Well, I would say this would be at the top of the
list.
When you guys, in terms ofverses that people don't know,
the word think must be in theword.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
And you hear it quoted here and there from time
to time.
But let's break some of thesedown.
Obviously we don't just want tosay, okay, that's not in the
Bible, but let's talk about theunbiblical element of God.
Helps those who help themselvesPsalm 121.2,.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and
earth, and Romans 5.6,.
For while we were still weak atthe right time, christ died for
the ungodly.
God does not help those whohelp themselves.
The fact is, we can't helpourselves.
You don't understand how deadyou are in your sins and your
trespasses.
(01:55):
Christianity is this great bigjourney of realizing that
Christianity is nothing like theworld, and it is a continual
cry out to God for help.
It's not a moment by moment.
I got this one.
I got this one.
You know I didn't need youtoday.
Maybe next week you know, thisis an easy one.
(02:16):
Somebody who is self-reliant isnot a praying person, you know.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
I learned that from Ray.
I like that.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
You know, are you?
I remember asking Ray one timeare you nervous when you pray or
when you open your preach?
And he said he goes.
Yeah, you know, but a nervousman is a praying man, right?
Otherwise, what is the pointand the purpose of having the
Lord instead of our lives?
We need him.
We are so reliant upon him.
I've often said that we needhim more than our lungs need
(02:44):
oxygen or relying upon him.
I've often said that we needhim more than our lungs need
oxygen or more than our veinsneed blood.
Moment by moment, day by day iswhen we need him.
There's nothing we can do.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
That's why Christ came, because we couldn't help
ourselves.
Yeah, you know, there's aprayer.
I pray when I'm feeling nervouswhen I'm about to do something,
especially in ministry, and it'sthis that's when you go, but it
says lord, please remove anyunnecessary nervousness oh,
that's good, and I say thatspecifically because whatever
necessary nervousness I need tohave to keep me dependent on him
, even though, like in my flesh,I don't want it.
(03:19):
But but I never want to get toa place where I'm just like, yep
, here we, and it's like nodependence on the Lord no crying
out to the Lord.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
You ever found that you're alone in a pulpit,
without God's help?
Boy you can feel that it's likea nightmare.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
I feel like that happens to me 30 seconds before
preaching every time, like Ithink about all the ways I
relied on myself rather than himin my prep work and I'm like,
oh Lord, help me, I need you now.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
I think the phrase God helps those who helps
themselves.
I think the reason why peopleare gravitating towards that
phrase is because they wantself-discipline and
responsibility, and certainlythe modern man lacks discipline
and responsibility.
But the phrase is fundamentallyunbiblical for the reasons that
you just said.
(04:04):
It was Mark.
The gospel teaches us that Godhelps the helpless, that we
cannot save ourselves, thatsalvation is entirely of grace.
In other words, God doesn'tjust offer help, he rescues the
powerless, and his grace willcertainly allow us or motivate
us to live in a responsible way.
I love to explain it like thisthe gospel is not a life raft
(04:29):
out to a drowning man.
The gospel is a lung full ofair to the man who's already
drowned.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Wow, money is the root of all evil.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
This has got to be up there with one of the top ones.
So many people quote that Moneyis the root of all evil.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
They blame the money.
Blame the money.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
It's like we've got a litter problem.
No, we don't.
We have a lazy people problem,not a litter problem.
Don't blame the litter.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
So what's the verse really say, ray?
What the love, oh, the love ofmoney is the root of all evil.
All kinds of evil, as themodern versions say.
King James says of all evil.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Why is that, Mark?
Why is the love of money theroot of all evil?
Well, it's a snare, isn't it?
It promises things that don'tnecessarily deliver.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
This is, I think, a really hard one for American
Christians to listen to andunderstand, because the comfort
life, the good life, is an idolto us.
We want comfort, we want a goodlife, we want experience.
It's like how could not not bethe precipice of everything that
we are trying to accomplish, tobe able to look at somebody and
(05:39):
say God is more interested inyour holiness than your
happiness.
It's, it's discomforting, right, but it's ultimately true.
God is interested.
As someone else once said, he'smore interested in your
character than your comfort.
God means to make you more likewho you were designed to be,
more like his son, and his sonhimself experienced persecution
(06:02):
and suffering and even death onthe cross.
And so if that's true, then howmuch more?
Why wouldn't we expect toexperience suffering in this
world?
But if our focus, if our NorthStar, is happiness, we're going
to be disappointed in this lifeas a Christian and not as a
Christian, because life isuncomfortable in this fallen
(06:23):
state.
But the promise of the gospelis that one day you will
experience true joy, no morediscomfort in heaven, and until
then, the goal of God in yourlife is to make you more like
his son.
He's more interested in yourholiness than he is in your
happiness.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
I think it's summed up in the scripture riches
profit not in the day of wrath,but righteousness delivers from
death.
That's what we should beseeking to make sure we have the
righteousness of Christ on theday of wrath.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
And therefore it's possible to be joyful and not
happy.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
That's possible, right and so what I was going to
get to earlier is inside ofRay's book.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
God has a Wonderful Plan for your Life.
He talks about how, on April12th 1912, is the date Titanic
went down.
Whenever, right around thattime, you think of the people
inside the lifeboats and they'relooking at their family go down
in the North Atlantic, downinto this icy grave.
If you were to stop everything,freeze, frame the event and
interview the people inside thelife raft and say, aren't you
(07:21):
happy?
It's like, well, there's a joythat's inexpressible in that you
know that you're saved, butdon't, I can't say that I'm
happy as I see my loved ones andmy friends that I just made die
right before my eyes.
You know I wasn't happy when Isaw certain things inside my
life right, I'm not happy inthose, but I have a joy.
I have a joy and I have acertainty that God is at work
(07:45):
and he is working all thingstogether for my good, amen.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
I think Peter captured it.
Well, you know, 1 Peter, 1, andthis you greatly rejoice,
though now, for a little while,if need be, you have been
grieved by various trials thatthe genuineness of your faith,
being much more precious thangold that perishes though it is
tested by fire, may be found topraise, honor and glory at the
revelation of Jesus Christ, whom, having not seen you love
(08:11):
though now you do not see himyet believing you rejoice with
joy inexpressible and full ofglory.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
What sort of joy is that?
Could you explain it?
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Yeah, so, but before that.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
No, it's inexpressible.
You can't.
Yeah, I can.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
But the verse before the one I read.
He talked about how we have aliving hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christfrom the dead to an inheritance
and corruptible, undefiled andthat will not fade away,
reserved in heaven for you.
So sandwiched between that isthe joy right, and he connects
that with rejoicing in lovingJesus.
(08:50):
So what more do we need for joy?
And again, I love the fact youguys highlighted that, the
reality that we can be sad andhave joy, we can grieve, we can
lament, we can experienceemotional pain.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Though the fig tree does not blossom.
You know that verse, habakkuk.
Oh, one of my favorites.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Habakkuk, habakkuk.
But you know what I'm saying.
It's like, what more do we needthan we're going to heaven?
And connected with what Peteris saying we don't see Jesus now
.
We've never seen him.
We don't see him now.
We rejoice with joyinexpressible and full of glory.
Why?
Because heaven is really Jesus.
(09:30):
We're going to go be with himand that's the joy that carries
us through.
I'm weeping, I'm crying, I'm inpain, but I'm not undone, I'm
not utterly destroyed, becauseI'm gonna go to be with Jesus,
the one that I love, the onethat loves me, who loved me I
mean, paul says this who lovedme and gave himself for me.
(09:53):
What more do we need?
Speaker 3 (09:55):
That's the essence of our faith.
I'm just thinking the Bibleverse if any man love not our
Lord Jesus Christ, let him beanathema.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
That's what scripture says.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
So that's the essence of loving God with heart, mind,
soul and strength, putting youraffection upon Jesus, yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Thank you for tuning in to this week's highlights
from the Living Waters podcast.
Friends, we value your time, sowe've created a bite-sized
version of our podcast forlisteners who want to get
equipped.
Without the jokes andfellowship.
Be sure to check out the fullepisode every Thursday where we
dive deeper into the topic.
Until then, you can watch thefull podcast episode available
(10:33):
now on livingwaterstv.
Today we're talking about that's not in the Bible,
examining verses that don'texist, but we'll also talk about
verses that are taken out ofcontext, that I mean almost are
not verses and that they aremisapplied, and so yeah.
So yeah, all right, thank you.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Thank you for joining us.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
I would like to be joining us friends, I think this
is an important subject because, as a new Christian, I remember
sitting there.
I was about three days old andI had a Bible on my lap.
It was a huge Bible.
I thought I want to conquerthis.
I want to be able to say that'snot in the Bible.
After 50 years I haven'tconquered it.
There's so many verses Ihaven't even understand as I
understand or got to in a sense,like Leviticus and stuff like
(00:43):
that.
But when someone says God helpsthem, that help themselves, I
want to be able to say that isnot in the Bible, because that's
the basis of Catholicism Godwill help you.
After all, you can do Same withMormons and it's a deception
and so we need to know what'snot in the Bible.
I mean for those who don'tunderstand the principle it's
(01:03):
easy to know what's in the Bible.
I mean for those who don'tunderstand the principle.
It's easy to know what's in theBible Jesus wept I know that
verse, so you can say that is inthe Bible, but to say it's not
in the Bible you need to knowthe whole of scripture, right?
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Well, I would say this would be at the top of the
list.
When you guys, in terms ofverses that people don't know,
the word think must be in theword.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
And you hear it quoted here and there from time
to time.
But let's break some of thesedown.
Obviously we don't just want tosay, okay, that's not in the
Bible, but let's talk about theunbiblical element of God.
Helps those who help themselvesPsalm 121.2,.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and
earth, and Romans 5.6,.
For while we were still weak atthe right time, christ died for
the ungodly.
God does not help those whohelp themselves.
The fact is, we can't helpourselves.
You don't understand how deadyou are in your sins and your
trespasses.
(01:55):
Christianity is this great bigjourney of realizing that
Christianity is nothing like theworld, and it is a continual
cry out to God for help.
It's not a moment by moment.
I got this one.
I got this one.
You know I didn't need youtoday.
Maybe next week you know, thisis an easy one.
(02:16):
Somebody who is self-reliant isnot a praying person, you know.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
I learned that from Ray.
I like that.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
You know, are you?
I remember asking Ray one timeare you nervous when you pray or
when you open your preach?
And he said he goes.
Yeah, you know, but a nervousman is a praying man, right?
Otherwise, what is the pointand the purpose of having the
Lord instead of our lives?
We need him.
We are so reliant upon him.
I've often said that we needhim more than our lungs need
(02:44):
oxygen or relying upon him.
I've often said that we needhim more than our lungs need
oxygen or more than our veinsneed blood.
Moment by moment, day by day iswhen we need him.
There's nothing we can do.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
That's why Christ came, because we couldn't help
ourselves.
Yeah, you know, there's aprayer.
I pray when I'm feeling nervouswhen I'm about to do something,
especially in ministry, and it'sthis that's when you go, but it
says lord, please remove anyunnecessary nervousness oh,
that's good, and I say thatspecifically because whatever
necessary nervousness I need tohave to keep me dependent on him
, even though, like in my flesh,I don't want it.
(03:19):
But but I never want to get toa place where I'm just like, yep
, here we, and it's like nodependence on the Lord no crying
out to the Lord.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
You ever found that you're alone in a pulpit,
without God's help?
Boy you can feel that it's likea nightmare.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
I feel like that happens to me 30 seconds before
preaching every time, like Ithink about all the ways I
relied on myself rather than himin my prep work and I'm like,
oh Lord, help me, I need you now.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
I think the phrase God helps those who helps
themselves.
I think the reason why peopleare gravitating towards that
phrase is because they wantself-discipline and
responsibility, and certainlythe modern man lacks discipline
and responsibility.
But the phrase is fundamentallyunbiblical for the reasons that
you just said.
(04:04):
It was Mark.
The gospel teaches us that Godhelps the helpless, that we
cannot save ourselves, thatsalvation is entirely of grace.
In other words, God doesn'tjust offer help, he rescues the
powerless, and his grace willcertainly allow us or motivate
us to live in a responsible way.
I love to explain it like thisthe gospel is not a life raft
(04:29):
out to a drowning man.
The gospel is a lung full ofair to the man who's already
drowned.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Wow, money is the root of all evil.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
This has got to be up there with one of the top ones.
So many people quote that Moneyis the root of all evil.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
They blame the money.
Blame the money.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
It's like we've got a litter problem.
No, we don't.
We have a lazy people problem,not a litter problem.
Don't blame the litter.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
So what's the verse really say, ray?
What the love, oh, the love ofmoney is the root of all evil.
All kinds of evil, as themodern versions say.
King James says of all evil.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Why is that, Mark?
Why is the love of money theroot of all evil?
Well, it's a snare, isn't it?
It promises things that don'tnecessarily deliver.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
This is, I think, a really hard one for American
Christians to listen to andunderstand, because the comfort
life, the good life, is an idolto us.
We want comfort, we want a goodlife, we want experience.
It's like how could not not bethe precipice of everything that
we are trying to accomplish, tobe able to look at somebody and
(05:39):
say God is more interested inyour holiness than your
happiness.
It's, it's discomforting, right, but it's ultimately true.
God is interested.
As someone else once said, he'smore interested in your
character than your comfort.
God means to make you more likewho you were designed to be,
more like his son, and his sonhimself experienced persecution
(06:02):
and suffering and even death onthe cross.
And so if that's true, then howmuch more?
Why wouldn't we expect toexperience suffering in this
world?
But if our focus, if our NorthStar, is happiness, we're going
to be disappointed in this lifeas a Christian and not as a
Christian, because life isuncomfortable in this fallen
(06:23):
state.
But the promise of the gospelis that one day you will
experience true joy, no morediscomfort in heaven, and until
then, the goal of God in yourlife is to make you more like
his son.
He's more interested in yourholiness than he is in your
happiness.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
I think it's summed up in the scripture riches
profit not in the day of wrath,but righteousness delivers from
death.
That's what we should beseeking to make sure we have the
righteousness of Christ on theday of wrath.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
And therefore it's possible to be joyful and not
happy.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
That's possible, right and so what I was going to
get to earlier is inside ofRay's book.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
God has a Wonderful Plan for your Life.
He talks about how, on April12th 1912, is the date Titanic
went down.
Whenever, right around thattime, you think of the people
inside the lifeboats and they'relooking at their family go down
in the North Atlantic, downinto this icy grave.
If you were to stop everything,freeze, frame the event and
interview the people inside thelife raft and say, aren't you
(07:21):
happy?
It's like, well, there's a joythat's inexpressible in that you
know that you're saved, butdon't, I can't say that I'm
happy as I see my loved ones andmy friends that I just made die
right before my eyes.
You know I wasn't happy when Isaw certain things inside my
life right, I'm not happy inthose, but I have a joy.
I have a joy and I have acertainty that God is at work
(07:45):
and he is working all thingstogether for my good, amen.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
I think Peter captured it.
Well, you know, 1 Peter, 1, andthis you greatly rejoice,
though now, for a little while,if need be, you have been
grieved by various trials thatthe genuineness of your faith,
being much more precious thangold that perishes though it is
tested by fire, may be found topraise, honor and glory at the
revelation of Jesus Christ, whom, having not seen you love
(08:11):
though now you do not see himyet believing you rejoice with
joy inexpressible and full ofglory.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
What sort of joy is that?
Could you explain it?
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Yeah, so, but before that.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
No, it's inexpressible.
You can't.
Yeah, I can.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
But the verse before the one I read.
He talked about how we have aliving hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christfrom the dead to an inheritance
and corruptible, undefiled andthat will not fade away,
reserved in heaven for you.
So sandwiched between that isthe joy right, and he connects
that with rejoicing in lovingJesus.
(08:50):
So what more do we need for joy?
And again, I love the fact youguys highlighted that, the
reality that we can be sad andhave joy, we can grieve, we can
lament, we can experienceemotional pain.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Though the fig tree does not blossom.
You know that verse, habakkuk.
Oh, one of my favorites.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Habakkuk, habakkuk.
But you know what I'm saying.
It's like, what more do we needthan we're going to heaven?
And connected with what Peteris saying we don't see Jesus now
.
We've never seen him.
We don't see him now.
We rejoice with joyinexpressible and full of glory.
Why?
Because heaven is really Jesus.
(09:30):
We're going to go be with himand that's the joy that carries
us through.
I'm weeping, I'm crying, I'm inpain, but I'm not undone, I'm
not utterly destroyed, becauseI'm gonna go to be with Jesus,
the one that I love, the onethat loves me, who loved me I
mean, paul says this who lovedme and gave himself for me.
(09:53):
What more do we need?
Speaker 3 (09:55):
That's the essence of our faith.
I'm just thinking the Bibleverse if any man love not our
Lord Jesus Christ, let him beanathema.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
That's what scripture says.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
So that's the essence of loving God with heart, mind,
soul and strength, putting youraffection upon Jesus, yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Thank you for tuning in to this week's highlights
from the Living Waters podcast.
Friends, we value your time, sowe've created a bite-sized
version of our podcast forlisteners who want to get
equipped.
Without the jokes andfellowship.
Be sure to check out the fullepisode every Thursday where we
dive deeper into the topic.
Until then, you can watch thefull podcast episode available
(10:33):
now on livingwaterstv.
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