Bible Study Blog

By Craig Groeschel

What do you do if you discover your house has some issues? Some wood is rotten or there’s a crack in the foundation. The house you were proud of, that made you feel secure, that was an extension of who you are, isn’t quite what you thought it was.

What do you do now?

When that house is your faith, you deconstruct.

As a pastor, I’ve increasingly had my own experiences with this over the past several years as I’ve talked with so many people about their faith-related questions.

Here are some different definitions for you:

• Deconstruction means abandoning all things Christian—becoming an agnostic or atheist.
• Deconstruction means staying committed to Jesus but abandoning religious institutions and churches, or at least those that don’t live up to the teachings of Jesus as they see them.
• Deconstruction means continuing in a life of devotion to Jesus and participation in the church while rejecting a lot of the related cultural and political issues.

Here’s an even simpler definition, which seems consistent with how Jesus ministered to people: Deconstruction is a spiritual journey during which a Christian examines his or her faith to release what’s contrary to God’s heart and embrace what’s true.

To be clear, deconstruction done poorly can leave a wake of spiritual carnage. I have witnessed it personally. On the other hand, I have also seen that deconstruction done well can be spiritually beneficial. Not only do I think deconstruction can be positive; I’d offer that sometimes it’s necessary.

You could even make the case that, at times, Jesus was helping people deconstruct their faith.

For instance, in Matthew 5:43, Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’” Everyone listening would have thought, Yes, I have heard that. Not only have I heard it, I like it! And I live by it! If they’re nice, be nice back, but if they’re not, slit their chariot wheels when they’re not looking! Jesus continues in Matthew 5:44, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Jesus was deconstructing their belief system. He was helping them see that what they believed was not true to God’s heart or his Kingdom’s values. In fact, five times in Matthew 5, Jesus says, “You have heard it said, but I say…” He was essentially saying, let’s tear down your incorrect beliefs so we can build new beliefs that are true.

Something powerful happens when we’re honest about our doubts, spiritual questions, and disappointments. God does something special when we take what’s hidden in the darkest part of our hearts and expose it to his light.

We would be wise to find the courage to express and examine our beliefs to see if they truly line up with God’s Word. We may assume our beliefs all come from the Bible but that’s probably not as true as we think. Too often we subconsciously absorb our beliefs from other people or from our church or culture, and then assume they’re from the Bible.

Even when we go straight to Scripture, we can’t help but read it through our own filters, such as:

• Our family background and how we were raised.
• Our current circumstances, challenges, opportunities, or trials.
• Our personality and our biases.
• The teachings of the church we grew up in or currently attend.

So, while many of our beliefs about God are probably true and biblically accurate, because we’re flawed people who learn from flawed people, we’ve also picked up some flawed ideas along the way.

For example, you may wrongly believe:

• “God will never give you anything you can’t handle.” When you experience something in life you can’t handle, you feel like God hasn’t been true to his promise. But God never promised that! This often gets confused with what Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “[God] will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.” He talks about temptation, not life circumstances.
• “If you name it, you can claim it. God will always give you anything you ask for!” This is based on Bible verses but an incomplete and inaccurate understanding of them. For example, John 15:7 is one often used in this teaching, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.“ Besides the qualifying phrases of “if you remain in me and my words abide in you” the context of John 15 is Jesus’ teaching that we are the branches and God is the vine. Verse 5 is crucial: “Apart from me you can do nothing.” Focusing only on “ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” is like hearing one sound bite out of an interview.
• “As a Christian, you have to belong to this political party, which is God’s political party, and the people who belong to any other are not true Christians.” The problem is that Jesus did not come to establish a political kingdom. And that all parties have policies and ideologies that are true to God’s heart and others that are antithetical to God’s heart. In the days of Jesus’ ministry, there were essentially two “political parties”—the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Throughout the gospels, he showed no partiality toward either. Yet, to one curious Pharisee, Jesus did say in John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” “Whoever believes” and “the world” is clearly his invitation to anyone in any party.
• “God wants you happy. He loves you and his greatest joy is your happiness.” This sounds good! And it is true! But only in part. God does love you, which is why his highest purpose is not your happiness, but your holiness. And if your pursuit of happiness trips up your pursuit of holiness, then it’s not God’s will. After his faith had been reconstructed, Peter wrote, “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

Or you may have grown up in a church that twisted the Bible to support racism or the claim that bowling, movies, and pants on women are sinful.

Then one day you wake up and realize everything you believe may not actually be biblical. Therefore, it may not actually be true.

Or, worse, you don’t realize that it’s not biblical, but you do realize that it’s not true. And now, what do you do? Do you have to chuck your faith? Do you walk away from Jesus?

No.

You don’t.

You deconstruct. You let go of what’s not true.

 You reconstruct. You hold on to what is true.

Too often, instead of throwing out the bad and keeping the good, people throw everything away, even the parts that are true. Finally, what they’re left with is nothing. Or, sadly, they become toxic and bitter. Now they have to figure out how to navigate life without any real foundation or framework.

At first, it might feel freeing. You’re not confined to your old house anymore! My son-in-law James Meehan is one of the primary communicators to the young people in our church, and he helped my thinking for this chapter. James says it this way: “The empty spot where your ‘house’ used to be will make you feel empty on the inside too.” Why? Because instead of deciding to reconstruct your belief system by finding what is true and beautiful, you took a wrecking ball to it and lost the entire thing.

            But there is good news.

            Really good news.

            Jesus was a carpenter.

            And carpenters know how to build.

Digging Deeper Into Doubt

Jesus compared the strength of your foundation to how you respond to hearing his words and putting them into practice. Consider these questions from The Benefit of Doubt Workbook to help you examine your foundation.

• What seminal event, experience, conversation, or relationship comes to mind when you consider the basis for your Christian faith? What impact does this major contributor to your faith continue to exert in your life?
• What cracks have you experienced in your faith foundation? Which one has probably troubled you the most or caused the most doubt about certain beliefs?
• In what ways has God helped you see the incorrect beliefs and false assumptions you have held about him? How has he revealed what is actually true?

More From Craig

Bestselling author and pastor Craig Groeschel has walked through the valley of doubt himself, and in The Benefit of Doubt book and Workbook, he shows us how asking questions, seeking answers, and wrestling with doubt can actually draw us closer to God.

Doubt is a normal part of faith, but that doesn’t make it any less intimidating to navigate. So if you’re wrestling with doubts, keep walking, keep knocking, keep asking, and keep seeking.

Craig Groeschel

Craig Groeschel is the founding and senior pastor of Life.Church, a multisite church with attenders at locations around the United States and globally at Life.Church Online. As one of the most respected leaders in the Church, Craig speaks frequently at leadership events and conferences worldwide. He is a New York Times best-selling author with books about topics like dating and marriage, social media, purpose, direction, church leadership, and more. He also hosts the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast as a practical tool to spark new ideas and prompt innovative thinking in leaders at every level within any organization.

Finding the right Bible study can be especially meaningful when exploring life’s more challenging aspects.

We’re excited to invite you to preview several upcoming Bible studies designed to inspire and challenge you in fresh ways. Whether you or your group are navigating life’s struggles, wrestling with doubt, or seeking a deeper understanding of God’s work in unexpected places, these studies provide meaningful opportunities to grow in faith and perspective. While topics like addiction, doubt, and wine may not be what you typically expect from a Bible study, we believe these unique insights will enrich your spiritual walk and renew your connection with God. Enjoy!

Normally we have multiple studies releasing in a month, but this month we have just one. And it’s an amazing one! So you, dear reader, will be blessed with all that we have on this study: the full first session, a bonus session(!), the look inside the study guide, and a free downloadable toolkit for small groups.

Craig is a New York Times bestselling author of books on a wide variety of topics, including dating and marriage, social media, purpose, direction, church leadership, and more. As one of the most respected leaders in the Church, Craig frequently speaks at leadership conferences worldwide, including events for the Global Leadership Network that reaches hundreds of thousands of leaders around the world annually. In addition to writing and speaking extensively on leadership principles and strategies, he hosts the top-ranking Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast, prompting innovative thinking in leaders at every level within any organization.

Here are 5 studies from pastor Craig:

2024 is a leap year, meaning we all get an extra day on February 29. What are you going to do with all that bonus time? How about more Bible study? Identify the unhealthy ways you might be coping with emotions in Jennie Allen’s Untangle Your Emotions. Or discover how to short-circuit the bad-decision cycle, make wise decisions, and begin to become the person God wants us to be in Think Ahead by Craig Groeschel. Keep reading to learn more about both of these and others!