Does God help those who help themselves?
Thoughts on Self-will
You may have heard it said "God helps those who help themselves." Perhaps one of the greatest underline reason for this statement is due to the idea that we have, within ourselves, the innate ability to will something into being. Though many extremists say that we can will anything into existence, many will avoid this, simply stating that we can will prosperity into existence, because "God is waiting" for us to activate His power within ourselves.
Many adhere themselves to this form of teaching for a few reasons.
The first is the most obvious: it gives us some form of control. Some ability to make things happen on our own. This is so vastly appealing because it denounces, supposedly, poverty, sadness, disappointment and many other "sins" in one's life. Many love this teaching for just those things. After all, if one no longer feels disappointment, sadness and avoids any form of poverty, they are successful. They are clearly no longer being pursued by the devil, and can now live free from any sort of ill in their lives.
Another reason many love this teaching is because it is for the "good of all mankind." If poverty is removed from the face of the earth, and all disappointment is taken away, what could possibly go wrong? What could possibly be bad about that sort of world? If the good of mankind, as a whole, is involved, it must be promoted. And not to the Christian's surprise, the world is easily focused on the freedom of all mankind. They all have different views of how this may take place. One group believes freedom is freedom from oppression. Another group believes it is merely political. Another group believes this freedom is having everyone under the same roof- under the same belief system. Though dictators like Hitler may appear to contradict this, they are in fact, examples of this reality. Hitler desired the complete removal of the Jewish people from the world for the good of mankind. The loss of millions of people was nothing compared to billions of people suffering from the existence of a curse people, as he would have them believe. It was all for the greater good. Perhaps far too many people assume that some people do things simply because they want to be a bad guy. "Bad guys" are never such in their own eyes. They are good, logical people who have a right point of view that so few seem to hold. Many of this country's "good guys" are tolerant of some reason or another for abortion. For the good of the mother, they kill the child. Some form of loss for the greater good. And so, though there are many extremes, everyone who is of this world does something for the good of mankind. Be it themselves or the vast majority, they are always after what seems to be the perfect world to them. Be it at the cost of many or not.
And perhaps the simplest of views, many believe God helps those who help themselves because it is something so easy to believe. It requires very little faith in God, and a very large amount of faith in one's own self. Faith in ourselves is far easier a thing to grasp than faith in Someone we cannot see. If the vast majority fails to see evidence for the God, at least they believe in some god. Atheists, Mormons, Catholics, Muslims and the like all have a god, in some way or another. And, after all, for the greater good of mankind, God helps those who help themselves, whether or not they believe in the real version of Him. It is, after all, the thought that counts.
But is this true? Does God truly help those who have faith in themselves? Does He come to the aid of those who work for their own happiness? Does He give good things to good people simply because they want it? The best way to answer this question is to ask, and answer, the most significant question the earth could ever wonder: Is there a salvation from sin? One may define sin however they please, but this does not change the reality of its presence on this earth. Death being the final proof that sin does, in fact, exist, and bears a very great punishment upon those who sin. But do we need salvation from it? If not, then nobody needs God to help them, because there is nothing to be helped from (something no human being can believe, because even they need to help themselves at some point or another, in the most basic of needs). If, however, we need some form of salvation from these things, how is it accomplished? The Scripture, in such beautiful clarity, answers, perhaps in a very direct fashion, the question, "Does God help those who help themselves?" The answer lies within the saving work of Christ Himself, found clearly in Romans 5:6. "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." Not much can be said about this text as an answer. Many might quote this as an answer, but the context is very much an anti-humanistic way of thinking.
"For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation."
The greatest of all human moral acts is the act of sacrifice for "the greater good." No human could ever do anything more moral in the sight of others than giving their life for someone else. There is a very big difference between the sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of one's self for another. When a person gives their life for a person, it is always based upon the knowledge that the person for whom they give their life is good, and can bring about some good if allowed to live. The sacrifice of Christ was by God for those who were sinners. Those who were in active disobedience to the Most High. Those who hated Him, even when He came to earth. When the Master sends His Son, and the gardeners beat and kill the Son and throw Him out as though He did not own the land, a normal person would seek justice and vengeance upon such men. But God shows His love towards us, in that while we had done such things, He saved us. The death of His Son was no accident, but was in fact the very act of salvation for those who hated Him.
Perhaps, as Paul says here, one might die for a righteous man. But God proves that His love is far greater in that He died for us in the midst of our sin. Such sacrifice no man could know without the example of Christ.
So, in the question "Does God help those who help themselves?" we see a rather scary lack of Biblical truth in the question itself. God is not out for people to feel fulfillment in their lives, He is glorifying Himself, with or without our prosperity. Because the meaning of life has nothing to do with ourselves, and everything to do with God. "Whether therefore you eat or drink, do all for the glory of God." - 1 Cor. 10:31
You may have heard it said "God helps those who help themselves." Perhaps one of the greatest underline reason for this statement is due to the idea that we have, within ourselves, the innate ability to will something into being. Though many extremists say that we can will anything into existence, many will avoid this, simply stating that we can will prosperity into existence, because "God is waiting" for us to activate His power within ourselves.
Many adhere themselves to this form of teaching for a few reasons.
The first is the most obvious: it gives us some form of control. Some ability to make things happen on our own. This is so vastly appealing because it denounces, supposedly, poverty, sadness, disappointment and many other "sins" in one's life. Many love this teaching for just those things. After all, if one no longer feels disappointment, sadness and avoids any form of poverty, they are successful. They are clearly no longer being pursued by the devil, and can now live free from any sort of ill in their lives.
Another reason many love this teaching is because it is for the "good of all mankind." If poverty is removed from the face of the earth, and all disappointment is taken away, what could possibly go wrong? What could possibly be bad about that sort of world? If the good of mankind, as a whole, is involved, it must be promoted. And not to the Christian's surprise, the world is easily focused on the freedom of all mankind. They all have different views of how this may take place. One group believes freedom is freedom from oppression. Another group believes it is merely political. Another group believes this freedom is having everyone under the same roof- under the same belief system. Though dictators like Hitler may appear to contradict this, they are in fact, examples of this reality. Hitler desired the complete removal of the Jewish people from the world for the good of mankind. The loss of millions of people was nothing compared to billions of people suffering from the existence of a curse people, as he would have them believe. It was all for the greater good. Perhaps far too many people assume that some people do things simply because they want to be a bad guy. "Bad guys" are never such in their own eyes. They are good, logical people who have a right point of view that so few seem to hold. Many of this country's "good guys" are tolerant of some reason or another for abortion. For the good of the mother, they kill the child. Some form of loss for the greater good. And so, though there are many extremes, everyone who is of this world does something for the good of mankind. Be it themselves or the vast majority, they are always after what seems to be the perfect world to them. Be it at the cost of many or not.
And perhaps the simplest of views, many believe God helps those who help themselves because it is something so easy to believe. It requires very little faith in God, and a very large amount of faith in one's own self. Faith in ourselves is far easier a thing to grasp than faith in Someone we cannot see. If the vast majority fails to see evidence for the God, at least they believe in some god. Atheists, Mormons, Catholics, Muslims and the like all have a god, in some way or another. And, after all, for the greater good of mankind, God helps those who help themselves, whether or not they believe in the real version of Him. It is, after all, the thought that counts.
But is this true? Does God truly help those who have faith in themselves? Does He come to the aid of those who work for their own happiness? Does He give good things to good people simply because they want it? The best way to answer this question is to ask, and answer, the most significant question the earth could ever wonder: Is there a salvation from sin? One may define sin however they please, but this does not change the reality of its presence on this earth. Death being the final proof that sin does, in fact, exist, and bears a very great punishment upon those who sin. But do we need salvation from it? If not, then nobody needs God to help them, because there is nothing to be helped from (something no human being can believe, because even they need to help themselves at some point or another, in the most basic of needs). If, however, we need some form of salvation from these things, how is it accomplished? The Scripture, in such beautiful clarity, answers, perhaps in a very direct fashion, the question, "Does God help those who help themselves?" The answer lies within the saving work of Christ Himself, found clearly in Romans 5:6. "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." Not much can be said about this text as an answer. Many might quote this as an answer, but the context is very much an anti-humanistic way of thinking.
"For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation."
The greatest of all human moral acts is the act of sacrifice for "the greater good." No human could ever do anything more moral in the sight of others than giving their life for someone else. There is a very big difference between the sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of one's self for another. When a person gives their life for a person, it is always based upon the knowledge that the person for whom they give their life is good, and can bring about some good if allowed to live. The sacrifice of Christ was by God for those who were sinners. Those who were in active disobedience to the Most High. Those who hated Him, even when He came to earth. When the Master sends His Son, and the gardeners beat and kill the Son and throw Him out as though He did not own the land, a normal person would seek justice and vengeance upon such men. But God shows His love towards us, in that while we had done such things, He saved us. The death of His Son was no accident, but was in fact the very act of salvation for those who hated Him.
Perhaps, as Paul says here, one might die for a righteous man. But God proves that His love is far greater in that He died for us in the midst of our sin. Such sacrifice no man could know without the example of Christ.
So, in the question "Does God help those who help themselves?" we see a rather scary lack of Biblical truth in the question itself. God is not out for people to feel fulfillment in their lives, He is glorifying Himself, with or without our prosperity. Because the meaning of life has nothing to do with ourselves, and everything to do with God. "Whether therefore you eat or drink, do all for the glory of God." - 1 Cor. 10:31
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