Does God “Help Those Who Help Themselves”?

Benjamin Franklin, in his Poor Richard’s Almanac, penned many memorable maxims that to this day exercise a profound influence on American culture. These maxims include “He that lies down with dogs, shall rise up with fleas,” “Haste makes waste,” and yes, “God helps them that help themselves.” Actually, Franklin was not the originator of that last one; about two centuries earlier, Sidney Algernon in his Discourses Concerning Government said, “God helps those who help themselves.”

It may surprise some to learn that these well-known words are not in the Bible. I appreciate the thinking behind that statement, but it is not an accurate statement of biblical truth. Romans 5:6 declares, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (NASB, italics added). We are not able to bring ourselves into a right relationship with God! The helpless human family stands in need of divine help and aid.

I am grateful that God helps the helpless who trust and rely on His Son. On the other hand, the fact that we cannot save ourselves is not a call for us as Christians to be passive in life. We are commanded to devote ourselves to prayer (Col. 4:2), to love and serve one another (1 John 4:7; Gal. 5:13), to control our tongues (Eph. 4:29; James 3:1–12), to hold a job (Eph. 4:28), and to raise our children for the glory of God (Deut. 6:6–7; Eph. 6:4). Of course, God enables us to do these things, but we must cooperate with Him in the process of living out the Christian life.

Further, there are some things that God is not going to come down from Heaven and do. The Lord will not punch the clock for us, nor will He mow our lawns and balance our checkbooks. The Lord will not attend class for us, nor will He do our homework. God expects us to do these things and He enables us to do them. Therefore, we give the Lord the glory for saving us, we give Him the glory for enabling us to obey Him, and we give Him the glory for blessing and confirming the work of our hands.