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“God helps those who help themselves.”
This sounds like something that makes a lot of sense when you first hear it, doesn’t it? But let’s take a second and examine the origins of this extremely popular phrase.
Origin
The saying, “God helps those who help themselves” was first coined by Benjamin Franklin, a Deist. In case you’re wondering, a Deist is one who believes that while a supreme being did indeed create the universe, that supreme being does not involve itself in human affairs. Therefore, miracles and special revelation (such as healing, prophecy, the virgin birth & resurrection of Jesus, and the inspiration of the Scriptures) don’t actually happen.
At the risk of oversimplifying, according to this view, God just isn’t interested in his creations. He’s got better things to do.
Okay, we know the origin. So, what does the Bible really say? Does God really help those who help themselves?
What the Bible really says…
Nowhere in Scripture will you find appropriate support for the statement “God helps those who help themselves.” Whether you’re looking at life here from 30,000 feet or from street level, you will actually find the opposite is true.
Here are just a couple examples:
In speaking of trials and affliction, the Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthian church, “For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again” (2 Cor 1:9-10, emphasis mine).
Additionally, in speaking of repentance, and God coming to save the lost, Jesus says, “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost’” (Luke 15:4-6). In this parable, we (that is, humans) are the lost sheep, a completely helpless animal, in need of saving.
God does not help those who can help themselves, simply because no one can help do so! We cannot save ourselves from our bondage to sin, nor from the wrath of God, so He does. Our own power fails us when we rely on it, rather than God. To believe that God helps those who help themselves, is not only foolish, but it’s proud. Pride motivates the belief that we can do everything by our own gusto and go-to attitude. That we can pick ourselves up by our spiritual & moral bootstraps. But, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6, 1 Pet. 5:5).
How do we respond?
We know that the idea that God helps those who help themselves is false, so how do we respond? I need to spend some time asking God to reveal to me in what ways I live like this is true. And as He reveals them, my desire is to repent. I have no doubt that there are areas in which I am doing this, and I hope that I am learning to be humble enough to admit them.
12 comments
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July 8, 2009 at 8:32 am
Amber
Hey that’s my favorite verse! Just kidding. There is Jacob. He is puzzling in that God seems to have blessed him for his scrappiness…but he also seems to be an anomoly.
July 8, 2009 at 11:08 am
Aaron Armstrong
Quite right, God does bless him in spite of his character. I don’t know if that makes him an anomoly as is the case with all the patriarchs and biblical figures, such as Abraham, all the Judges, David, Solomon, etc. Unless I’m just out to lunch, which could be the case.
July 8, 2009 at 11:45 am
Amber Van Schooneveld
But in the case of Jacob, it seems he is blessed because of his scrappy character (i.e. wrestling with God and demanding he be blessed) vs. being blessed despite poor choices (like David and Uriah).
July 8, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Aaron Armstrong
It’s a tough call because that story is the culmination of Jacob’s life of struggling to understand the need to be blessed by God (though he had been named God’s chosen instrument to bring about his purposes at his birth). It seems to be a both/and in his case. He’s blessed because of his tenacity, but only because it finally clicked that he needed God’s blessing.
In saying this, I’m not sure if I’m basically saying the same thing you are just in a different way. Either way, push back if there’s push back.
July 12, 2009 at 6:09 am
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September 2, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Jennifer
This is troubling to me. It seems that Christians fall victim to inactivity on a regular basis. If a certain situation is too difficult for a humble human to deal with the natural reaction for Christians is to rely upon the Lord. The problem I see is that sometimes we just say “well I will give it to God, leave it in His hands and what happens will happen.”
If I am suffering from finances it is highly unlikely that God will make a suprise deposit into my bank account. Instead He will guide me to a job or circumstance that will help. But He cannot guide me if I am sitting on the couch, I must be actively searching. So that is to say, if I am helping myself (looking for work or a means of income) that God will also help me (guide me to the right job, etc.) as long as I am seeking His help.
To me this is a brilliant statement by Ben Franklin, Deist or not, he had a great concept on the weakness (thats right I said weakness) of the Christian faith. I dont mean to be blasphemous, I believe in the ability of the Almighty and Omega to do anything, conceivable or inconceivable. I simply think some of us take this Franklin quote too seriously as an opposition to faith and the teachings of the Bible. I would challenge those to instead use it as a tool to help us live a more God-like life.
I belive I may rely upon the Lord for anything, I also believe I must show Him I am ready for whatever He brings to my life by getting up and getting out there! That, in a nutshell is my point.
September 3, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Aaron Armstrong
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks very much for taking the time to write such a thorough and thoughtful response to this post. And I sincerely apologize that it troubled you, particularly because I agree with a good deal of your comment in general.
The meaning which I intended to communicate and perhaps failed to do so (because I was looking at the issue from the 30,000 foot view as opposed to the day-to-day), was that we cannot look to ourselves and our own “take charge” attitude to bring about sustainable change in our circumstances.
To be sure, we must always work and work hard–we must work to improve our ability to manage the finances we’ve been given, we must work to find a job and take care of our families–but we do so with the understanding that what we do is not by our own ability, but only by the power of the Holy Spirit.
In the end, I’m talking about humility. Admitting weakness, because God’s power is made perfect in our weakness.
Anyway, thanks again for commenting and God bless.
September 28, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Stephen Sarine
I greatly appreciate this topic and as a Youth Pastor I come in contact with this too often. It’s a fine line to balance since one side lends to laziness and the other to ineffectual “works” based faith. My question in all of this is how does Philippians 2:12, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” work in conjunction? I often think of the times in which Jesus brought healing to someone in the New Testament but then quickly follows up with a, “do not sin” command. I have found encouragement in Paul’s confidence in the strength of the Spirit rather than in his weaknesses but understand that since each has free will, we decided whether or not to obey God and his ways. The strange rub is attempting to follow Jesus’ command to not sin and realize that left to ourselves, we will choose sin. Now I am rambling. Great chat!
September 28, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Aaron Armstrong
Hey Stephen – awesome comments. I’m glad you brought up Phil. 2:12. I find the hope and the impetus against laziness and apathy comes from v. 13: “…for it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
It’s the fun both/and that exists within our faith: We work, but it’s God working within us to give us the desire and the ability to do what He asks of us, rather than to obey our natural inclination to sin.
Crazy, huh?
November 3, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Mr History
FYI- Ben Franklin borrowed this saying from Julius Caesar who had borrowed it from Aesop’s Fables. According to it, Hercules should get full credit in his rebuke of the wagoner. Heaven helps those that help themselves!
November 3, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Aaron Armstrong
Thanks for the fun fact, Mr. History