10 Cliches Christians Should Never Use

We Christians have a remarkable talent for sticking our feet in our mouths. When searching the words most commonly associated with “Christian,” the list ain’t pretty. I think part of this can be attributed to a handful of phrases that, if stricken from our vocabulary, might make us a little more tolerable. Yes, these things may mean something to you, but trust me, non-Christians don’t share your love for these tried-and-true clichés.

There are a number of reasons why we do this.

One that is especially chilling is that we actually believe them. As you’ll see from the following list, there’s more harm than good that often can be done when we use reckless talk around matters of faith, be it spiritual, emotional or psychic.

Another cause for such sloppy talk is when we’re not particularly invested in one another to begin with. We get uncomfortable in emotionally or intellectually intense situations, so it’s easier sometimes to fall back on clichés or platitudes rather than take real emotional risk or – God forbid – admit we don’t know or that we’re wrong.

A final reason for leaning on the good old “cliché crutch” is laziness. We latch onto the first thing that sounds good or that we’ve heard someone else say and figure that’s a good enough temporary bandage to absolve ourselves from deeper introspection about what we truly believe and why. This could be because we never were particularly bought into the true substance of what it means to live in the path of Jesus, or maybe even because we’re afraid our doubts will overwhelm us.

So in no particular order, here are ten phrases Christians should lose with a quickness.