How Christian Should Respond to Doubt?
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
In a culture shaped by skepticism and relativism, doubt is often seen as a threat to faith.
Scripture, however, presents doubt as a human experience that can either weaken or strengthen faith, depending on how it is handled.
A man may be haunted with doubts, and only grow thereby in faith. Doubts are the messengers of the Living One to the honest. They are the first knock at our door of things that are not yet, but have to be, understood. Doubt must precede every deeper assurance.
George Macdonald (Scottish Novelist and Poet)
This lesson proposes that doubt should be met with honest inquiry, biblical reflection, and rational evaluation, not fear or denial.
N.1 - The Reality and Source of Doubt
N.1 - The Reality and Source of Doubt
Doubt is a universal human experience. It may arise from suffering, intellectual challenges, moral failure, or exposure to alternative worldviews.
Scripture itself records believers who wrestled with doubt, including Job (Job 3), Asaph (Ps 73), and John the Baptist (Matt 11:2–6).
There is a deep difference between honest doubt and willful unbelief.
Honest doubt reflects a sincere desire to know the truth, whereas unbelief is a settled rejection of God’s revelation.
The Bible consistently treats honest doubt with patience and instruction rather than condemnation.
When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.
When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”
Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
Be merciful to those who doubt;
Multiple-Choice Questions.
According to Scripture, doubt often arises from:
A. Spiritual rebellion only
B. Intellectual and experiential struggles (yes)
C. God’s absence
D. Moral superiority
Jude 22 teaches believers to respond to doubters with:
A. Condemnation
B. Indifference
C. Mercy (yes)
D. Avoidance
N.2 - Ground Your Faith in the Truth
N.2 - Ground Your Faith in the Truth
Christian faith is not blind belief.
Biblical faith is grounded in objective truth, particularly God’s revelation in Scripture and history.
Our subjective experience must always be supported by objective truth.
Jesus consistently appealed to evidence—His works, fulfilled prophecy, and resurrection—to strengthen faith:
Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”
Similarly, the apostles proclaimed Christianity as a faith rooted in real events, not myths:
At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.”
“I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner.
Multiple-Choice Question. Biblical faith is best described as:
A. Emotional conviction alone
B. Blind acceptance
C. Trust grounded in truth (yes)
D. Cultural tradition
N.3 - A Rational Procedure for Dealing with Doubt
N.3 - A Rational Procedure for Dealing with Doubt
The believers should:
Identify the specific doubt
Examine Christian truth claims
Evaluate alternative explanations
Make a responsible faith commitment
This process reflects biblical precedent. The Bereans examined the Scriptures to test Paul’s message:
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Scripture encourages believers to test truth claims carefully rather than accept or reject them uncritically.
Multiple-Choice Question. The Bereans are commended because they:
A. Examined Scripture carefully (yes)
B. Rejected all new teaching
C. Accepted Paul’s message immediately
D. Relied on emotion
N.4 - Kinds of Doubters and Worldviews
N.4 - Kinds of Doubters and Worldviews
Each of the follow skeptical worldviews represent a different way people express doubt toward Christianity and claims about God.
The Atheist is described as a believer of a different sort—one who believes that God does not exist. When this opposition becomes hostile and arrogant, it is often labeled infidelity, reflecting an antagonistic rejection of Christian truth claims.
The Agnostic or Skeptic maintains that nothing can be known with certainty. He or she is a professional doubter. This position is frequently associated with scientism, the belief that only what can be verified through the scientific method is real or meaningful.
The Cynic believes that all human behavior is driven by self-interest and doubts the sincerity or integrity of human motives. Cynics may withdraw from society or mock its conventions as hypocritical, reflecting despair over both truth and human virtue.
The Humanist, in the philosophical sense, holds that human reason is the highest authority. Humanists are optimistic about human nature and believe that humanity can solve its problems through education and intellectual progress.
The Naturalist reduces all reality to the material world and denies anything beyond natural law. Miracles are therefore impossible, and human beings are seen as insignificant products of impersonal forces.
The Existentialist emphasizes personal experience over objective truth. Some of them describe belief as a subjective “leap in the dark.”
The Mystic seeks immediate access to truth through personal supernatural experience, bypassing biblical revelation and, at times, Christ himself. This approach rejects Scripture as authoritative and relies exclusively on subjective experience.
Multiple-Choice Questions
Multiple-Choice Questions
Which type of doubter believes there is no God?
A. Agnostic
B. Mystic
C. Atheist (yes)
D. Existentialist
Which doubter claims that nothing can be known with certainty and often relies only on science?
A. Humanist
B. Cynic
C. Agnostic or skeptic (yes)
D. Mystic
Which type of doubter believes that all human actions are motivated by self-interest?
A. Cynic (yes)
B. Naturalist
C. Humanist
D. Existentialist
Which worldview teaches that reality is entirely material and that miracles cannot occur?
A. Humanism
B. Naturalism (yes)
C. Existentialism
D. Mysticism
Which type of doubter seeks truth primarily through personal or supernatural experience while rejecting biblical revelation?
A. Existentialist
B. Mystic (yes)
C. Atheist
D. Agnostic
