Very often, you will hear an atheist say that they don't believe in righteousness (but yet they are very righteous in behavior and attitude). Not to make them a saint/angel, but the reason they don't believe in righteousness AS A CONCEPT is because they know/recognize nothing else except what they believe to be right (how is a fish to know/believe that there is such a thing as water?). So, TRUE atheists are LOVERS of goodness (they have a SPIRIT of righteousness).
Sports players have a team spirit, soldiers have a fighting spirit. Do you have a peaceful and righteous spirit (a spirit of peace, truth, and justice).
Satan has always gotten man to teach that the only spirit that should matter to us is GOD'S spirit, but The Lord's will is that OUR SPIRIT be compatible with His. That is why He left us HIS living spirit to be our teacher/trainer. The book/bible is not to replace God's spirit as our teacher, the book is only an ADDITIONAL guide to our understanding (a reference GUIDE that can offer additional UNDERSTANDING/explanation).....we should not depend AT ALL on earthly spiritual teachers.
Romans 8:16
"it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God".
Ephesians 3:16 "his Spirit in the inner man".
God put His 'seed' (DNA if you will) inside of every human being at creation. MANY/most people in the world have simply ignored it (just like "CONSCIENCE" is also ignored), but God tells us that if we look for that 'seed' sincerely after accepting Jesus as savior and then moving on to a deep-hearted LOVE RELATIONSHIP to GOD ONLY (not man/pastors/ministers AND GOD), then we will receive "the anointing" (Godly common sense)...
1 John 2:27
"but the anointing which you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that any one should teach you; as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie".
....but mankind has always chosen EARTHLY/worldly spiritual teachers instead so as to receive the APPROVAL OF MAN instead of only the approval of GOD only (for the sake of PRIDE).
I'm not sure I understand your understanding that God can be used as a "crutch".
SATAN has always lent himself to humanity as a scapegoat for all of our wrongdoings, we blame all of our misgivings on satan (we say "satan made me do this" and "satan made me do that" never accepting responsibility for our own actions).
One of the greatest understandings that we can have is that "The world, the flesh, and the devil" are RELEVANT to each other. The "flesh" is not innately wicked, "the flesh" is simply the mortal human WEAKNESS. Satan has no POWER, he can only TEMPT (it has always been TAUGHT that he has power on earth, but he is being restrained).
2 Thessalonians 2:6
"And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time".
Of course, this involves a "MYSTERY" (hidden from those who'd rather not acknowledge responsibility for their own actions and choose to use satan as their scapegoat).
When our spirit can relate to AND IDENTIFY WITH God's spirit, then we can be sons of God. The "what" in 2 Thess. 2:6 is the COMBINATION of God's spirit and ours,......(without that understanding, the "mystery of lawlessness" remains a "MYSTERY").
We have always been taught many 'perditious' lies since the Council of Jerusalem (about 50 A.D., Acts 11:26). Today's "Christianity" is the result/outcome of all that "perdition" (unbeknownst to us, today's congregational "church" is the "son of" perdition).
We've always been taught about the 3 manifestations/dispensations (aspects) of God (Father, Son, Spirit), but in a way that doesn't glorify GOD ONLY, the common teachings glorify MAN (ministers and MAN'S ways)......the common teachings glorify MAN (the sixth day creation.....3 sixes)......WE/humanity/and false believers are our/their own 666 son of perdition when we choose to be lawless.
God is never a crutch to those who wish to give "spiritual"/PERFECT LOVE to HIM only ("draw near", Hebrews 11:6).
"There is no fear in love,....PERFECT love casts out fear"....
....(DON'T be a God fearing person, our only attitude towards God should be LOVE). When and if He ever decides it is necessary to teach you the error of your way, do not resent/fear His loving instruction/correction.
It is true that many believers use God and scripture as an excuse to chew out/rebuke other people, but other than that, God is not the crutch, our flesh is when we choose to let our mortal weakness run our lives.
Mark 12:30 says that we are not to leave any room in us for FEAR (fear was only the BEGINNING of wisdom, but when becoming a believer, love for God should become PERFECT (NO FEAR of God, no fear of satan).
....NO FEAR, NO "CRUTCH", NO 'controlling' WEAKNESS (the flesh is weak, but let the spirit teach you to overcome it).
I use the RSV, it is more accurate in meaning and the words used are more explanatory/meaningful (you will notice some difference from the ESV used here. You can check many versions at.....
http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/translationResults.cfm?Criteria=doctrine+of+Christ&t=RSV&sf=5
