Those on the “faith” side, will site countless Biblical passages that encourage us to have faith in a variety of situations. However, men, being sinful, have taken those commands, and have created scenarios where people feel they must lie about their doubts in God, His Word etc., creating a inauthentic culture where any challenging questions are frowned upon because they could create doubt.
In reaction to this fake culture, the post-modern christian culture has made doubt a thing of health and maturity, as though, if you don’t doubt certain things about God, then you are just a bigoted, immature, fundamentalist who really doesn’t believe God can stand up to you doubts. As a result, we start to see the unhealthy extreme of, “Is it really wrong to have sex before marriage? I don’t know.” In other words, Christians using their “virtuous doubt,” to make moral compromises.
These two views are obviously extreme; and I would argue, both wrong.
The Bible commands us to have faith (1Cor 16:13). But we should not lie if we don’t (Rom 12:3). Neither should we embrace our doubt as though there is something virtuous about the doubt itself (Luke 12:28). The Christian that, in the face of Christians who condemn doubt, challenges the virtue of faith itself, is still bowing to fear of man or people pleasing. In other words, the truly humble person, who believes the gospel, can say, “Yes, I don’t have faith. No, it is not good. Praise God, that I walk under the blood of Jesus while I come to a stronger faith.” The reason Jesus says, If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can move mountains,(Matt 17:20) is not necessarily so that we can all become entrepreneurs, whether altruistic ones or not. It was more so that we can rest secure in the promise of our salvation, even when are faith is small.
Even when our faith does not all the implications it should have.
So what do we do?
1. Pursue faith.
- Don’t wallow in your doubt unnecessarily.
- Ask God to strengthen your faith. Earnestly desire to be a man or woman of more faith. Ask as the man in scriptures, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”
- Read your Bible, even when it doesn’t seem to change anything, or even if it seems to make it worse.
2. Pursue community.
- Read good books, don’t immerse yourself in other doubters.
- Serve.
If you are the one with faith, and the other is the doubter:
- Listen patiently to the doubts of others.
- Don’t condemn others for having doubts.
- Don’t correct them immediately if possible, hear them out.
- Do guide them to good material, share your own journey, remind them that God loves them no matter what, demonstrate it.
- Don’t be afraid to lovingly challenge sin in their lives
3. Pursue a fear of God that would outweigh your fear of man.
- Recognize when you are acting out of a fear of man. I believe most don’t believe that they guilt and condemnation they feel from other Christians when they express doubt is largely due to their own insecurities and desire to be loved and affirmed by other Christians. How ironic is it then to create a culture where those who don’t doubt as much are ostracized and belittled!
Tawmis.
