WASHINGTON (AP) - It was a blunder of biblical proportions.
White House spokesman Jay Carney invoked scripture Wednesday to back up President Barack Obama's suggestion that God wants policymakers to get busy and create more jobs.
Carney said Obama was trying to make the point that "we have it within our capacity to do the things to help the American people."
"I believe the phrase from the Bible is, 'The Lord helps those who help themselves,'" Carney said.
Well, no, not really.
A White House transcript of Carney's briefing issued later in the day included the disclaimer: "This common phrase does not appear in the Bible."
A Google search of that phrase will show 11,800,000 results of comments on this gaff. It is a common mistake based on a philosophy of 'infused grace'. This is the idea of a kind of universalism that declares every human soul capable of good and therefore capable of godliness with help from God. Not only is this not in the Bible, the very opposite actually is.
Jewish and Christian traditions embrace variations of this idea. When the apostle Paul was a Jewish Pharisee before his conversion, his actions as a persecutor of Christians were motivated by the belief that he was doing God's service in violently silencing heretics. As such, his success in destroying the church was evidence to Saul and to the Jewish leaders of the day that his actions were just and blessed by God.
That all changed of course, when the Resurrected Lord confronted Saul on the road to Damascus, convincing him that Jesus is God. Instead of working for God, Saul learned that he was working against God. (Acts 9:3-6) Saul's name changed to Paul and Paul's theology changed dramatically as a result of that encounter with the truth.
In his letter to the Romans, the former Saul, persecutor of Christians introduces himself as the apostle Paul, a bondslave of Jesus Christ. He gives us an eloquent explanation of the Christian gospel as it effects both Jew and Gentile. In particular he tells us that: "...we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin..." Quoting Psalm 53:3 from the Old Testament, he writes: "As it is written...They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one."
Moreover, he goes on to show that Abraham, the revered father of both the Jewish and Islamic faiths was declared righteous on the basis of his faith and not his works. (Romans 4:1-5) Rather than infused grace, he had righteousness imputed to him (4:22).
(For example, if you receive a valuable gift to add to your possessions, it is 'imputed' to your net worth.)
What Paul learned was that rather than the Lord helping those that help themselves, he discovered that the Lord helps those that will simply admit that they are helpless. He writes it this way:
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:...For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." Romans 5:1, 6
True Christian faith can lay no claim to self-righteousness assertions of favor with God based on what we do. Favor with God is not from 'infused grace' but it is from abounding grace. It is over the top, unexpected, super abundant and exclusive of works.
And if by grace, then [is it] no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if [it be] of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. (Romans 11:6)
So, work hard for your living, for your family and for yourself and enjoy the rewards that come from your efforts. Yet, when it comes to our eternal future, remember that God's favor rests only on those who have trusted in Christ alone.
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12
Contributed by Steve McMurray
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