Should Jesus Be A Christian's "Crutch"?

"You Christians are so weak. Why don't you learn to stand on your own two feet? You just use Jesus as a crutch."

Who of us has not had someone level these kinds of accusations against us? Now, one of the rejoinders we might use is, "Yes, Jesus is my crutch and I'm happy with that." Or, we might say, "Yes, he is. What's yours?" These show a certain assurance and deference on our part for sure. But after having considered this anew, it dawned on me that such an answer does not rightly represent our faith or the God of our faith. Why?

First, crutches are used by folk who cannot walk rightly due to an infirmity. The crutch then makes up for work that they can only partially do by themselves. The point is that THEY are doing the work! And even if it is LIMITED ability, it is still THEIR ability, isn't it? Salvation, however, is not something that we do in and of ourselves as most would attest. So using the term "crutch" for Jesus is not accurate. The assumption is that we bring something to the healing process. This may seem to be nit-picking, but its truth bears itself out.

Second, Christ cannot rightly be said to be a "crutch" because he doesn't support us, he completely changes us! In salvation, Jesus doesn't come and prop up in us what is failing or weak. No, he RE-CREATES a new man; he TRANSFORMS us! We are all familiar, are we not with Paul's teaching in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." We don't need a crutch, but much more than a crutch. We need radical surgery, a completely new life!

Third, Jesus is not a crutch because he is not a temporary fix. Someone breaks a leg, then uses a crutch until they are able to put weight on that weakened appendage until they can eventually use it. Never in a true believer's life will he simply "use" Jesus until he is better and able thenceforward to operate under his own power. No, the work of the new birth is for life!

Fourth, Jesus cannot be said to be a crutch in that he is not simply to be viewed as an "add-on" to our otherwise adequate life. We can use a crutch and then set it aside when not needed. But when can this be said of faith in Christ? 1) We cannot simply "take up" Christ to further our own cause, and 2) at no point could we ever be in a position to "set him aside" when he is no longer necessary.

Now, these points may seems a bit "over the top" or finicky. But I think that they surface a deeper and far more important issue, the radical alteration found in the nature of the new birth. If we are going to take advantage of such assaults against our faith as the one that starts this post, then shouldn't we try to steer the attacker in the best direction? This, I think, is the crux of the situation!