Maybe it's because I'm an old English teacher. Maybe it's because I'm a little bit obsessive about this whole Word of God thing. Whatever the reason, here is my contribution to the canon of "Things Christians Need to Stop Saying."
#1 “Declare
and decree”
I’ll
come back to the rationale, but the language comes from Psalm 2: 7. What the Psalm actually says is, “I will declare
the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son;
this day have I begotten thee.” (King James Version)
No
translation says “declare AND decree.”
Grammatically,
the structure of the actual Biblical quote is verb followed by object-noun. The popular version people repeat is verb
followed by synonymous verb. The verb declare and the verb decree basically mean
the same thing.
The
Bible says “I command what will be.” We (and
by “we” I mean “ya’ll”) have been saying, “I command and command.”
But
hey, so what?
Well,
the difference between what the Bible actually says and what the trending
church cliché says is deeper than grammar.
King David is the human author of Psalm 2, but the speaker in verse 7 is a prophetic Old Testament depiction of Christ. Jesus is the begotten Son God. It's Jesus who says, “I declare the decree,” and the decree is the Father's declaration of the Sonship of Jesus. This is internal Trinity business. When a Christian presumes to have this exact same level of authority to declare and decree, that Christian is claiming to be equal to God.
In Jesus’ name and in His will, we are authorized to bind, to lose, to heal, and to cast out evil spirits. But, the power to make something from nothing by just saying that it is so---- that power is reserved for God.
And
that other verse about “speaking things into existence” is also a verse about
what only God can do.
As
it is written, I have made thee [Abraham] a father of many nations, before him
whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth
those things which be not as though they were. (Romans
4: 17)
In this verse, Abraham doesn't speak anything into existence. God does not pass on the power to call forth something out of nothing.
God’s
exclusive Divine ability to call things that don’t exist into existence was the
foundation of Abraham’s faith. We are ---- less than God. (Psalm 8: 5)
The misquote has deceived thousands of Christians into thinking that they can just make up reality as they go along. That's some ole New Age stuff. That's not Biblical.
The misquote has deceived thousands of Christians into thinking that they can just make up reality as they go along. That's some ole New Age stuff. That's not Biblical.
It’s
not just that you’re saying it wrong. It’s
that what you’re saying is wrong.
#2 Touch and
agree
“Take
somebody’s hand,” intones the preacher, “cause Jesus promised that if we just
touch and agree….”
That
ain’t what Jesus said.
What
Jesus actually said in Matthew 18:19, is “That if two of you shall agree on earth
as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my
Father which is in heaven.” (KJV)
Not
“touch and agree” but “agree …as touching.”
Touching in this case means
“about” or “on the subject of.”
There’s
nothing wrong with touching when we pray.
It’s a beautiful act. Human touch
can evoke a sense of unity that just being in same room cannot achieve. Jesus touched the people He prayed with and
for.
But, Jesus’ point was not about physical touch.
Jesus was stating the power and necessity of spiritual and intellectual
agreement, what Luke called being “on one accord” (Acts 2: 1, 46), what Paul
called being of “the same mind” (Romans 12:16; 1 Corinthians 1: 10; Philippians
4: 2).
There
is no inherent spiritual power in making physical contact with another person
when you pray. You can’t double-team God
and make Him give you what you want. We’re
not the Wonder Twins.
(The
Wonder Twins….. lame superhero team from the 1970’s cartoon
“Superfriends”? Just google it.)
Misquoting
Jesus from this verse makes us look in the wrong place for the key to effective
corporate prayer. We look down at
our hands when we should be looking within at our hearts. The
Lord wants His disciples to ensure that everyone on the prayer team is of the
same mind about what they’re praying.
That level of agreement requires dialogue before prayer begins.
Jesus
wanted His disciples then and now to talk to each other before we all decide to
talk to God at the same time.
I
know that this may sound pointlessly nitpicky.
I’m also aware that this post may contain my own grammatical errors, but
the point here is deeply important.
Some
Biblical misquotes are harmless. I
paraphrase all the time.
But…
When
thousands of “Christians” misquote God because they either didn’t examine the
scriptures for themselves or because they gave more credit to the trending version than
to the Biblical version; then something sad and dangerous happens.
We
create a new doctrinal tradition, and “thus you have made the commandment of God of
no effect by your tradition,” as Jesus said in Matthew 15:6. (New King James Version)
If
you think I’m wrong, fine. Open YOUR
Bible and read the passages for yourself.
Cross-reference with other Scriptures.
I don’t much care which translation you pick. Pick ‘em all if you want. Just really read what the Holy Spirit really said,
and compare that to what you’ve been saying.
And
then, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to
God, you judge.” (Acts 4: 19)
---Anderson
T. Graves II is a writer, community organizer and
consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.
Rev.
Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church in Fairfield,
Alabama; executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking
Organization (SAYNO); and director
of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human
Development (NIHD).
Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
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