Top Ten Things NOT in the Bible Many Christians Believe Anyway

Christians believe many things derived from tradition that cannot be found explicitly stated in the Bible.  Protestants historically have called out Catholics for believing in Purgatory and various Marian doctrines such as her Immaculate Conception, Perpetual Virginity, and Assumption into Heaven.  But there are many other things non-Catholic Christians similarly believe without explicit Biblical evidence.  Below I list ten of them, some of which may surprise you.

#10: The Charismatic Gifts of the Holy Spirit Were Withdrawn at the End of the Apostolic Age

This is an article of faith among many non-Pentecostal Christians.  The problem is that the Charismatic Gifts  (healing, miracles, speaking in tongues, prophecy, etc) are highlighted in the Gospel of Mark (chapter 16), throughout the Acts of the Apostles, and in three entire chapters of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians (12-14).  To resolve this difficulty, these Christians argue that the purpose of the Charismatic Gifts was to get the Church started, and were withdrawn once they were no longer needed. Yet that argument is supported by nothing in the Bible? 

#9 The Rapture is Coming!

A popular belief among Evangelical Christians is that Jesus will soon return to take all true Christians out of the world to be with him in heaven.  Non-believers will be left behind to fend for themselves as they face the judgment and wrath of God.  This belief is mainly based on a complex theology called Dispensationalism.  Belief in the Rapture is often associated a misunderstanding of two key Scripture passages.  First, of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 where St Paul uses the familiar (to his readers) analogy of a Roman conqueror entering a city in glory accompanied by his loyal subjects.  Second, of the famous "one will be taken, the other left" passage in Matthew 24:36-44, where it is actually the saints who are left and the sinners who are taken -- taken away in judgment as in the flood of Noah.

#8: Christians Will Not Go Through the Great Tribulation

This belief is connected to the idea of the Rapture, and holds that the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation begins (some Christians say it will happen halfway through rather than at the beginning).  This belief is commonly accepted by Evangelicals, especially so-called "Bible Church" Christians.  Even though every Biblical passage that talks about the Great Tribulation indicates Christians will go through it (Matthew 24:15-28; Revelation 6:9;12:17), these Christians continue to believe the opposite.

#7: Christians Will Spend Eternity in Heaven

This is such a widespread belief among Christians of every stripe that you are probably quite sure I am mistaken when I say it is to be found nowhere in the Bible.  But what the Bible consistently teaches is that Christians will be resurrected and spend eternity on a newly restored earth (Revelation 21:9-27; Romans 8:18-23; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28).  Thus, the famous "I go to prepare a place for you" passage (John 14:1-3) probably isn't talking about a place "in heaven" but more likely a place in the New Creation!

#6: We are Saved Just By Believing 

The Bible does teach that we are saved by faith, apart from works of the Law.  This core teaching is found most clearly in Paul's letters to the Galatians and the Romans.  But Lutheran and Reformed Christians in particular have taken this to mean that Christians do not in any way participate in their salvation.  If this interpretation were correct, then it would be impossible to know what Jesus meant by the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46).  It would also make nonsense of James' proclamation that faith without works is dead (James 2:17).

#5: We Should Confess Our Sins Only to God 

You will typically hear non-Catholics put this belief in the negative:  "You don't need to confess your sins to some man," by which they usually mean a Catholic priest.  But this belief is nowhere to be found in the Bible.  Just the opposite.  Here are two key passages of which many non-Catholics seem to be unaware.  First, James writes that we should confess our sins to one another (James 5:16), and in the preceding verses puts this in the context of the presbyters (elders, priests) of the Church.  Second, Jesus gave his apostles the authority to forgive sins in John 20:23:  "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven, and whose sins you retain are retained."  Why would he do that if we weren't supposed to confess our sins to them?

#4: The Ministry of the Apostles Ended When the Last of Jesus' 12 Apostles Died

Most Christians in the Lutheran and Reformed traditions (but not Anglicans) reject Apostolic Succession, the idea that the Apostles appointed successors who carried forward their apostolic authority, such as their teaching authority and their authority to forgive sins.  Since it is a historical fact that the Apostles did appoint successors, these Christians have to argue that the need for the apostolic ministry ended when the New Testament was finally completed somewhere around the end of the first century.  Where is that in the Bible?  Nowhere, of course.

#3: The Bible is the Pillar and Foundation of our Faith

Ask any Evangelical Christian, "What is the pillar and foundation of your faith?" and they are sure to answer "the Bible" or, in some cases, "Jesus Christ."  What they are unlikely to tell you is what the Bible actually says:  the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth (1 Timothy 3:15).  Non-Catholics in the West ignore this passage because it presents them with a huge problem, for there are so many different Protestant churches and denominations all teaching different, even contradictory things -- how could any of them be the Pillar and Foundation of our faith?

#2: Every Christian Should Interpret the Bible for Himself

Many Christians, especially Baptists and those of like faith, believe some form of this idea, which explains why there are tens of thousands of Evangelical denominations -- even though the Bible states just the opposite:  "There is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation" (2 Peter 1:20). Those Christians ignore this passage and instead rely on Jesus' statement in John 16:13 that the Holy Spirit will "guide you to all truth," overlooking the fact that Jesus said this to the Apostles with whom he entrusted leadership of the Church.

#1:  Anything We Believe MUST be in the Bible

Ever since Martin Luther proclaimed "Scripture Only!" as one of his three core principles (Faith Only and Grace Only are the other two), Protestants of most stripes at least claim to reject any doctrine not found explicitly stated in Scripture.  But "scripture only" itself is not found in Scripture, which means this belief is self-contradictory and therefore cannot be true.  Recognizing this problem, the best advocates have been able to come up with is 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is inspired by God...," where Paul is clearly referring to the Old Testament.  Paul didn't say that Scripture is our only authority, but if he had, we would have to throw out the entire New Testament.