If you consider yourself a Christian, does it concern you when people claim they have deconstructed their faith? Do you wonder why someone who lived an openly Christian life suddenly walked away from it? What makes or breaks us as Christians? For people who seemed very genuine, what changed their minds or made them stop believing in God? 

When we witness this type of rejection in the Christian faith and belief we may ask, how do we know if our faith is genuine?

If these are questions or concerns you have asked, this post is for you. These days genuine faith can be hard to easily identify. Over the next month I want to dive into some of the reasons why people claim they left Christianity and look at how we can stand firm in our faith. 

Let’s take a look at 1 Corinthians 15:58. 

1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

This states that we must not let anything move us. What types of things move us?

False beliefs, doubts, temptations, ungodly desires, and unexpected circumstances can shake our stand. Standing firm doesn’t mean we never move. We are not supposed to move away from our faith, but move by our faith. True faith stands firm by moving forward in growth. If we never grow in our faith through changes in life and circumstances then we are not standing firm, we are going backwards. We have to continue to move forward in a sense of following God, growing in belief, and pursuing relationship. We aren’t to let anything move us from continuing in that relationship. 

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

John 15:4

A relationship takes work. Just like a garden that will have no fruits unless there is intentionality, our relationship with Jesus will not thrive if we do not keep abiding in Him. Our work is not in vain when we are doing work with the Lord’s presence and power. There is a balance to all things that we do. Even pastors doing the “Lord’s work” if not standing firm, can be unfruitful because they are not continuing to seek their source by abiding in relationship with Jesus. Marriages fail this way as both spouses can become busy and go through the motions of family life but not be intentional in their personal relationship and connection with one another. 

False beliefs and doubts can creep in at times in our relationship with the Lord. And how we handle that will determine whether we stand firm and keep moving forward or slide back and fall away. 

The relationship I have with my spouse 21 years later is very different from what it was during our first 14 years. We went through a lot of ups and downs in the relationship, infidelity, unrealistic expectations, change of personal  beliefs and some lifestyle preferences over the years. We are not the same insecure, emotionally unstable, rigid and awkward communicators we used to be. We are very different people from who we were in our 20s. But if one of us had not chosen to adapt and grow together through some of these shifts with family life and experiences we would no longer be married. Our relationship with the Lord can be the same way. 

Maybe we have questions about Him, or have doubts about things we’ve believed, or the direction of our life doesn’t go as planned. But are we seeking Him, by using these questions, changing circumstances, and doubts to learn and grow in relationship with Him? We can wrestle with questions and doubts, but the relationship stops when we shut down and pull away rather than engage and seek to work through those feelings and thoughts.  

Way back in the 90’s  when internet searches were only through computers, I found a website that caught my eye. First I was offended by the article with all the reasons why Jesus is not God and negative views about things Jesus had done. Some of the arguments I easily had an answer for, but one made me doubt. I doubted Jesus’ character and his intentions. It really bothered me. I questioned my faith and my relationship with Jesus after reading that post. At my first job at an insurance company, my boss was also a pastor. I talked to him about this article and my doubts and  he assured me that he would answer any of the questions I had. Don’s confidence in God and his knowledge of the scriptures comforted me that day. 

Don let nothing move him, not even the brain cancer that claimed his life. He had surgeries and was in rough shape for awhile but I still remember a phone call with him into the office just to connect with everyone. He said he was doing ok, because the Lord and he had had a conversation. Though I can only imagine the fear or concern he had that his days were numbered, he was at peace and fully trusted in his Jesus. He didn’t hate God or turn his back on Jesus when life didn’t go as planned. 

Some walk away from the Christian faith because they choose not to continue in relationship. We may struggle with the changes in our lives or doubts that may arise, but genuine faith that stands firm chooses to grow with our Lord through it. Relationship stops when we cease connection. Are you staying connected? Are you keeping the conversation open with God even through doubts and questions? Are you standing firm by letting nothing move you from that relationship with Jesus?  Are you standing firm by moving forward in growth spiritually?