A couple of years ago I did a two part article series titled “Where Is That In The Bible?” (Read them here: http://www.marketfaith.org/2024/11/where-is-that-in-the-bible-part-1-tal-davis/ and here: http://www.marketfaith.org/2024/12/where-is-that-in-the-bible-part-2-tal-davis/ ) The articles addressed a number of common phrases and ideas that many people often assume are true and come from the Bible. Some did come from the Bible and are true. However, as we showed, many of those quotes and concepts are not from the Bible at all. Some that are from the Bible are misquoted or misinterpreted, and others come from old traditions. In this article we are going to examine seven more such quotes and concepts that many people, even many well-meaning Christians, believe to be true and come from the Bible. As you will see, some of them are based on misreadings of Scripture and others come from extra-biblical religious traditions.
1. “Money Is the Root of All Evil”
This statement is often quoted by people who think it is wrong for Christians ever to want to accumulate wealth. They seem to equate righteousness with poverty. In fact, in some traditions, people still take vows of poverty to express their dedication to God. That may be commendable to some extent but if they are relying on this saying as biblical proof they are missing the point. The passage from which it comes is 1 Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (NASB) Paul does not say that money itself is the root of all evil, he says “the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil.” He says being obsessed with it draws people away from the most important things in life, especially their faith in Christ.
The key teaching about money in the New Testament is the principle of “stewardship.” A steward (oikonomos) was a slave who was put in charge of a master’s business affairs. He was expected to manage things honestly and efficiently in order to increase the master’s wealth. Neither Jesus nor the New Testament ever say that having money is necessarily wrong. It is the obsession with getting it and keeping it that is “a root of all sorts of evil.” Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 NASB
2. Sunday is the Christian Sabbath
I’m not sure how this idea began, but some say it was when Emperor Constantine codified the first day of the week as a day of rest in the Roman empire. In any case, Christians, have never regarded Sunday as equivalent to the Jewish seventh-day Sabbath. From the earliest times it has been known as the Lord’s Day (Rev. 1:10) in remembrance of Christ’s resurrection on the first day of the week. It was, and still remains, the day that most churches hold their regular worship services. The early Jewish Christians maintained their observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, but once Christianity expanded out to the Gentiles there was no expectation that they would have to continue that practice.
Still, in many places in the USA and other countries, for many years, Sunday was considered a day when non-essential businesses and schools all would close. Also, certain products, like beer and wine, would not be sold, and people were encouraged to stay home and spend time with their families. Over the past four or five decades that tradition has all but disappeared. Very few businesses are now closed on Sundays (a notable exception is Chick-fil-A restaurants). In any case, the New Testament does not teach that Sunday is the Sabbath day, nor that Christians are obligated to observe the seventh-day Sabbath.
3. “Name it and Claim It”
This concept is a primary principle of the “Word-Faith Movement,” but it is not found in the Bible. That movement has also been known as “the Word of Faith Movement,” “the Prosperity Gospel,” and “the Faith Movement.” It was popularized by a number of television minsters including Kenneth E. Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Fredrick K.C. Price, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, Paula White, Rod Parsley, Marylyn Hickey, Joseph Prince, and Andrew Wommack. The movement traces its beginnings to the early 20th century and a New England Baptist pastor named E. W. Kenyon (1867 – 1948). Kenyon was influenced by 19th century faith-healing teachers like A. J. Gordon (1836 – 1895) and A. B. Simpson (1843 – 1919). In 1974, Kenneth E. Hagin (1917 – 2003) took Kenyon’s ideas and started the Rhema Bible Training Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is now the world’s primary training center for Word-Faith pastors and teachers.
The key to Word-Faith teaching is always “to pray-believing” or “name it and claim it.” That is, believers must always pray a “positive confession.” That means to pray with the absolute expectation that they will get what they ask for. It is that confident word-of-faith that guarantees the answer. Any trace of doubt, or any secret sin, will nullify the prayer’s power. So if God does not answer the prayer, whether getting a healing or providing for a financial need, then the reason is not God’s fault, but the fault of the one praying for not having enough faith.
Of course, this mind-set is totally foreign to the Bible’s teaching on prayer and faith. When we pray, it is not for us to tell God what to do, but to find out what God wants us to do according to His will. When we bring our supplications to the Lord, we put our faith in Him to answer according to His good will. It may not be what we want or expect. And if God chooses not to give us the answer we request (such as a healing), it is not because we lack faith, but because it is not His will at that time. Real faith is submitting our will to His regardless of the circumstances.
4. There Are Seven Deadly Sins
In 1995, a suspense movie was released titled simply Seven. The plot of the film involved two policemen trying to solve a series of murders by a crazed serial killer. The killer chose his victims in accordance with how he thought each had violated one of the “Seven Deadly Sins” and left a label on each one. We often hear people talk about the “Seven Deadly Sins” but most of us don’t really know much about them. They are more often discussed in Roman Catholic circles as seven basic sinful acts or attitudes that are the roots of most other sinful behaviors. According to Catholic theology, if not dealt with they can lead to an extended punishment in purgatory after death, or even eternal damnation. According to the Catholic Catechism (book of teachings – Paragraph 1866 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church ) the Seven Deadly Sins are these:
1. Pride (superbia) – An excessive love of ourselves, especially our own greatness or excellence.
2. Avarice (avaritia) – An excessive love of and attachment to earthly goods.
3. Envy (invidia) – A selfish sadness at the prosperity of others, sometimes united with a desire to destroy it.
4. Wrath (ira) – An excessive anger that wills evil toward someone out of desire for revenge, or an excessive reaction against something contrary to our will or desire.
5. Lust (luxuria) – The disordered desire for or enjoyment of sexual pleasure.
6. Gluttony (gula) – A disordered love of eating and drinking.
7. Sloth or Acedia (pirgitia seu acedia) – A kind of sorrow and weariness about or distaste for spiritual goods, tending to an inordinate love of rest and neglect of duties.
But, of course, our question is where in the Bible are these seven deadly sins specifically enumerated. The answer is nowhere. Certainly those seven vices are among the numerous evil attitudes and behaviors the Bible considers sinful. But nowhere are they listed specifically as having greater consequences than other sins. In the New Testament sin can be defined as anything that negatively affects one’s relationship with God in violation of His will. Sin is a natural part of our fallen human nature and is the reason Jesus came to die on the cross as an atoning sacrifice on our behalf.
5. “The Kingdom of God Is Within You”
This saying is a quote from a portion of Luke 17:21. It is a favorite verse (KJV version) for quotation by those in the Mind-Science cults like Christian Science and the Unity School of Christianity. Those groups teach that divinity is found in all people, and that the object of real religion is to unlock that inner deity common to all humanity in order to release the spiritual power that we all possess. By saying, “The Kingdom of God is within you,” they can use Jesus’ words as a proof-text for their worldview – which is an incoherent hybrid of Far Eastern Thought and Theism.
The problem with them using this verse in that way is that it is taken out of context and is a total misinterpretation of what Jesus was saying. Here is how that verse reads in the New American Standard Bible in its context:
“20 Now He was questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, and He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs that can be observed; 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst (or among you).” Luke 17:20-21 NASB
The Pharisees were questioning Jesus about when the Kingdom would come. Jesus then says the Kingdom God is “in the midst of you” (entos hymon), or as the KJV and some other versions translate it, “within you.” When He says that He does not mean it is some innate divinity within human minds. It means it is right there in the very person of Jesus Himself. Those who receive Him are therefore presently in the very midst of God’s Kingdom.
6. The Immaculate Conception
Many times I have heard well-meaning evangelical Christians, trying to defend Christianity against skeptics, say, “I believe in the immaculate conception of Jesus Christ!” I commend their desire to defend the faith, but I think what they mean to say is, “I believe in the virgin conception of Jesus Christ!”
You might say, “So what’s the difference?” The difference is that the term “The Immaculate Conception” has nothing directly to do with Jesus’ conception or birth. It is a Roman Catholic theological dogma which maintains that Jesus’ mother Mary was physically conceived without sin. That is to say, that though she had both a human father and mother, Mary did not inherit original sin as do all other humans. Therefore, she was absolutely pure when the Holy Spirit conceived Jesus in her womb.
Now the obvious question is, “Where is that in the Bible?” The simple answer is that it is not in there. The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is one that evolved over many centuries by tradition in the Roman Catholic Church. It was made official church dogma, meaning a doctrine to be absolutely believed by all members in the Catholic Church, by Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854, through the papal bull Ineffabilis Deus. Since then it has been taught in all Catholic Churches as absolutely true despite the fact there is no hint of it in Scripture.
7. The Assumption of Mary
Similar to the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary is the Roman Catholic Doctrine of the Assumption of Mary. That dogma states that at her death, whenever that was (the Bible doesn’t say), or perhaps immediately before her death, Mary was taken directly up body and soul into heaven. The idea is that Mary remained so pure, even remaining a virgin after Jesus’ birth (which isn’t biblical either), that she did not have to suffer the pangs of death. In Catholic thinking, only Jesus Himself is equal in righteousness to Mary. That is why Catholics traditionally pay great veneration to her in their services and prayers (though they deny they worship her).
Amazingly, though the teaching has ancient roots in Catholic tradition. The doctrine of the Assumption of Mary was only made official church dogma by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950 in his apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus. So, since then, as with the Immaculate Conception, all Catholics are expected to believe it as truth despite the fact it is not biblical. By the way, the Immaculate Conception and The Assumption of Mary are the only two dogmas in which the doctrine of Papal Infallibility has ever been officially and fully exercised.
Conclusion
Okay, so we have now looked again at a number of quotes, concepts, and doctrines that many people may assume come from the Bible. But either they don’t, or if they do are misconstrued. There are more, and at a later time we will look them, as well. I hope this has been informative and fun. If you have questions or comments I will enjoy hearing from you.
© 2026 Tal Davis