In the Bible?  If you said “yes,” you would be in the majority.  According to a Barna Research Group survey in 2000, 75% of Americans and 40% of Christians believe this popular phrase is a truth found in the Bible. A more recent survey says that 68% of Christians believe this statement is in the Bible.   So, the majority of those around us believe this phrase can be found in the Bible. But the majority are wrong.  If you find that phrase in your Bible, it is only because it's on the other side of your bookmark with the poem about the footprints in the sand. 

So, if the saying, “God helps those who help themselves” is not in the Bible, where did it come from?  Some attribute this quote to Ben Franklin printed in Poor Richard’s Almanac in 1757. Others suggest it originated from Algernon Sydney in 1698 in an article titled, Discourses Concerning Government. Going back further yet, it is eerily similar to Aesop’s Fable called, Hercules and the Wagoneer, which states, “The gods help them that help
themselves.”   OK, so this well-known phrase is not actually from the Bible.  But it’s still a good proverb to live by, isn’t it?  Not so fast!

The phrase, “God helps those who help themselves” sounds good.  It sounds like something that could be found in the book of Proverbs.  But substituting sayings that sound good for things that the Bible actually says is
dangerous.  J.C. Ryle, a theologian from the 19^th century put it like this: “Whenever a man takes it upon himself to make additions to the Scriptures, he is likely to end with valuing his own additions above Scripture itself.”

Sayings that sound good are appealing.  Brief, catchy little statements stick with us.  And they determine what we think and how we live.  If punchy little statements were not effective, the advertising industry would never use them.  “God helps those who help themselves” is a catchy little phrase.  It tells us that by being self-reliant, we qualify ourselves for God’s help.  But self-reliance doesn’t move us closer to God; it moves us away from Him.   The beauty of the Gospel is that God came to us when we were totally helpless.  He didn’t wait for us to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps.  We are not saved by our own merit or character or performance or works or anything other than Christ, and Christ alone. 

Truth matters. What you believe about God, the gospel, the nature of man, and every major truth addressed in Scripture filters down to every area of your life. You and I will never rise above our view of God and our understanding of His Word.  There is no suitable substitute for Scripture.