Doubt vs. The Bible

Is there any room for doubt? Only when doubt has become a search for truth can we faintly decide whether there is room for doubt. Gideon approaches his doubt with a test asking God to show him a sign (Judges 6:36-40). Gideon’s challenge was met and today we can strive to request the same answers from God but be careful, not to test God frequently. God demands faith and putting Him to the test is not evidence of faith.

I find myself doubting more often than less is this normal? Two of the most noteworthy Christian figures, David and Peter, struggled with doubt (Matthew 14:31). We can see that no one is incapable of doubt even if God has influenced there being because we are human. But both men recognized their weakness and humbled themselves before God, and God used them (Psalm 94:17-19). I believe God doesn’t rebuke our doubt as long as we seek Him for understanding with our doubt.

Is there something we should never doubt? We cannot doubt the power of God. God gives us plenty of evidence and sinful doubt develops when we ignore the truth. Ignorance turns to disbelief and if we are ignoring God we are in danger of sin. Doubt should never disregard God’s promise of salvation. God has promised that as Christians we will live forever with Him (Ephesians 1:11-14). We can find relief from this fear in the promise of salvation. Doubt can be healthy or destructive, depending on how we exercise it. Use your doubt to train your concerns with God and make your devotion stable with Him (Hebrews 13:5-8).

Is there ever a time where we won’t have doubt? God doesn’t do what we think He ought to do so we find even the closest person to Christ, John the Baptist to be doubtful. John the Baptist was born into the knowledge of Christ being his cousin. John was the messenger of Christ’s ministry, pronounced Christ “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29), baptized Him in the Jordan (John 1:33-34), and even then at the end of John’s life, John openly expresses some doubts in Christ (Matthew 11:2-3). John’s expression of doubt in Matthew 11:2-3 is troubling because he was of complete dedication and now he figuratively slaps Christ with his disbelief. John had the prophecy of scripture, promise and sign from God, and repeated reports of Christ’s miracles and yet he doubts Christ witness.

What do you do if everything goes wrong?

John had been tormented with cruel doubts and fears in prison for some two years and in such stakes it is understandable to fall into the trap of uncertainty. But even with his doubts, there remained in John a deep, unshakable trust in Jesus. The Holy Spirit was working within John and Jesus would answer him with the truth. Christ’s promise brought the peace John needed to sustain him for the few difficult days he had remaining.

The lesson here is about patience and about trust. Most of us will experience seasons when we feel as if we’ve been abandoned. The Savior does not break the bruised reed. He hears our prayers and is patient with our doubts. God will answer in the perfect way and at the perfect time if we do not lose hope (Matthew7:7-8). As for trust, very often things do not turn out the way we expect they will. John was, in fact, fulfilling God's purpose for his life when he died for Christ. It was no accident in the divine plan that John died precisely at the beginning of the last year of Christ ministry, the year many theologians call "the year of opposition". John had a wonderful role to play in all of history, but we tend to focus on the minor shortcomings of our lives especially when they are causing us pain. We tend to forget the fact that every positive step we take in our Christian lives, and every legitimate act of ministry we accomplish, no matter how small, is working out an eternal weight of glory which cannot be compared with the greatest earthly successes (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). We should also note God does not always answer with the speed we desire, nor answer our ignorant standpoint always with the deliverance we hoped for. Our God is a God who knows us better than we know ourselves His grace will always be sufficient for those who trust him. Jesus doesn’t rebuke those who have doubts and He might go as far to test you in your shortcomings. We turn to God for help when our foundation is shaking only to find that it is God shaking our perceptive because we question Him in honesty.

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:17

I Stand to Reason with Doubt

How do we allow questions to remain unanswered? Part of the key is cultivating your spiritual life and engaging in spiritual discipline so that you will foster the witness of the Holy Spirit in your life. This cultivating will allow you to overcome doubt so that when you face circumstances of doubt you don’t lose sight of your understanding. When you are mislead and full of doubt, even a thousand books of scripture are not enough. When you have realized true understanding, even one word is enough. Doubt is like thorny plants that crowd and constrict our mind from the truth (Matthew 13:22). When doubt overcomes the concerns of life it becomes sin and it prevents the word of God from taking root in our life (Colossians 3:1-3). The key to avoiding being overwhelmed is to take your main concerns and drive them into the ground until you come to intellectual satisfaction.

How can I have less doubt? Fear and anxiety are normal responses to threatening situations. We combat worry and anxiety by remembering God’s promises and trusting in Him (Exodus 14:13-14). There is nothing new under the sun and God’s Word gives us instruction. Acts 17:11-12 encourages us to seek the truth and in doing so we regain control of our minds and pursue those things that would reassure us in our faith.

Do we feed our own doubt? Spiritual instability will cause the seeds of doubt to bloom. To combat this, we must be diligent students of Christ. Before you can doubt, you must first examine all the evidence because a single fact can spoil a good argument. Pastor Benny Hinn says “Faith does not ignore the facts; it ignores the power of facts.” We must seek to understand the claims of Christ and to know these claims you must study, share, and discuss seeking clear interpretations (Hebrews 12:1-3). To do otherwise is to allow doubt to feed itself and decide for you.

What if scripture is not enough? Prayer is an equal means to answering our doubt (Philippians 4:6). When we reach to God in prayer with our doubts placing them in His hands, He will give us an answer and direction. Don’t try and hide your doubt from God, question Him and seek answers. Don’t withhold anything when you speak with the Lord, He answers our sincere questions (Isaiah 49:8-13). We should never doubt God’s desire or ability to help us.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” 1 Peter 5:7, 10

Reasonable Doubts

Here are a number of thoughts from someone dealing with doubt. I feel like every Christian feels their faith being tested from time to time. Doubt is something we all experience and it rears its ugly head to work away at our mind. I stand to think that most Christians don’t have the capability to stand without some reason of doubt.

Doubt is so abstract we can’t defined because it’s so complex and it’s always in some form or shape in our life. The key is separating good doubt from sinful doubt. I’ve had considerable doubts about my major, church, friends, life style, and yes even faith. I feel like a lot of life can be filled with doubt and it’s kinda scary to think about. People will never get over various fears and doubts mainly because I assume if we did we would begin to become self-righteous. So what do we do with these feelings, thoughts, and insecurities?

Technically there is a large chance that we are going to be wrong about a lot of things. Then it occurs to us that we might be wrong about the things that really matter to us and this captivates our emotions. We cannot make our thoughts an emotional connection since our emotions can leave us and then we won’t have any understanding to fall back on (Matthew 13:20-21). We often say “I don’t feel God, He must be gone”. This doubt becomes a subjective emotion giving us confidence to believe things that are misleading, creating a BIG PROBLEMS (James 1:6). If our thoughts become less leaps of faith but instead trust that is earned because we have seen what God has done and who He is the facts for the belief become the foundation. This assurance should always be present underneath our doubts. If we have doubts we need to go back to the reasons why we think it is true then rehearse these things and make sure they are still in place (Matthew 13:23).

Is it crazy to say that some doubt repairs your beliefs? A Spanish philosopher Miguel de Unamunol seems to agree with me when he says “Faith which does not doubt is dead faith.” I understand that I have beliefs that are incorrect but the reason for this is that I haven’t found them to be untrue yet. But I have found that we can’t let these doubts drive us into despair. Statistically 85% of Christians say they have doubts and the other 15 % lie because none of us are impeccable of doubt. No one will ever have all their questions answered in this life. The key to victory in Christian life is not having all your questions answered. The key is how to learn how to live with unanswered questions.

“Doubt isn't the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith.” -Paul Tillich

Yup!