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Is God a Crutch?
From time to time I have heard the viewpoint, "People who believe in God do so because they need a crutch in their life." Generally, those who say such things probably see themselves as better or stronger than those who are "into religion." They are comfortable with their ability to handle the problems and challenges of life without feeling a need for God. To these atheists, weak people need something to believe in, so they conjure up the idea of God. Let us consider whether belief in God really is a crutch.
You may think this a bold statement, but most people who confess to believe in God do not truly know God. Jesus said,
"Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it." Matthew 7:13, in the Bible
In other words, He claimed that the proportion of the population who would enter into eternal life would be relatively few. It is possible to believe someone exists, but not know him. You probably believe that the president of our country exists, yet it is likely that you do not know him personally. Similarly, people may believe God exists without truly believing in Him, in the way the Bible prescribes. Merely believing that God exists and that Jesus is the Son of God does not mean such a person truly knows God or knows Jesus Christ.
You and I may be talking together and discover that we both know Bob Smith.
"You know him, too? What a guy! He has always been so physically fit, exercising and eating healthy foods."
"What do you mean? Bob eats burgers all the time, and weighs over 200 pounds at five feet four inches."
Obviously this is not the same Bob Smith. In the same way, many people claim to believe in God and in Jesus Christ. However we must admit that if their concept of God does not line up with what the Bible reveals of Him, it cannot be the same one, though the name is the same. To truly believe in God is to believe in all that He is, His person and character, and to know him as he actually is, as described in the Bible.
The majority of people who believe in God have a vague notion that He is out there somewhere, watching over us from a distance without getting involved much with our lives. When trouble or difficult times come, they may turn to God in a general way, but they do not really trust Him. To the atheist, such people use God as a crutch—as they indeed do. The atheist rightly perceives that this God is imaginary, a figment of men's minds. In a sense, the atheist who understands this is being more honest with himself than the other people who believe in a God of their own imagination. This atheist sees that God, the Supreme Being, the Creator of all things, is not a god at all if His only role is giving some small comforts of mind during times of difficulty.
So we might correctly say that for many people today, this imaginary concept of deity is a crutch—but this is not the true God, the God of the Bible. The true God is not a crutch to aid our feeble minds. In fact, the Bible says,
"Can man make gods for himself? Yet they are not gods!"
(Jeremiah 16:20)
If God is a fiction, a mere crutch, this very text would condemn its own writer.
So then, how do I describe the true God in such a short article? Let me describe how He has dealt with mankind, for by observing this we will come to understand His true character.
God is the creator, both of the material universe and of all mankind. In the beginning He created Adam perfect, but also gave him a free will. Adam disobeyed God, and sin became like a disease that infected everyone born after him. Once Adam had sinned against God, death came into the world as a punishment for sin. The Bible tells us, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Even telling one lie is a sin, and it shows we are not perfect, not holy, not fit for God's presence. (James 2:10For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.; See Objection #7)
But God wanted to demonstrate how much He loved us. He desired to give us the joy of eternal fellowship with himself but our sin barred the way. Because of God's view of sin, He would not accept any attempt on man's part to bring a remedy. So He brought the remedy on our behalf through Jesus Christ. Christ suffered on the cross in our place for our sins.1
In Romans 6:23, we read,
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
You see, Jesus is God the Son, and He accepted God's punishment in my place and yours so that we could be forgiven and have peace with God. Moreover, He was raised from the dead, demonstrating that God accepted His death as the payment for sins. So how can you lay hold of this "free gift of God"? Simply by believing that Jesus, the Son of God, took the punishment for your personal sins through dying on the cross. You cannot perform any works or acts of penance to contribute to your own salvation—and you do not need to! The work of God's Son is sufficient throughout eternity for every sinner who believes in Him.2
God's plan of salvation reveals the essence of who He is—not a distant psychological crutch, but a holy, yet loving, God who is so active in the affairs of humanity that He has paid the ultimate price in order for us to be saved.
Despite such an amazing demonstration of God's love, the natural tendency of mankind is still to ignore Him. You see, in our natural condition we do not like to be accountable to God. To acknowledge that God made us is to feel the responsibility we have to live and behave as God would have us to. We are naturally like little children wanting our own way.
Is not Denial the Crutch?
God is not a crutch. The exact opposite may be closer to the truth. It requires honesty and humility to admit our position before God, and acknowledge His supremacy. It may be more fitting to say that those who take the broad road, who deny that God exists, who do not search out the facts regarding His creation of this world, are leaning on a crutch of denial. It makes them feel good because they are accountable to no god at all. But it is denial just the same. If a person has cancer, yet refuses to believe it and accept treatment, he will inevitably suffer the effects in time. Our sin problem is like that. We are all infected with sin, and we will suffer eternal judgment for it if we don't deal with the problem.
The true crutch is to pretend God doesn't exist. Then you can simply run your own life and do as you please. But the day will come when you must answer to the almighty God, Whose offer of salvation you spurned. You will have no recourse then; it will be too late to escape the judgment your sins deserve. How much better it is to acknowledge God now as your Creator and Savior, and be able to look forward to an eternity of rejoicing in His love.
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