Today I’d like to deal with Christian clichés that have found room in the Christian church. First, what is a cliché? A quick Google search will tell you that a cliché is a phrase that betrays original thought or a trite, stereotyped expression, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea that has lost originality, ingenuity and impact by long overuse. Now a cliché can be true or it can be false. I’ll just be dealing with those cliché’s that are false and leave the corny ones for another day.
One phrase that I’ve come across lately is that we are all theologians, it’s just a matter if you are a good theologian or a bad one. I like Titus 2:1 but you must say the things that are consistent with sound teaching. One sentiment you will come across if you’ve been in the church for any time is people don’t need more theology, they just need Jesus. We know the problem with this thinking is that it assumes that we can have Jesus apart from reference to theology or Scripture.
I’ve actually had people tell me that they don’t need all that Bible stuff, and they then tell me that they have Jesus, and that’s all they need. I always reply, which Jesus do you have? The Mormon Jesus, the Jehovah Witness’ Jesus or the prophet Jesus as found in the Koran.
Here’s the great danger in divorcing the person Jesus from the Scriptures…you end up with an idol which makes you an idolater. Now back to those Christian clichés that are false. They divorce truth from the Scriptures which is always dangerous.
The one cliché that is heard often is let go and let God. Let go of what? Let God do what? The danger here is that it relieves the Christian of any sense of duty or action that God tells him to take. For instance the Bible tells us to flee fornication, see (1Corinthians 6:8). The list goes on how we are commanded in Scripture to stop, start, or flee sin. How about, let him that stole steal no more, (Ephesians 4:28). Do you see that the let go and let God has no Biblical warrant?
Someone might say, well we should let go of our worry and let God take care of whatever you are worrying about. That might work, but even here if someone is doing things that cause their worry they are responsible to get that area straight before God.
How about this one: God hates the sin, but loves the sinner. We really need to rethink this erroneous cliché. We are quick to tell those in sin that God loves them, but hates their sin. This may give non-believers a warm, fuzzy feeling but it is not true. The sin of the sinner cannot be separated from his person. Sin is not some abstract entity, no; sin is the very fabric of who the sinner is.
My theological concern is that the cliché is doctrinally ambiguous. It makes it sound as if God is only angry at some abstract entity, but God is angry with the sinner, see Psalm 7:11 God is angry with the wicked every day. Sin is inextricably tied to persons…at the second death when the unbeliever is thrown into the lake of fire it will not be just his sin, no, it will be the sinner who will be thrown into the lake of fire.
Instead of telling the sinner that God hates their sin but loves them, share the gospel with them. The good news that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners from God's wrath.
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