Faith Over Doubt

No one is immune to doubt. It can and does happen to us all. You’ve just got to know how to handle it when it comes. Even the greatest men and women of God recorded in the Bible had to deal with doubt. Jesus said of John the Baptist,

“Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist” (Matt. 11:11).

That means John was greater in the sight of Jesus than Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, or any Old Testament character you can name. Yet John doubted the most important thing of all by questioning whether Jesus was really the Christ.

John the Baptist had been cast into prison for criticizing Herod about marrying his brother’s wife, an incestuous relationship. He had been there sometime between six months and two years and became so discouraged that he asked two of his disciples to go to Jesus and ask Him if He really was the Christ. It’s easy to read that and not think much about it, but the truth is, it was nothing but unbelief on the part of John the Baptist.

Think about who John was. He was separated unto God and filled with the Holy Spirit while he was still in the womb. Even Jesus wasn’t filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb. It is believed he lived in the desert near the Dead Sea with the Essens, the writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls. They were a people who were super-legalistic who dogmatically practiced many rituals of self denial. He certainly had not lived what we would call an easy life. John was separated and focused on his purpose.

His entire life was committed to preparing the way for the Christ. He spent thirty years preparing for a ministry that would only last six short months. John is the one who saw Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”(John 1:29). The anointing on his life had to be exceptionally powerful because his ministry defied logic. Thousands of people from many nations came to the middle of nowhere to hear this man preach, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And God had revealed to him that through a visible sign from heaven he would know who the Christ was. He would see the Spirit of God descending upon the Messiah in bodily shape as a dove. That came to pass when John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River.

At that time, John was absolutely certain that Jesus was the Christ. He had zero doubt. He was so adamant about it that he said

“I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God” in John 1:34. In Luke 3:16 he said, “One mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose.” And in John 3:30 he said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

However, after being imprisoned for a period of time, he began to doubt. This says a number of things, but an important one is the fact that anyone can doubt. How did Jesus respond to John’s doubt? Well, He certainly didn’t respond the way most of us do. He told John’s disciples to go back and tell him of the miracles they had witnessed and that John would be blessed if he would just believe. That’s it. Jesus didn’t try and make John feel better by letting him know He understood his pain or by making a few complimentary comments. Jesus reserved those comments till after John’s disciples left (Luke 7:24-28).

This puzzled me for many years. Why didn’t Jesus say these things about John the Baptist in the hearing of John’s disciples so they could have brought him that word? It seemed to me like that would have helped John more than just telling him to look at the miracles, and he’ll be blessed if he believes.

Years after I first had these questions, I was reading from Isaiah 35 and came across the passage that says,

“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert” (Is. 35:5-6).

It suddenly struck me that this was exactly the answer that Jesus gave to John’s messengers. Look at what Jesus said in Matthew 11:4-6:

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.”

Jesus performed all the miracles Isaiah prophesied He would do, and threw in the healing of a leper and raising someone from the dead just for good measure. What Jesus did was He perfectly fulfilled the prophecy about Himself, and then referred John the Baptist back to that word. Jesus reminded John of the scriptures, to deal with his doubts. That’s Jesus’ method of dealing with our doubts.

Many of us have Bibles lying around gathering dust. Some of us even carry one. But when we’re struggling with unbelief, we don’t want a scripture; we want something tangible, something emotional that we can feel. We would rather have Jesus just put His arm around us and say something about how everything will be all right. That would make us feel better. But overcoming doubt isn’t just about feeling better; it’s about getting back into faith that only comes from the Word of God (Rom. 10:17).

Jesus sent the Word back with John’s disciples. He knew this would stir up John’s spirit to overcome the doubt. Peter understood this about faith when he wrote about it in 2 Peter 1:12-15, which says,

“Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. Moreover I will endeavor that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.”

Peter was stating how important it was for his words to be received, as they were, in truth, the Word of God (1 Thess. 2:13). To prove to them that these were not just fables he made up, Peter refers to the time they were with Jesus on the mountain. They saw Jesus shine as the brightness of the sun. The Shekinah glory cloud of God overshadowed them all, and they heard an audible voice out of heaven say, “This is my beloved Son: hear him” (Mark 9:7). They also saw Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. That is pretty impressive!

But Peter went on to say in 2 Peter 1:19, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy.” What could possibly be more sure than all these supernatural signs? Peter gives that answer in the next verse when he talks about the Scriptures (2 Pet. 1:20). The Scriptures are more sure and more faith building and doubt destroying than seeing Jesus transfigured or hearing an audible voice from heaven. Hallelujah!

The only sure way to overcome doubt is to place your faith in the Word of God and depend on that more sure word of prophecy. Don’t allow your five senses to dominate your thinking. You must come to a place to where God’s Word is more real to you than anything you can see, taste, hear, smell, or feel. When you’re in doubt, refer back to the Word of God just the way Jesus told John the Baptist to do. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word.

There are only two times recorded in the Bible when Jesus marveled at anything. Once He marveled at the people’s great unbelief (Mark 6:6), and in Matthew 8:10 He marveled at a Gentile soldier’s great faith. A faith that made Jesus marvel is worth examining. What was different about it? The number one difference was what the centurion said,

“But speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.” (Matt. 8:8-9)

The centurion had a faith that was in God’s Word alone. He didn’t have to have Jesus come to his house and wave His hand over the sick servant. If Jesus would just give him a word, that was all he needed.

Contrast this centurion’s faith with the little faith of Thomas, who was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. The first time the risen Christ appeared to His disciples, Thomas wasn’t present. The other ten disciples told Thomas that Jesus was resurrected, but it was eight more days before Jesus appeared to His disciples with Thomas present.

“But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25)

Jesus walked up to Thomas and told him to put his finger into the print of the nails and thrust his hand into Jesus’ side and to not be faithless but believing. Thomas fell on his knees and confessed Jesus as his Lord and God.

“Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

Jesus placed a greater blessing on those who believe without seeing than those who believe because they have seen. In other words, there is a greater anointing on believing the Word than believing signs and wonders. Don’t get me wrong. I believe in signs and wonders. Jesus used them like a bell to draw people unto Himself and so should we. But the ultimate, the more sure word of prophecy, is the written Word of God. There is a greater blessing on just believing God’s Word than there is on believing because of supernatural circumstances. Those who are looking for circumstances to confirm their faith will fail when the strong battles of unbelief come. We have to get our faith so rooted in God’s Word alone that we can withstand a hurricane.

The reason Jesus didn’t try to make John feel better with a few kind words, an emotional touch, was not because He didn’t care. He cared for John so much that He gave John His best — the written Word of God. That’s how Jesus dealt with own His temptations (Matt. 4), and that was and still is God’s best way for us to deal with our temptations to not believe.

Maybe there’s a reason the Lord hasn’t used an emotional touch to deliver you from unbelief. Maybe it’s because He loves you so much that He’s trying to help you operate in the highest form of faith — faith that takes Him at His Word. If the least of the saints today are greater than John the Baptist was then (Matt. 11:11), surely the Lord is wanting us to operate on at least the same level in which He dealt with John’s unbelief.

Losing Faith: 4 Things to do When Doubts Arise by Wes | Jul 12, 2017 | Theology

I would be surprised if there was anyone who had thought seriously about the claims of the gospel and not had some doubts. If we are honest about what the Bible asks us to accept, there will be times when we say, “Could all this really be true?” I’ve experienced times like that and I’ve known plenty of mature Christians – leaders in the church – who’ve gone through seasons of doubt and come out stronger on the other side. Here are four things you can do when you have doubts: 📷 1. Pray When you have doubts about God, one of the last things you feel like doing is praying; but it’s actually the first thing you should do. In fact, doubts often arise because we have been neglecting prayer in the first place. I recently read Rod Dreher’s book, The Benedict Option. He wrote, “The 1960s media theorist Marshall McLuhan…once said that everyone he knew who lost his faith began by ceasing to pray.” Pray prayers of supplication. Ask God to help you. Pray what the father prayed in Mark 9:24, “I believe, help my unbelief.” Pray prayers of adoration. A compliment can rekindle a relationship. Spend some time praying about God’s beauty and majesty. Try praying Psalm 145. Pray prayers of confession. Sometimes we “suppress the truth” because of our sinful desires. There may be sin lurking in our lives or hearts that we haven’t even admitted to ourselves yet. Spend time confessing your sins and surrendering your rebellious heart to God. Pray prayers of intercession. Pray for someone else. When we pray for others, we are drawn out of ourselves and are reminded that there are other things going on in the Universe. Pray prayers of thanksgiving. Don’t underestimate how much gratitude can reorient your heart toward God. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). 2. Challenge the Assumptions of Your Doubts Every doubt is based on assumption. If a boy says, “I would like to ask that girl out on a date, but I doubt she would go out with me,” his doubt is based on certain assumptions. He is assuming that he isn’t good looking enough, charming enough, or whatever. Maybe his assumptions are true, and maybe they are not. Assumptions need to be identified and challenged. When you think to yourself, “I’m losing my faith; I just don’t know if I believe anymore,” then you need to identify the assumptions that are supporting your doubts and challenge those assumptions. Here is one example: “I thought if I lived my life the way I was supposed to live, I would be blessed by God. But everything in my life is falling apart. Maybe God isn’t even real or maybe He hates me.” The assumption that a person won’t have to suffer if he or she is living a Christian life is common, but it’s NOT based on actual Christian doctrine. Assumptions like these need to be identified and challenged. We need to ask ourselves, “Why do I assume that? Is that assumption based on truth?” Even the supposed facts that skeptics and atheists throw out to undermine the Christian faith, are based on assumptions. Naturalistic scientists, for example, approach and present their research with unfounded assumptions. When you have doubts, start challenging the underlying assumptions. 3. Engage with the Gospel on an Intellectual and Emotional Level I recently visited with a young man who was about ready to give up on Christianity because he thought it was unfair. “How could there be only one way to God,” he asked, “and everyone else is doomed?” But the more we visited, the more it became obvious that even though he grew up in a Christian home, he had never really understood the Good News. He didn’t need a course in scientific apologetics. He needed to see the glory of the cross. When first-century Christians began to have doubts or waver in their faith, the apostles pointed them back to the central facts of the Good News message. Read passages like Colossians 1:15-20, Hebrews 1:1-4, or 1 John 1:1-4. All of these books were written to Christians, struggling in their faith. The gospel is not only true historically and factually, it also answers the deepest longings, questions, and fears of our heart, “Does God really love me? Does He know what I’m going through? Could He really forgive me for the things I’ve done? What is my purpose on earth?” As C.S. Lewis famously said: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” For the Christian, everything should come back to the person and work of Jesus Christ. As much as I may believe in the six-day Creation week and Noah’s flood, my faith does NOT hinge on proving those things. My faith hinges on the empty tomb of Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians 15:1-11). I have seen too many Christians actually damage their faith by building their entire belief system around geological studies, dinosaur fossils, flood research, etc. These things have significance, but the apostolic way of reassuring a struggle faith is to point people back to the crucified and risen Savior. 4. Surround Yourself with Jesus’ People When you’re struggling with your faith, you might be tempted to gradually withdraw from the church. It might be guilt, fear, or even anger. Sadly, it might be the behavior of other Christians that is a source of some of your doubts. But as much as I understand those feelings, withdrawing from the church is one of the worst things you can do. You need to be with Christians in whom you can see the fruit of God’s Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is unspeakable power to spiritually refresh you when you are with people who are full of God’s Spirit. Consider what the Hebrew writer said in Hebrews 10:24-25. When you are with a group of people who are stirred up to love and good works and who meet together to encourage each other, your wavering faith will be strengthened. I love you and God loves you, Wes McAdams

The remedy for doubt is faith, and faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). God gave us the Bible as a testimony of His works in the past, so we will have a reason to trust Him in the present. “I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago” (Psalm 77:11). In order for us to have faith in God, we must study to know what He has said. Once we have an understanding of what God has done in the past, what He has promised us for the present, and what we can expect from Him in the future, we are able to act in faith instead of doubt. The most famous doubter in the Bible was Thomas, who declared that he would not believe that the Lord was resurrected unless he could see and touch Jesus himself (John 20:25-28). When he later saw Jesus and believed, he received the gentle rebuke, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” We can have confidence even in the things we cannot see, because God has proven Himself faithful, true, and able.