“God helps those who help themselves.”
This is not in the Bible. It is closer to the opposite of the gospel. Scripture says Christ died for us while we were still without strength, helpless and ungodly.
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. — Romans 5:6
Surveys have repeatedly found that a large share of churchgoers believe this line is a direct quotation from Scripture. It is not, and the sentiment runs against the grain of the whole book. Paul writes that when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly, and that God commended His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Not while we were trying hard. Not while we were making progress. Without strength. Scripture certainly commends diligence and warns against slothfulness, and the misconception survives partly because those warnings are real. But diligence in daily labor is a different matter from earning God's favor, and the moment the saying is used to explain salvation it becomes a false gospel dressed in proverb's clothing.
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