"God helps those that help themselves."
Although this phrase is not found directly in the Bible the concept seems to be implied. For instance, the following phrase IS found in the Bible.
And I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
- Revelation 2:23
A Different Perspective
Based on the quotes above it sounds like God will help people in their lives IF they do something to help themselves first.A person could ask, "If God loves everyone then why wouldn't he want to help everyone?" This is where God's will and free will seem to intersect. Is God's will contingent on what people do?
As these posts examine topics from different viewpoints this post looks at the possibility of whether God helps those who DON'T help themselves.
God's Plan
We begin with God's plan.
It only makes sense that a Creator would create something for a reason. Would God create just for the sake of creating? Who does he have to impress?
It is a common Christian belief that God has a plan for ALL people. This post looks at how big of a part human free will plays in God's plan. For instance if a person makes bad choices will God eventually intervene in their life and change circumstances to fit his plan?
The following quote can be found in the Bible in the Epistle To The Romans:
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. - Romans 8:28
Does God Help Those Who Do Not Believe?
Rather than stating that God helps those who help themselves Saint Paul seems to have a different emphasis. His emphasis is on those "who love God" and those "who are called according to his purpose." If these things are fulfilled then God will change circumstances to fit his plan.
The next step (per the author) would seem to be to ask if "loving God" or being "called according to his purpose" is the same as helping yourself. In other words, how do you know if you love God or you are called according to his purpose? What are these things based on?
It sounds a little bit like the salvation by faith or works debates that lead to the formation of the Protestant Church during the Reformation. Is faith enough or is salvation determined by your works? (The never-ending question). Is faith alone enough to "love God" or be "called according to his purpose?"
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. - Colossians 3:17
Here it sounds like if you genuinely love God and thank him for what he has given you then his plan for you will complete. This sounds more like the phrase "God helps those who help themselves." It might be the part that states "in word or deed" that is convincing. If your deeds play a role in loving God then it that helping yourself? Yes, this is a lot of unanswered questions.
Another View
From 123rf.com
The next question the author would ask is, "What about those who do not love God or are not called according to his purpose?" Didn't Jesus die for them, also?The intent of Jesus was to save everyone. However, God The Father also gave humans free will so that the love for him was not forced or robotic.
Naturally, this would leave some people in the situation of not helping themselves.
A person could ask about whether ignorance or a lack of the ability to understand factors into belief. Wouldn't God want all of these people saved if he wanted everyone to be saved?
So, does God help those who do NOT help themselves?
Our limited minds might never know and people might disagree on the answer if there was one. It is something worth thinking about and that is what these posts are about.
Another post could be to ask what it means for God to help you.
The fact there a lot of unanswered questions in this post does not indicate there are not answers. Personally the author's opinion is that the God Of All can save everyone, but at different levels.
So, after all of these unanswered questions what is the conclusion of this post?
Only God can judge in the end.
You might also be interested in:
God Helps Those Who Can Not Help Themselves
Does God Give You More Than You Can Bear?
Author: Albert Wagner
