Dealing with Doubts

Our Response to God’s Grace

A life with doubts. By Luke Marriner. 

1. Why do we want to talk about this? 

   1. We are human and will all have doubts. Thomas saw Jesus in person and still doubted (John 20:24-31). However, the way that we handle them is extremely important and can either cause us or save us from a lot of damage in the future. When handled correctly our doubts will actually lead us to pursue truth. 

   2. “A faith without some doubts is like a human body without any antibodies in it. People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a smart skeptic. A person's faith can collapse almost overnight if she has failed over the years to listen patiently to her own doubts, which should only be discarded after long reflection. Believers should acknowledge and wrestle with doubts — not only their own but their friends' and neighbors'. It is no longer sufficient to hold beliefs just because you inherited them. Only if you struggle long and hard with objections to your faith will you be able to provide the grounds for your beliefs to skeptics, including yourself, that are plausible rather than ridiculous or offensive. And, just as important for our current situation, such a process will lead you, even after you come to a position of strong faith, to respect and understand those who doubt.” - Tim Keller. 

2. What is doubt? 

   1. The difference between your faith and perfect faith, the gap between them.

3. Why should we deal with them sooner rather than later?

   1. Doubts are like small pebbles you pick up as you walk. Stop and take off your boots to shake out the little stones. Otherwise they will lead to blisters and then open wounds and eventually the end of your journey. Deal with the little stones before they become overwhelming and stop you in your tracks. 

4. What are some different categories of doubts? 

   1. Intellectual doubts…

      1. Not being able to logically combine or understand topics and how they relate to worldly “knowledge”. For example, evolution. 

      2. What are some common intellectual doubts people may have?

      3. What are some intellectual doubts you have?

         1. In my own life I’ve experienced this one the least out of the three we will talk about. Personally, I find this one easier to deal with because you can research and talk to people who know more than you to find most of the answers you are looking for revolving around this type of doubt. See notes on Knowing What We Believe from 12/20/21.

   2. Experiential doubts… 

      1. Going through traumatic situations, seeing the evil of the world. For example, the question of “Why would God allow ______?”

      2. What are some common experiential doubts people may have?

      3. What are some experiential doubts you have?

         1. This is the one I’ve experienced the most in my life. For me I became so angry at God and hated Him when I was younger, constantly asking, “If God is so loving then why would He let my sister die?” The same goes for wondering why God won’t just end my brother’s alcoholism. See notes on The Doctrine of Suffering from 1/31/22. 

   3. Spiritual doubts…

      1. Comes from a lack of faith or obedience/discipline from us, can also come from sin. For example, wondering why God won’t just remove a certain sin from your life. Doubting God, trying to fit Him to your mold. 

      2. What are some common spiritual doubts people may have?

      3. What are some spiritual doubts you have?

         1. In my own life I’ve experienced this when I have struggled with habitual sins such as lust. The same goes for when I’ve struggled with anger and overreacting. I have gotten mad at God for not just removing the sin from my life. See notes on Mortifying Our Sins and Pursuing Righteousness from 11/29/21. 

5. So how do we deal with our doubts?

   1. Experience Jesus…

      1. The father believed in Jesus, but he recognized he had doubts and asked Jesus to help him with them (Mark 9:14-29). Jesus knew Thomas’ doubts and wanted to deal with them with Thomas (John 20:29). 

   2. Experience Jesus in community. 

      1. Thomas doubted the most when he was alone (John 20:24). Scripture encourages us to seek out community (Hebrews 10:24-25). 

   3. Experience Jesus in His Word. 

      1. Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:14). God wants His law to be written on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Being in the Word stirs up action so that we may be doers of the Word (James 1:22). 

6. Closing remarks…

   1. Thomas’ doubts did not and do not define him, he later went on to take the gospel eastward (potentially as far as India, 1000+ miles away). 

   2. We must fight sin to fight for faith. 

7. Resources: 

1. Clemson University RUF

2. Quote by Timothy Keller