We talked yesterday about people going around believing things they don't have any basis for. Careless confidence. Foundation-less faith. What could be worse than that? (This is a good one. Some of y'all are about to get in some sort of way...)

"Cop-out" Christianity otherwise known as "No-fault" religion.

It's a big problem and spreads like a disease. For those weak in the Word - new believers or even "veterans" who don't know or understand God's character - it is detrimental to their faith and arguably the primary hindrance in God moving in their lives. It usually starts like this:

God is in control

Yes - all things are upheld by the power of His Word (Hebrews 1:3). But let's think about this for a second... if I give you the keys to my car and say, "it's yours," then you are in control of it. Who am I to take back those keys or try and dictate what you do with it? Isn't that what we do to God? "Jesus take the wheel!" we cry, but then we worry over and still try to influence things in our own power and/or in our own way. All too often, we take back the keys. Before He can even get in the driver's seat, we take it back. That's not really all of it, though, is it? That's not really a cop-out as much as it is a control issue. But that's typically where it all starts.

The biggest challenge is that when tests, trials, and tribulations arise (which at their core are all the same thing - but that's a teaching for another time), too many will throw up a quick a prayer (at best) and simply "let go and let God." (I think that will be the topic of our next article...) Rather than knowing the Word, knowing God's will, and aligning with Him, too many Christians take what seems to be "the easy way out" (but it's really not) by figuratively throwing their hands up in the face of adversity, ultimately refusing to accept responsibility for their own lives and actions saying that God is in control. They pray, "if it be thy will" not bothering to look to His Word to know what His will is. Not if, but when things go awry the typical response is, "it is what it is" (man I hate that!) and/or "oh well - it's not my fault" followed immediately by:

God is sovereign. He can do whatever He wants.

Which in it's totality is not true. (That's how you can tell it's a lie of the Devil. There's a glimmer of truth in it, but the end result and ultimate aim is false.) Yes. He is sovereign. No. He cannot "do whatever He wants." He is bound by His Word. He cannot and will not ever do anything outside of or in contradiction to His Word. Otherwise He would be a liar - which He is not (Numbers 2:13) - and would have to change - which He does not (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8). For God to intervene and act without your faith (which requires knowing His Word and trusting Him in that regard) and corresponding actions would mean that He is imposing His will on you - which He will not do. (If He's not going to do it to "get people saved," what makes you think He'll do it to get you out of the mess you got yourself into? Just a little food for thought.)

By copping-out or not accepting any fault for ourselves, it's easier to say "God did it, He can do what He wants, He must have a reason for it, who am I to question it. I guess I'm just like Job." (Don't get me started on that one.) In short, it's easier to blame God (which is what's really happening) than it is to believe Him because believing Him requires knowing Him and having a firm foundation for faith.

Do you have a foundation for your faith? Can you point to Scripture as a basis for what you believe? Is God really in control of your situation? Have you really done all that you're supposed to do? Tune in next time for that discussion...