Believers Need to Reconstruct, Not Deconstruct Their Faith

Over the past few years, the body of believers has experienced a major attack from both within and without. We have lived in a type of crisis mode between the “False Political Prophets,” “False COVID Prophets,” “Fallen Mega Pastors,” “Financial Mismanagement,” “Sexual Abuse” and “Spiritual Abuse.”

The news media have had a field day sensationalizing the hypocrisy and corruption that seems to be overflowing among so many who proclaim faith in Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah.

It seems as if not a week goes by in which we don’t read about, hear about or watch another disclosure of yet one more ministry or leader being exposed for moral or financial failure. There have been docudramas, podcasts, books and websites devoted to the coverage of all of the above.

On top of this seemingly endless release of news about those who have fallen, we also have seen a growing number of pastors, worship leaders and other ministry leaders who have walked away from faith in Yeshua as a result of their disappointment because of the failures listed above.

I think that it is past time that we in the body said enough is enough. You will notice that I chose not to use the names of any ministry or ministers in the opening paragraphs of this article. That isn’t because I am trying to cover up for them or because I don’t think their sins, indulgences, abuses and other failures are unimportant or “covered by grace.”

The truth is I know very little about any of these leaders and I hope they each seek forgiveness and come to a true and meaningful repentance before G-D.

I didn’t use names because my statement about enough being enough isn’t about them or their sins. It is about you and I. Yes, there have been a virtual flood of leaders who violate G-D’s Word and the trust and confidence that their congregations and supporters placed in them.

But, not one of their failures should affect our faith in G-D in any way. After all, G-D didn’t fail us, and G-D’s Word didn’t fail us. People who chose not to walk faithfully with G-D and chose not to follow G-D’s Word did.

Please understand: If you are one of the many thousands who have been let down, hurt, abused, embarrassed, deceived or cheated by one of these people, I am sorry that you experienced the trauma that you have. But, please don’t blame the sins of men (or women) or a sinless G-D.

We don’t need to deconstruct our faith; we need to redirect our faith from men to G-D. We need to reconstruct our faith according to what the Bible actually says. The Bible isn’t the problem; the people twisting, abusing and manipulating what the Bible says to control people and gain personal wealth and notoriety are the problem.

Yes, many people have failed G-D and the people whom they were supposed to be serving. But, that is absolutely no reason that any of us should join them by allowing their failures to rob us of our relationship with G-D. Paul said it this way in Romans 3:3-4:

“So what if some did not trust? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? May it never be! Let God be true even if every man is a liar, as it is written, ‘that You may be righteous in Your words and prevail when You are judged.'”

Righteousness is righteousness, even if people we trust act un-righteously. Marriage is sacred, even if people break their vows and defile their lives. We cannot allow the failures of others to steal from us our faith in the One who never fails.

Faith leaders failing is not something new. We read of many men and women in the Bible who were called by G-D to serve His people who chose sin over obedience. Just think about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses or King David. The list goes on as we turn through the pages in the Bible. Some of those we read about repented of their sins and were restored to serve. Others died in their sins unforgiven and unrestored.

Yet, the people of G-D chose to trust in G-D and His Word even when their leaders failed to lead and fell into sin. Just as we must also. Enough is enough. We need to look beyond those who damaged their testimony and hold onto G-D’s unchanging hand. It is vitally important that we remember that not one of these fallen leaders hurt G-D’s testimony or made G-D less righteous.

They only damaged their testimony, and ours, if we let them. Remember the word of Psalm 118:8-9: “It is better to take refuge in Adonai than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in Adonai than to trust in princes.”

Eric Tokajer is the author of “Overcoming Fearlessness,” “What If Everything You Were Taught About the Ten Commandments Was Wrong?,” “With Me in Paradise,” “Transient Singularity,” “OY! How Did I Get Here?: Thirty-One Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Entering Ministry,” “#ManWisdom: With Eric Tokajer,” “Jesus Is to Christianity as Pasta Is to Italians” and “Galatians in Context.”