III.
Deal with doubts in faith
We
stand on the sure foundation
of God's trustworthy word
and his divine Son. When
doubts arise about our faith,
what practical things can
we do?
A.
Be prepared for your doubts.
According
to C. S. Lewis' Screwtape
Letters, doubt is something
we must expect to happen
to us. The stronger your
faith, the more likely you
will be subjected to attack
by doubt. Doubt is part
of Satan's strategy for
paralyzing and crippling
your faith, and preventing
your use by God. The stronger
your faith, the greater
a threat you are to the
enemy. So be prepared for
doubts to come, not because
your faith is weak, but
because it is strong.
B.
Be realistic about your
doubts.
Our
doubts and questions about
God often come from asking
questions whose answers
we cannot understand. We
want to know more about
the nature of God, or his
eternal plan and why or
how this crisis fits into
it. But our minds are finite
and fallen. We want to know
more than we can comprehend.
Augustine was right: "If
you can comprehend it, it's
not God."
Remember,
faith is a relationship
with God, and no relationship
can be proven. You cannot
prove to me that someone
loves you. Absolute, scientific,
logical proof for love,
friendship, or faith does
not exist. As Tennyson wrote,
"nothing worth proving
can be proven."
So
be realistic about your
doubts. Do you question
what you cannot humanly
comprehend? Are you asking
for proof which cannot exist?
C.
Be honest about your doubts.
The
only doubt that does permanent
damage is the one we won't
admit. Isaiah 1:18 in the
original Hebrew records
God's invitation, "Come,
let's argue it out."
God knows your questions,
your doubts, and your struggles.
Be honest about them with
him.
D.
Be biblical about your doubts.
Judge
what you don't know by what
you do know: God's
Word is true, and Jesus
is his Son and our Savior.
Find the help of God's word
and his Son for your doubt,
your question, your problem.
Ask a trusted Christian
friend to study Scripture
with you and pray for you.
Don't let the doubt linger
and fester in your mind.
Bring it into the light
of God's word, now.
Conclusion
One
of my favorite prayers in
the Bible is recorded in
Mark 9:24. After a father
pleads with Jesus to heal
his demon-possessed boy,
Jesus says, "Everything
is possible for him who
believes" (v.
23). And the father exclaims,
"I do believe; help
me overcome my unbelief!"
You can pray that prayer
today, and Jesus will hear
you and help you.
"Go
to Him for the salvation
He can give your soul.
He will pardon your failures
and sins, give you a new
start and joyous life, and
bring you to heaven when
you die.
"Go
to Him to start your faith,
and to live your faith.
Name your doubt, your confusion,
your question today. Give
it to Him.
And listen for His answers.
Ask Him to help your unbelief,
and He will.
I
studied philosophy of religion
at Southwestern Seminary
and in other schools precisely
because I believe that we
need to love God with our
minds. We need to ask our
questions with honesty,
and find the help that Scripture
and Christ give us.
One
philosophy teacher closed
every course he taught with
this prayer:
From cowardice, which shrinks
from new truth,
From laziness, that is content
with half truth,
From arrogance that thinks
it knows all truth,
O God of Truth, deliver.
Amen.
