"It's in there!" is a slogan from a nationally recognized spaghetti sauce. Tasting the sauce to see if a pinch of oregano or a snip of thyme might not improve the flavor, the actor repeatedly declares, "It's in there!"

That commercial reminds me of the many times I've heard someone say, "It says in the Bible ... " then fills in the blank with a cliché repeated so many times that if I didn't know better, I'd think it really was in there. Nevertheless, no matter how many times these phrases, and others like them, are repeated, "It ain't in there!"

A favorite quote from my mother-in-law is, "God helps those that help themselves." It ain't in there.

That particular phrase is close kin to one that is also oft-repeated, especially when well-meaning people are seeking to comfort someone to whom tragedy has come, "God will not bring to you more than you can handle." It ain't in there.

A friend called the other night, looking for the section of Scripture that details the "Seven Deadly Sins." It ain't in there.

None of these familiar sayings appear in Scripture. Nor does the dangerous adage, "We are all children of God."

No. We're not. All of mankind is created in the image of God, that is undisputed. However, only those who call Jesus both Savior and Lord, believing him to be the risen Son of God, have been given the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)

The Seven Deadly Sins are a tradition of men, a rating system if you will of sins that even inherently evil man (that's you and me) recognize as particularly heinous. However, Scripture makes no such distinction among sins. All sin is deadly, making even the most righteous needful of a Savior. (Romans 3:23) Sin is sin and the sin-debt must be paid, or the sinner perishes. The danger in this dictum is the tacit license it gives for us to compare our sins to the sins of others and to find comfort in the knowing that at least we're "not as bad as so-and-so." That cry is a far cry from the cry of repentance that can save.

As to the maxim that God will not bring more to us than we can handle, or the saying that he helps those that help themselves, I pose the question, "Why then do we need God?" If he is only going to burden us with that which we can bear, what good is he? Why would we call upon him? When would we recognize his power, his majesty, his wisdom or his love if we are supposed to somehow manufacture enough strength of character on our own to carry us through the storms of life? (I Corinthians 1:25) Another danger in this teaching is for those who, when overwhelmed by tragedy, pain and heartache, believe that God expects them to bear up, yet find themselves too small for the task before them. Then, unable to face God with their weakness, these hopeless ones choose to give up on everything, some even on life itself.

It ain't in there. And there is a real danger in accepting everything that someone says is in there. Check everything against the truth of God, found in his Word. If someone says, "The Bible says..." ask them to show you where it says that and to whom it says that, and the circumstances surrounding the utterance. It matters. It matters a lot.

What you will find in there is a peace that passes understanding. A testimony that spans thousands of years that says, "God is." "God loves." "God can." "God will." "God has."

From page one to page done lies a love story beyond human imagination, in spite of hard hearts, stiff necks, rebelliousness, idolatry and even the murder of God's own Son, he waits, he woos, he prepares, even as he weeps for all that has been lost.

"Sanctify them by truth; your word is truth." John 17:17 (NIV)

Things you won't see in heaven: Extra chapters