Is faith in God a crutch?

Quick answer

Faith in God is based on believers’ knowledge of who He actually is; it is not merely a coping strategy (“crutch”) to deal with the fear of death, as some unbelievers claim.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The idea that faith in God is a “crutch” implies that God isn’t real, but humankind created Him to feel better about the reality of death. But the Bible teaches that God is real and that we’re to place our faith in Him. Genesis 1–2 records what common sense tells us: creation had to have a Creator. The Bible shows our Creator interacting with His creation throughout time. The Old Testament records the Israelites defeating enemy nations—many of whom were much stronger than they—because Israel had God on their side. In the quintessential story of faith, God delivers the Philistine giant Goliath into the hands of David, a young shepherd (1 Samuel 17:47). The overall lesson there, as in all of Scripture, is that God gives us victory when we have faith in Him (Proverbs 21:31; Psalm 20:7)—not as a “crutch” to make us feel better, but as the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of all. The New Testament teaches that this “victory” may not be over a literal battle or physical persecution, but a strengthening of us by the Holy Spirit. While under affliction, Paul did not bemoan his weakness, but rather, relished it so that in his weakness, Christ would be made more apparent (2 Corinthians 12:9). All believers are in a spiritual battle and need “the full armor of God” to overcome it (Ephesians 6:10–18).

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

Genesis 1–2 records what common sense tells those who are open to truth: a Creator is behind all of creation.
In the Old Testament, when the Israelites had faith in God, they conquered nations much more powerful than they were because the Lord was on their side (Joshua 1:9). The people willingly wanted God as their “crutch,” in the sense of trusting in Him to fight their battles.
The Israelites experienced the truth of Proverbs 21:31: “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.” Ultimately, those who have faith in and rely on the Lord are victorious, whether in literal battles (as the Israelites were) or in the battles believers face today.
Psalm 14:1 describes those who don’t believe in God: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

When the disciples expressed dismay about the difficulty of being saved, Jesus replied, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Believers understand that while humanity has limits, God does not. He may be our “crutch,” in the sense of helping us do what we cannot do alone, but He is not a figment of our imagination to cope with our fear of death.
Christians are not weak-minded, but they readily admit spiritual weakness without Christ. We all have a spiritual impediment called sin (Romans 3:23), and we all need Christ's power to overcome it.
Paul admitted his spiritual inadequacy but had the confidence that God's "power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Paul also acknowledged, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Some unbelievers accuse Christians of creating the “crutch” of faith in God because we can’t face the reality of death. That argument, though, exemplifies the genetic fallacy. The genetic fallacy illogically uses the cause of a belief to assert the falsity of the belief. Perhaps some Christians use God as a coping mechanism for their fear of death, but their psychological state and reasons for belief d do not rebut the evidence that God is real.

What Christians realize that unbelievers may not is that no matter how responsible we are, we cannot get rid of our own sin. We can “try to be a good person,” but we’ll inevitably fail in thought and/or deed. Christ alone saves us from sin when we place our faith in Him. Our faith isn’t an imaginary “crutch,” created to assuage our fear of death. It’s a reality that every believer knows when they realize how helpless we are to deal with our own sin.

UNDERSTAND

Faith in God is grounded in truth, not wishful thinking.
Believers rely on God because He is powerful and trustworthy.
Human weakness and sin reveal our need for God.

REFLECT

When have you felt weakest and most aware of your need for God’s strength to carry you through?
How does your faith in God affect the way you handle fear, uncertainty, or failure?
How have you seen your belief in God grounded in real experiences, rather than just comforting ideas?

ENGAGE

How should we, as believers, respond when someone says that faith in God is just a psychological crutch?
What’s the difference between relying on God for strength and avoiding responsibility by blaming everything on Him?
How can we explain to others that recognizing our weakness isn’t a flaw but part of the Christian walk of trusting in God’s power?