Borrowed Faith
In the great search for personal faith, some settle on what we might call "Borrowed Faith." This could be characterized as strong, pragmatic, but temporary. This is belief or a set of beliefs we borrow from someone else. This is childish faith. We all start out with faith borrowed from our parents. Sometimes they capitalize on this to get us to behave.
Over the years, I've identified lots of beliefs which I acquired from my parents. Some I still hold, but they are no longer borrowed. They are mine now in their own right. But even as adults, we sometimes borrow faith. We see others who seem to have found how to get the results we're looking for. Then we tune our decisions and actions to match theirs, hoping to get the same outcome they did. Our life is affected, at least for a time, but if it doesn't work, we move on.
The big problem with borrowed faith is that in the crunch it's really useless. Use any synonym you like. Call it impotent, empty or ineffective; the point is that it doesn't work. It is particularly sad when we see those who have carefully borrowed the faith of their parents, Sunday School teachers, pastors, or elders and found it totally inadequate when the trials of life came upon them. When their marriage goes sour, they give up like others do. When they're in money trouble, they cut corners like others do. When they are slandered and maligned, they retaliate and seek revenge like others do.
All of their friends are shocked because their borrowed faith looked so good. It looked just like that of their parents, teachers and pastors. They had all the right words, but when the good times were over, it became clear that their faith was not their own. Borrowed faith is never internalized and is therefore useless.
Ray Stedman's commentary on the letter to the Hebrews makes this insightful comment about faith: "Do we confuse conception with birth? A fetus may grow in the womb, fed by its mother's strength, but is that equivalent to birth? Of course not! Birth involves a break with the mother's life and the beginning of an independent existence that is peculiarly the infant's own." [From HEBREWS (IVP New Testament Commentary Series) by Ray C. Stedman. (c) 1992 by Ray C. Stedman.]
Lots of people have never "cut the cord." They are still nurtured by the faith of their parents or someone else. This faith will not save them. They need their own true faith. This is faith which will grow and develop in the hard times, not turn back, shrivel, give up, or die.
Borrowed faith is easy to acquire, but it is only temporary. True faith that God plants in our hearts is forever. It is the faith that grows in the difficulties, endures, and bears the fruit of eternal life. It’s object is nothing less than God Himself. In one of his letters, Paul wrote: "[We] know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no-one will be justified" (Galatians 2:16 NIV).
Ron Hughes
© January 2008
