10 things Christians love to do that aren't biblical (2023)

1. It arises

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Worrying is probably the most common thing Christians like to do that isn't biblical. Worry disrupts our days and steals sleep from our nights. It causes ulcers, panic attacks, and a variety of other physical and emotional illnesses. Worst of all, it is a sin that is in direct disobedience to God's Word.

„Don't worry about anything“ Philippians 4:6-7says,"but in everything, throughprayerand supplicate, bring your requests before God with thanksgiving. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Lee Roberson, founder of Tennessee Temple University, said: “Worry is nothing but practical infidelity. The person who worries reveals their lack of trust in God and overconfidence in themselves.”

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2. Pray for God's presence

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I do this all the time. “God, please be with our missionaries as they preach the gospel in Mexico. Please stay with Mary in the hospital as she has had her gallbladder removed. And please be with the Jones family as they mourn their mother.”

To pray for God to be with us is contrary to Scripture.Jesus, inMatthew 28:20, said to the disciples,"I am with you always, to the end of the world."If we are his disciples, that promise is ours too.

The psalmist beautifully captured the essence of God's presencePsalm 139:7-10:"Where should I go from your spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? When I ascend to heaven, you'll be there! When I make my bed in Sheol, you're there! When I take the wings of the dawn and dwell at the outermost sea, your hand will guide me there too, and your right hand will hold me."

Even more comforting than God's presence with us is God's presence in us. If we accept Christ as our Savior, He promises:“God chose to make them known among thepagansthe glorious riches of this mystery which is Christ in you, the hope of glory"(Colossians 1:27).

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3. Tithing

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In the Old Testament, God instructed his people to do thistithe— spend ten percent of their income to meet the needs of the religious, economic, and political systems of ancient Israel. In the New Testament, Jesus set a higher, if less precise, standard for giving. The ChristBibleReference site describes it like this:

"Giving should be done with joy, not as a duty (2 Corinthians 9:6-7) and not for the purpose of public recognition (Matthew 6:1-4). The correct amount may be more or less than ten percent depending on the circumstances (Matthew 19:21,Lukas 18:22,Lukas 21:1-4,hebr. 13:16,1 Johannes 3:17). Generous giving is an acknowledgment that all we have is a gift from God and is to be used in His service (Lukas 12:33,Acts 20:35,1 Timothy 6:17-19,James 1:17,James 1:27,1 Petrus 4:10).

"Instead of giving a specific amount as a commitment, we are asked to benefit generously from whatever talents, abilities, and riches God has entrusted to us." For most of us, that's an amount well over just ten percent.

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4. Include the Easter bunny and colorful eggs in our celebration

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Got Questions Ministries tells us: “The Legend ofEaster BunnyEgg bringing appears to have been brought to the United States by settlers from Germany. In the past 200 years, theEasterThe rabbit has become the most commercially recognized Easter symbol in the United States.”

While there is nothing wrong with including the Easter bunny and colored eggs in our celebration, it has no biblical basis. However, the events of Jesus' resurrection are not only biblically accurate, but also historically accurate. Focusing on it is way more exciting than a fluffy bunny and a bunch of chocolate eggs.

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5. Pray the Lord's Prayer

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Possibly the most memorized passage in the New Testament, theprayerknown asThe Lord's Prayer, is recited every Sunday in churches around the world. Unfortunately, praying it as a personal or corporate prayer is not exactly what Jesus intended for this beloved of all passages.

“Lord,” His disciples asked, “teach us to pray.” In response, Jesus gave them practical advice on how to pray (Matthew 6:5-18): Don't pray to draw attention to yourself. Pray in private for the most part. And not like the King James Version of theBiblesays, pray "vain repetitions." In other words, every prayer should be an original expression of your heart.

Jesus wanted his words to be a model or model prayer, not one to be recited verbatim. He said, "So that's ithowyou should pray . .” He did not say, “So this iswasyou should pray.” Scholars agree that Jesus instructed the disciples to take the framework of his model prayer and use it to formulate their own original requests.

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6. Read horoscopes to determine future events

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Astrology is the ancient belief that a person's destiny is found in the pattern of the stars and planets at the time of birth. The "horoscope" is the chart that tries to describe this destiny.

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has this to say about astrology: “Astrology is offensive to God because it ascribes power to planets and stars that belongs to God alone, and because it seeks to find the will of God in ways other than divinely ordained . During theBibleGod tells us that he will lead us. . . A Christian does not need astrology with its vain clues, because believers can turn instead to the guidance of the Word of God.”

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7. Blame Karma

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I have heard Christians jokingly cite "bad karma" as the cause of unfortunate events in their lives. "I must have done something bad in the past," they confess, "and now it's coming back to haunt me."

The Spiritual Encyclopedia describes the Hindu and Buddhist concepts of karma as follows: “that all our thoughts, words and actions begin a chain of cause and effect and that we will personally experience the effects of whatever we cause. We may not experience the effect (returning karma) immediately, and it may not even be in this lifetime, but you can still count on it.” Since these religions also teach reincarnation, they embrace the concept that the good or bad works we do in this life have the power to move into the next.

The apostle Paul taught the principle of sowing and reapingGalatians 6:7as a general rule of life, but here the similarity ends. Thank God, while God often allows us to receive the consequences of our sinful actions, He also willingly showers His grace and mercy on us and spares us many of those consequences. Rather than making us slack in our actions, his kindness should inspire us to live to please him.

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8. Belief in luck and superstition

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"I haven't been sick all year, knock on wood," my patient said to me when we discussed her health. A friend refuses to fly on Friday the 13th. A taxi driver places a small statue of Christopher on his dashboard. A co-worker who plays baseball uses his "lucky bat" every time he plays in the company's softball game. Knocking on wood, a lucky rabbit's foot, and avoiding black cats are other common examples of superstitions.

Dictionary.comdefines superstition as: "a belief or conception, not based on reason or knowledge, in or of the ominous meaning of a particular thing, circumstance, event, occurrence, or the like."

Scott Reid, in the article"Don't Become a Superstitious Christian"points out that even biblical behaviors can turn into superstitions. “I remember the talismanic power I placed on the time I spent reading the scriptures in college,” he writes. “When I miss a morning sessionBibleAs I read, I felt like everything bad that happened that day was caused by missing my ritual. I didn't care so much about sincerity andaweof my conduct toward God than ticking that box to assure myself of a good day.”

Reid admits, "The difference between faithful behavior and superstition can be terribly difficult to discern, since the difference lies in the subtleties of our inner intentions. But any object, behavior, or belief that you endow with the power to save you—or give you any good apart from the power of the living God—is a pious talisman and drives you away from the gospel.”

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9. Drink to get drunk

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Spend any time reading Christian blogs, Facebook or websites and you will come across the discussion of whether or not Christians should drink alcohol. Most biblical scholars agree that theBibledoes not prohibit the consumption of alcohol, but has very specific guidelines for its use. Here are a few:

"Don't get drunk on wine, it leads to debauchery"(Epheser 5:18).

“Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever allows himself to be deceived by them is not wise."(Proverbs 20:1).

Unfortunately, many believers abuse the freedom they have in Christ to consume alcohol. A glass of wine becomes a bottle. A beer becomes a six-pack. One pre-dinner cocktail leads to another and another and another. The transition from casual drinking to drunk is slippery and subtle; perhaps that is why the Bible is crystal clear that believers should avoid excessive drinking.

1 Corinthians 10:31 is the best litmus test in Scripture for determining whether one should drink, eat, or engage in other activities:"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God."When we ask ourselves whether the activity we are engaged in brings glory to God and the answer is no, our choice is clear.

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10. Retire

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ThatBibleis mostly silent on the subject of retirement. With the exception of the instruction to the Levitical priests not to work in the temple after the age of 50 (inNumbers 8:24-25) nowhere mentions the concept of work cessation. In the Theological Matters article entitled “Is retirement biblical', OS Hawkins says: '. . . The idea of ​​retirement is a relatively modern phenomenon. My own great-grandparents didn't know about retirement. Their generation worked while they were physically able, and most of them until their death.”

The Social Security Act of 1935 required workers to start paying benefits at age 65, which led to Americans beginning to view their retirement at age 65 as an entitlement. While many today see the physical and spiritual decline that often accompanies aging as a valid reason to retire from business, they will find no scriptural support for retiring from the service of God.

John the Apostle was in his 90s and still preached and wrote while in exile on Patmos. Polycarp, the pastor of the Church of Smyrna, testified at his martyrdom that he had served Christ "eighty-six years." Our time on earth, "a mere vapor," as the apostle James called it, is our only opportunity to labor for the God with whom we will spend eternity. He not only invites us to serve Him every day of our lives—He expects us to do so. And why shouldn't we?

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Lori Hatcheris a blogger, inspirational speaker and author of Christian Small Publisher's 2016 Book of the Year,Hungry for God...Hungry for Time, five minute devotionals for busy women.A Toastmasters International contest winner, Lori's goal is to help busy women connect with God in the craziness of everyday life. She especially loves small children, stuffed animals and chocolate. You can find her on her blog contemplating the wonderful and the mundane,hungry for god . . hunger for time. connect with herFacebook,Twitter(@lorihatcher2) orPinterest(Hungry for God).