Circumstantial Faith

Today we continued our discussion of how we deal with difficult circumstances in our lives. We want answers and sometimes there are none.

I began listening this week to Andy Stanley. He is the pastor of North Point Community Church, and he is the son of Charles Stanley, a very famous preacher. He has a series of sermons going right now online that are dealing with this very topic, so I shared with the class what he had to say:

Many people fall away from the faith because they have circumstantial faith. Circumstantial faith is believing in God based on my being able to find God in my circumstances. Two main reasons cause people to abandon this kind of faith. The first reason is life-style decisions that they make. An example of this would be growing up believing that being honest is important until you get a job that requires or allows you to prosper through dishonesty. You abandon your faith because you will always opt for things that bring pleasure, and making money at this job allows you to enjoy pleasures. The second reason is being faced with unexplainable circumstances. You expect God to act in a certain way, and when He doesn't, you have a crisis of faith.

One of our biggest problems is that we are just terrible at interpreting events. In the midst of trials, you can begin to wonder how God can love you and allow this to happen. Mostly we don't allow for enough time to see what God is doing.

Circumstantial faith is nothing to stand on. It will not give you a firm foundation. Our firm foundation is found in Hebrews 12. It says there, "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the Father."

The proof that God loves us is not the circumstances we are facing. It is the historical fact that God sent His Son to die for us on the cross. That is the only firm foundation on which we can stand. It is a fact to build your life upon.