15 – A word about doubt

Most Christians have mixed feelings about doubt. They know it’s a reality that everyone struggles with at one time or another. Yet somehow many of us feel vaguely guilty, as if experiencing doubt is somehow sinful.

At heart, doubts are just questions. Some Christian communities don’t allow questions, preferring that believers accept things on authority without explanation.

But God isn’t threatened by questions, and God’s truth has always proven itself strong enough to withstand them. God has answers for any believer or seeker – even a skeptic – who has a sincere question. Doubt doesn’t mean a belief isn’t true, only that the doubter hasn’t yet found the explanation that makes sense of it all.

For a believer, asking questions is a necessary part of growing in Christ. Young people who are raised in the faith need to ask questions and find answers if they are to make the faith their own. Elders often fear questions because they see them as a threat to their authority – or because they don’t know the answers. Either way, the solution isn’t to stifle people who ask questions. Questioners, like Habakkuk or Thomas, often just want to know what is true.

On the other hand, the skeptic’s demand for absolute proof has exaggerated doubt far beyond reason in the Western world. Doubt can be a good thing, keeping authorities honest about facts that don’t seem to support their explanations. But the skeptic’s demand for absolute proof is unreasonable. Doubt doesn’t excuse ignoring evidence. Doubt should never be used as a ploy for rejecting the plain truth.

Sometimes we find it hard to accept just how limited our human understanding really is. We have to reconcile ourselves to the fact that there are some things we will not understand in this life. God is the only one who knows how it all works and what it all means. We should never let the few things we don’t understand keep us from enjoying the abundant life God offers us when we act on the many things we do understand.

So don’t be afraid to ask questions, and don’t discourage others from asking them. Just be willing to accept the answer, even if it isn’t the one you want to hear, and realize you won’t ever have all the answers in this life.

And for goodness’ sake, relax! Nobody’s ever asked a question that kept God awake all night, worrying about how he would answer it.

Think about it!
Have you been encouraged to ask hard questions about Christian faith?

Has that helped or hindered your Christian growth?

Get involved!
Ask your church leader or Bible teacher to organize a discussion of questions skeptics ask about Christianity.

Next installment
16 – Resources / For further study

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