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Guest (Male): Welcome to Connect with Skip Heitzig. We're so glad you've tuned in today. At Connect with Skip, our passion is to help you grow in your relationship with Jesus through solid, verse-by-verse Bible teaching that's both clear and practical. Every message you hear is designed to strengthen your faith and help you live out God's truth wherever he's placed you.

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Skip Heitzig: Some of you may remember years ago there was a late-night comedian named Jay Leno on The Tonight Show and he would frequently hit the streets. It was called Man on the Street and he would ask random people questions about world history, American history, and sometimes what the Bible says.

So on one occasion, he asked random people, "Can you name one of the Ten Commandments?" The most frequently given answer was, "God helps those who help themselves," which not only is not one of the Ten Commandments, it's not even a commandment. It's just a statement. Yet, that was people's frequent answer.

There are things that the Bible does say that many people are unaware of, simply because they don't read it. I'll give you a list of those. The Bible declares that the earth is round, not flat. God sits on the circle of the earth, Isaiah 40:22. Also, did you know that the Bible states that the earth floats freely in space and is affected by gravity? You could check out Job chapter 26, verse seven for that.

Also, we read in the scriptures that creation is made out of particles that the naked eye is unable to see. That's Hebrews chapter 11: we by faith understand the things visible were made out of things not visible. Also, the dimensions of the ark that are given in Genesis chapter six happen to be the perfect dimensions of a stable water vessel. All of that is included in scripture. The Bible does say that.

And then there are things the Bible doesn't say that some people actually think it does say. Here's a short list: Adam ate an apple, there were three wise men, Jonah was swallowed by a whale, money is the root of all evil, cleanliness is next to godliness, we're all God's children, Mary rode a donkey, God wants you to be happy, heaven must have needed another angel—that's why people die.

None of these things are stated in the Bible. We wonder where people get these ideas. Maybe they're reading the book of first Fabrications, chapter one? I'm not sure, but a lot of people think these are in scripture.

In the opening chapters of the Bible itself, there's a conversation taking place between the serpent, the devil, the shining serpent, and the second human being by the name of Eve. And the very first words recorded in scripture that Satan ever utters, it's a question: "Has God indeed said?"

He asked it then; he has been asking it ever since. Did God really say that? Now in this case, Satan comes and says, "Has God said that you shall not eat of the fruit of every tree in the garden?" and she corrects his misinformation and says, "No, God didn't say that. What God said is that we can freely eat of the trees of the garden, except for one, because in the day that we eat of it, we will die." And Satan immediately fired back and said, "You will not surely die." So all the way from the very beginning, God's word has been challenged.

Fast forward to the time when Jesus came from heaven to earth, was taken out into the wilderness, tempted by the devil. With every temptation, with every utterance of Satan, Jesus countered that by saying, "It is written. It is written. This is what the Bible has to say."

Satan was wiser than we might think, and toward the end of that conversation, Satan himself quoted scripture to Jesus, although we know it was really a misquote. It was taken out of context, which he is often used to doing.

We're doing a series called The Bible Doesn't Say That. What we want to do is week by week, over the next just few weeks, overturn popular misconceptions that some people have, things they think the Bible says but it doesn't, and then find out what does the Bible really have to say concerning those issues.

The very first one that I've chosen to start with is one that I heard from my father: "God helps those who help themselves." But the way my dad used to say it, he put it this way: "You know, son, the Bible says God helps those who help themselves." So because my dad told me that, I grew up believing that is what the Bible says until I actually read the Bible and found out it doesn't say that anywhere.

Did you know that 80% of Americans believe that that statement comes right out of the Bible? 80%. And this should shock you: 52% of practicing Christians believe "God helps those who help themselves" comes right out of the Bible. After all, what could be more reasonable than to say God helps those who help themselves? That sounds logical.

It promotes a good work ethic. We don't want to help a lazy person. We would even say this kind of advice to our own kids: "Sure, we'll send you to college. Sure, we'll pay the tuition, but we'd like you to get a summer job first and at least pay for your books. Then we'll help you with your tuition."

We're going to look at Romans chapter five this morning, a familiar passage. We're going to get more into it later, but let me just begin by showing you what the Bible has to say about this. In chapter five, verse six: "For when we were still"—now mark these words—"without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."

We will not read any further. We'll go into more detail in a moment, but let me ask a few questions and then try to answer them. First question: Where did the statement "God helps those who help themselves" start? Where did it originate?

To find that out, we have to dig a little bit, do a little investigation. And you can guess that's exactly what I did this week. This is what I've discovered. It goes all the way back to 500 years before Christ to a Greek storyteller by the name of Aesop. Some of you may have heard of Aesop's Fables. Aesop wrote these words: "The gods," plural, small G, "The gods help those who help themselves."

About a hundred years later, a Greek drama writer named Euripides said something similar: "Try first thyself and afterwards call on God." So we know it goes all the way back to ancient Greece.

But also, there's an ancient Chinese expression that is very similar. They said, "Heaven rewards the diligent." Same kind of an idea.

Much closer to our own era, in fact in the 17th century, a guy by the name of George Herbert, who was an English author, said, "Help thyself and God will help thee."

And then finally, the present iteration that we now know comes to us from a politician. Wouldn't you guess? An English politician in 1698 by the name of Algernon Sydney, who wrote a little discourse called Discourses Concerning the Government, in which he wrote these words: "God helps those who help themselves."

It would seem that another American politician, a statesman from this country, heard about that discourse and seemed to have copied it. His name, by the way, was Ben Franklin. And Ben Franklin wrote in 1732, Poor Richard's Almanac, in which he stated, "God helps those who help themselves."

Really in this country, we got it from Benjamin Franklin, which is perhaps at least part of the reason why Ben Franklin lived and died on the wrong side of the gospel. I need to explain that statement. Ben Franklin was a friend, a long-time friend of a guy by the name of George Whitfield. Do you know that name?

George Whitfield was a revivalist. He was a British preacher. He came to America, preached on our soil, became friends for 30 years with Benjamin Franklin. He was the father of Methodism, really the father of evangelicalism.

Franklin and Whitfield had many meals together, enjoyed a long friendship. And Ben Franklin said this: "Oftentimes Whitfield has prayed that I be converted, but he has not been able to see the answer to his prayers." And then among Ben Franklin's last words were these: "Why should I trust in Christ now? Soon I shall know whether or not it is so." And he died.

I wanted to tell you that so you know that the guy who gave us the statement "God helps those who help themselves" was a guy who tried to help himself but refused the help of God. He lived and died believing that.

Guest (Female): This is Connect with Skip Heitzig. When you give to this ministry, you help reach thousands of people every day with God's life-changing truth, encouraging them to know him and grow in his word. And to thank you for your support this month, we'll send you Reload Love: Transforming Bullets to Beauty and Battlegrounds to Playgrounds, a powerful book by Skip's wife, Lenya Heitzig.

It's a gripping, hope-filled story of how God transformed weapons of war into tools of joy and how playgrounds rose from battlegrounds because one person chose compassion over despair. Your gift today helps bring the life-changing message of hope in Jesus to people around the world through Connect with Skip. Request your copy when you give $50 or more at connectwithskip.com/offer or by calling 800-922-1888. Now, here's more from Pastor Skip.

Skip Heitzig: I'm going to just digress for a moment because "God helps those who help themselves" is an ideology that doesn't just come from Greek or the West, but also it's found—at least a similar statement—in the Quran. In Surah 13, verse 11, it reads, quote, "Indeed Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves."

So let me give you a follow-up question. How did people come to attribute this statement to being in the Bible? And here's my best guess. Long ago they didn't have computers. Today when somebody tells you something, what do you do? You Google it. When Ben Franklin said it, nobody could Google anything.

When somebody just made the statement, like my father did, "God helps those who help themselves, it's in the Bible," unless you have read the Bible through every book and found out otherwise, you say, "Okay, I believe that's true." Moreover, you're using the name of God in that statement and when you say "God helps those who help themselves," it must be found in the book of God, which is the Bible.

Whichever original source you want to point back to, the truth is it's not in the scripture. God doesn't help those who help themselves; as we discover, God helps the helpless.

That's the first question, where did it come from? The second question: Is there any truth to the statement "God helps those who help themselves?" After all, it seems logical. And here's my answer to that. Yes, he does, in a sense. In a certain sense, it is true that God helps those who help themselves.

If you were to ask me to come over and help you move your furniture and I showed up at your house to help you move your furniture, if you stayed in the corner with your arms folded watching me move your furniture, well, I'm not helping you and you're not helping me. I'm doing it all for you.

Likewise, if you need a job, I would suggest you first pray for a job, but then I would say second, go look for a job. Because it's highly unlikely that God is going to cause employers to come looking for you. So you need to pray, but then be an active agent.

I've always liked the story about the guy who was in a flood zone. Unfortunately, like so many of our friends in the southeast this last week have had a horrific time, waters were rising at his house. So he got up on the balcony outside and as the waters came closer and closer to him, a boat came by and shouted out, "Come on in, I'd love to save you." And the man said, "No, I'm a believer in God. God will save me." And so the boat left.

Later on, the water kept rising. It forced the man up to the top of his roof. And another boat came by and the guy said, "I'm here to rescue you." And he goes, "Oh no, I don't need rescue. God will rescue me." So the boat left.

Well, the water kept rising and rising, past his ankles, waist, up to his chin. He's now on his tiptoes. Just then a helicopter came by, lowered a rope and said, "Grab ahold of the rope, I'll save you." "No," he said, "God will save me." So the helicopter left.

The man eventually was treading water for a couple hours and he didn't make it. He died. And after he died, he arrived in heaven in a very bad mood. And he complained to Saint Peter. He said, "I'm very disappointed because I believed God was going to save me. I'm surprised that I died and came here." And Peter said, "We're sort of surprised that you're here too, because we sent two boats and a helicopter to pick you up. Why didn't you grab the rope? Why didn't you get on board?"

If you recall, Jesus told in the Sermon on the Mount, he said, "Don't worry about your life, what you're going to eat, what you're going to drink, what you're going to put on." Sounds like you're just going to be passive, right? And then he gave an example. Do you remember what that example was?

He said, "Look at the birds of the air. They neither toil nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?"

Now think of that illustration. On one hand, have you ever seen a bird worry? Ever seen a bird bury its beak in its claws, sweating where it's going to get money to pay the rent on the nest? Never. They're carefree, they sing. But on the other hand, does a bird just open its beak expecting God to drop worms in it? No.

If you know anything about birds, they work pretty hard at gathering food, foraging, building a nest, etc. They are cooperating with God's provision. There's an instinct God put within them to work hard, and God offers the provision.

Likewise, God is not going to send money out of heaven to drop in your lap. The Bible says if a man doesn't work, he shouldn't eat. So in a sense, we would say God helps those who are diligent, who get out and are busy. I'll add something to that.

We should also be cooperating with God when it comes to our spiritual growth toward maturity. We just read the book of James and in that series, we discovered what he said about faith. He said faith without works is dead.

If you were to keep reading into the next book of Peter, First Peter then Second Peter, Second Peter chapter one, Peter says God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us. Now you just read that verse and you think, "Okay, it's going to drop out of heaven. He's given us all things that we need." Keep reading.

Peter says, "Therefore, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledge." So on one hand God provides, on the other hand, it takes effort, diligence, cooperation with God. Here's another example. In Philippians, we are told, "Work out your own salvation." A lot of people read that and they get confused by that. Keep reading.

Next verse says, "For it is God who works in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure." So which is it? You or God? Answer: both. God performs the operation, you need cooperation with the operation.

So in a sense, yes, God does his part, man does his part. That much is correct. But when it comes to the fundamental spiritual issue of salvation, not only is it incorrect to say God helps those who help themselves, we must say this: Listen carefully, God can only help those who know they can't help themselves.

God can only help those who know they can't help themselves. So if you think you can help yourself in terms of salvation, that just reveals you don't know how bad off you really are. Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

You know what that means? Blessed, oh how happy is the man or woman who realizes they are broke, they are bankrupt before God. They are impoverished spiritually. They have nothing with which to merit God's goodness and salvation. God can only help those who know they can't help themselves.

We've answered two questions: Where did it originate? Is there any truth to it? We would say yes, there's some truth to it. But let me ask you a third question, and I'll end with this. I'm not ending like anytime in the near minutes, but I will end with this. What does the Bible say?

What does the Bible say? We turn to Romans chapter five and we read one verse. Let's read it again, but all the way now down to verse 10.

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Much more then, having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

In that paragraph, we have a description of God's help. In fact, we have a four-fold description of God's help. The first part of that description is this: God's help is motivated by love. Verse six says we were without strength, Christ died for the ungodly. But verse eight, God demonstrates his own love.

I begin there because God's help is laid on the foundation of God's love. It is God's love for us that prompts God's help to us. Now I say this because you'd be surprised how many people don't know that God loves them. In fact, they think God is actually against them.

One church consultant wrote, "More people than you might guess are sure that God is mostly unhappy with them, endlessly frustrated by their flaws, and he couldn't possibly like them very much, much less love them." That was Skip Heitzig many years ago. Somebody said, "Skip, God loves you." And I thought, "Loves me? I don't even think he likes me."

The kind of life I was living? I didn't get my heart around the statement that God loves me. I just sort of thought God is up there in heaven waiting for my next flaw, my next stumble, my next failure, so he can pounce on me, and a lot of us think that way.

He's going to prove his disdain for us by sending us an illness or not letting us get that parking space in front of the store, whatever you might think it would be. The truth is, God loves you. And the basis of God's help is the foundation called the love of God. You know the Bible says God is love. And the reason he treats you the way he treats you, to help you, is because he is love. That's his character.

Guest (Female): We're so glad you joined us today on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before you go, remember that as our thanks for your gift today, we'll send you Lenya Heitzig's book, Reload Love, a gripping, hope-filled story of God transforming battlegrounds into playgrounds.

When you give, you help keep this Bible teaching ministry on the air, connecting more people with the truth of God's word and the hope found in Jesus. Give today at connectwithskip.com/offer or call 800-922-1888 and request your copy of Reload Love: Transforming Bullets to Beauty and Battlegrounds to Playgrounds when you do. See you next time.