What To Do With Doubt

Do you ever have doubts? I mean really, seriously do you ever doubt if God is true? If Christianity is real? If there is anything to salvation? Did Jesus really rise from the dead?

Frederick Buechner an American author (of more than thirty books), theologian and ordained Presbyterian minister famously wrote that “Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving.” So if you have had doubts, and questions we have to ask what do we do with them?

It's not just Christian's who face this battle, a world- renowned avowed atheist once declared at the dinner table of a Christian friend that he "questioned the truth of his atheism all the time."

We can ignore them and like a splinter in the skin they will soon fester an infection that will lead down a path of damage, pain, and sorrow.

We can deny them and put on a facade of confidence and ignorant bliss

Or we need to confront them head on and deal with them in a way that reflects both honesty and integrity as well as sound scholarship. Now I'm not going to deal with all the doubts and questions that are going to come your way, but I do hope by God's help to show you how to handle those times of conflict and confusion.

There are those in the Bible who faced their times of doubt and confusion, some handled them correctly and other's failed in their test of faith.

We find that the New Testament has at least a half-dozen Greek words that define or describe what we call doubt. They often have meanings like puzzlement or wonder as well. The way we are looking at the words they also mean things like, uncertainty, hesitation or vacillation between two positions. The most common Greek word used in the New Testament for doubt (diakrino)[dee-auk-ree-no] is found in the Book of James 1:5-8 where he is describing the man who prays for something in faith but isn't sure if God will grant the request. James says that person is unsettled or unstable. Jude 22 writes in his epistle to have mercy on those who doubt who no doubt were in that position due to false teachers. (17-23)

Matthew tells us that Jesus' own followers suffered at the hands of doubt on occasions (14:31; 28:17) Peter is said to have "little faith" and he is asked why he doubted.

Paul was not immune to questions and doubts in his own words he says that during times of persecution he was "perplexed" (aporeo) [ap-or-eh-o] but not to despair (2 Cor 4:8) Jesus warns in Luke 12:29 about (meteorizo) [met-eh-o-ridzo] anxious worry when he says, "Neither be of doubtful mind"

These words all show a state of questioning or flip-flopping from one position to another, anxiety or unbelief.

Doubt does not have to be the opposite of faith. Doubt can negatively affect one's faith but by far the examples shown in scripture prove that doubt can in fact strengthen ones faith.

They used to sing the song, "The Curtain of Time" it is a beautiful song and melody, the chorus went like this

Lord, let me look past the curtain of sorrows and fear.

Let me view that sunny bright clime;

It would strengthen my faith and would banish all fear;

Lord, let me look past the curtain of time.

Here we go again to the age old dilemma, If I could only be proven 100% that this is true I would be fine. The song composer was saying the only way to strengthen the faith was to be able to look past this curtain of time separating earth and heaven. In reality our faith is strengthened by not knowing or being able to see with our physical eyes.

Norman Clayton put it in song like this;

If we could see, if we could know,

We often say.

But God in love a veil doth throw

Across our way.

We cannot see what lies before,

And so we cling to Him the more

He leads us till this life is o'er,

Trust and obey.

So the question remains what do we do with these doubts? I want to give us three ways we take these doubts and turn them into spiritual protein and strengthen our faith muscles.

One of the most amazing passages of scripture that speaks to doubt is found in both Matthew 11:1-6 and Luke 7:18-23 here we find John the Baptist who by his own declarations was sure that Jesus was the Christ, Luke 3:15 where he says he is not the Christ but one is coming after him, John 1:26 he tells the crowd around him, I baptize with water but there is one coming after me who will baptize with Holy Ghost, in fact his confirmation according to John 1:33 was to be the one on whom he saw the Holy Spirit descend. It happened just like that one day when Jesus came to John to be baptized and as they came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove. John said He must increase I must decrease. This is the one that John had pointed at and said, "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world."

But somehow whether it was the time he was in prison or if he was hearing conflicting reports from his disciples whatever the reason John seems to be having second thoughts, or doubts as to if he had the right person.

I want us to look at three things John did with these questions that I think will help us when we have doubts or questions.

Consider your question - It was obviously ok for John to have these questions - Jesus says of John after he sent for confirmation says, "Matthew 11:11 that there is none greater than John the Baptist."

Warren Wiersbe says, "There is a difference between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is a matter of the mind: we cannot understand what God is doing or why He is doing it. Unbelief is a matter of the will: we refuse to believe God's Word and obey what He tells us to do.

"Doubt is not always a sign that a man is wrong," said Oswald Chambers; "it may be a sign that he is thinking."

Bible Exposition Commentary - Bible Exposition Commentary – Be Compassionate (Luke 1-13).

Alister McGrath said, "Doubt is natural within faith. It comes because of our human weakness and frailty." McGrath contrasts this doubt with unbelief: Unbelief is the decision to live your life as if there is no God. It is a deliberate decision to reject Jesus Christ and all that he stands for. But doubt is something quite different. Doubt arises within the context of faith. It is a wistful longing to be sure of the things in which we trust. (McGrath, "When Doubt Becomes Unbelief," 8–10)

John MacArthur observed, When the New Testament talks about doubt, whether you're talking about the gospels or the epistles, it primarily focuses on believers. That's very important. It's as if you have to believe something before you can doubt it; you have to be committed to it before you begin to question it. So doubt is held up as the unique problem of the believer. (MacArthur, "Solving the Problem of Doubt")

Even Charles Spurgeon, one of my favorite pastors in history, said, Some of us who have preached the Word for years, and have been the means of working faith in others and of establishing them in the knowledge of the fundamental doctrines of the Bible, have nevertheless been the subjects of the most fearful and violent doubts as to the truth of the very gospel we have preached. (Charles Spurgeon, "Psalm 69:14")

Platt, David (2013-11-04T00:00:00+00:00). Exalting Jesus in Matthew (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) (Kindle Locations 2693-2703). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

He had a question, and it was obviously ok to ask it and look for an answer. I want us instead of pointing a finger at John look at ourselves, if we were in his situation I think we would want full confirmation as well. There are somethings I am willing to die for, but I am not willing to die for something that is not true. Perhaps the question stemmed from feeling left out, or lonely, or rejected, or just the daily grind of prison and all that entailed. David Platt says there are three parts to doubt in this passage

Difficult situations Unmet expectations Limited Perception

Consider the source of the Question

Perhaps the source of question was from discouragement - if so that answer should have encouraged his heart.

It is possible that he thought Jesus was taking too long to set up His kingdom. Sometimes waiting without results is one of the greatest tests of our faith. Perhaps the source of the question was Satan - trying to bring about a division between Jesus and John It is most likely and possible that this question came from God not only to help John, but to help his disciples and even us today. Consider the Answer to the question

John may have had a counselor in the prison system, but with this question he didn't consult with them. He had better resources He could have even talked amongst his disciples but no he was going to consult with his better resources He took the question straight to Jesus through his disciples. In John like manner he goes straight to the point

Are you the one- the messiah the one we have been looking for, or do we need to keep looking? The answer - Jesus answered John in like manner - He didn’t give these two disciples a great theological lecture going back to the prophets no he said set down there on that boulder and he went to work

A blind man A lame man A few lepers A deaf person Dead raised Preached salvation message to the poor.

Luke 7:22-23 (KJV)

22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.

23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

These weren't just wow factor works these were fulfillment of prophecy Isaiah 35 and other places foretold of a Deliverer who would come to do these things.

While John took his question to Jesus - Jesus took John to the Word.

I remember as a young Christian facing a doubt like John's is this really real or do I look for another, can it all be true, is it just a fantasy that someone would come and die and that all it takes is faith in what He Him and what he did and the cleansing blood? I battled this for some time and one day as I sat down at my desk to read the Bible I opened the Bible to

Hebrews 4:14-16 (KJV)

14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yetwithout sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Sometimes we doubt the existence of God

Sometimes we doubt the timing of God

Sometimes we doubt the strength of God

Whatever your doubt might be this morning I want to encourage you that My God is enough, he's proved it o're and o're He's never known to fail

His power still prevails

Down through the test of time

God's people always find

Whatever life may bring

God is enough.