Have you ever doubted God’s existence, or his power, or his faithfulness, or that you indeed are going to heaven? Were you afraid to admit it?

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #84 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

Everyone doubts. “Only God and certain madmen have no doubts” (Guinness). Everyone doubts, though not everyone admits it.

Some doubt more than others. Some express different kinds of doubts.

Some doubt the existential questions of life, like Is there a God? Does he know and care about me and can I know him? What happens when we die? Others doubt natural or personal things, like can science tell us what’s really going on regarding so-called climate change? Or, self-doubts like, do I have the ability to achieve my goals?

Martin Luther said, “The art of doubting is easy; it is an ability born with us.” A French proverb observes, “Who knows nothing doubts nothing,” while the Greeks said, “The wise are prone to doubt,” and the Chinese said, “With great doubts come great understanding. With little doubts come little understanding.”

These historic sources of wisdom seem to suggest doubting is not all bad.

In the book of Proverbs, it indicates 7 things God hates: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a man who stirs up dissension among brethren (Prov. 6:16-19). Notice that doubt is not in this list.

Now long before I understood any of these deep-thinking perspectives, I struggled with doubt throughout my college years. My doubts were real and gave me considerable angst. I never doubted the existence of God or any particular doctrine of the Bible. But even though I had prayed the sinner’s prayer at age 6 and had accepted Christ as my Savior, I doubted whether I was really saved.

I now know my doubts likely came from several converging traits or experiences in my life:

· I later understood that I have a rationalistic bent of mind. My natural drive is to think things through and try to figure things out. God gave me this ability, a strength if properly used, and one that can trip up a weak faith.

· My faith back then was not very strong, partly because I allowed sin to affect my spiritual journey.

· And I was experiencing a tremendous intellectual, sort of mind-blowing expansion of my thoughts and my exposure to the world and its history. For example, I was learning what it meant to develop and embrace and apply a thoroughly Christian-theistic world-life view in my life.

Perhaps there are other reasons I struggled with doubt in my coming of age, but struggle I did.

Os Guinness is an evangelical Christian philosopher and social commentator who has written books like The Gravedigger File, Renaissance: The Power of the Gospel However Dark the Times, and Zero Hour America: History's Ultimatum over Freedom and the Answer We Must Give, as well as many more.

But I think his greatest contribution to Christian understanding is a book he first published in 1976 called, In Two Minds: The Dilemma of Doubt & How to Resolve It, then again in 1983 as, Doubt: Faith in Two Minds, and finally, expanded and republished a third time as, God in the Dark: The Assurance of Faith Beyond a Shadow of Doubt.

Guinness’ book on doubt is a masterpiece and a classic. I recommend it to anyone.

In his book on Doubt, Guinness explains, "If ours is an examined faith, we should be unafraid to doubt...There is no believing without some doubting, and believing is all the stronger for understanding and resolving doubt."

Doubt, Guinness says, is often misunderstood, especially among Christians. For one, doubt is equated with unbelief, and this produces anxiety and guilt, which it certainly did in me. And two, doubt is usually considered something to be ashamed of. If you doubt, by all means “don't tell anyone;” you must be in sin.

Guinness points out that doubt comes from a Latin word dubitare, meaning "two minds. "To doubt is to be of two minds. That's not the same as unbelief. An unbeliever and a believer both have "one mind." Their minds are made up.

Unbelief is close-minded. Doubt is open-minded.

Doubt has value, helping protect us against gullibility. The original meaning of the Greek word, skeptikos, is “inquirer.” Doubt makes us ask questions.

Guinness notes there are several families of doubt:

1. Forget to remember – ingratitude. What about the Christian kid from a Christian home? He could be insulated, become complacent, sort of the prodigal son’s brother who stayed at home. When this person doubts it is not from lack of sermons but lack of experience, not the result of too much contact with the world but too little. This kid needs to get out and learn that indeed God makes a difference. This was me.

2. Faulty view of God – small God image. Need renewal of the mind (Rom. 12:1-2).

3. Doubt from weak foundations. This doubter believes the right things but for the wrong reasons. He does not know “Why,”and if there is no reason why, then there is no reason why not. This is where Guinness’ insightful comment fits: we live in a time when we see “university-level questions puncturing Sunday School-level faith.” This was also me.

The understanding Christian knows not only what they believe but why, like the Men of Issachar who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.

4. Doubt from lack of commitment/personal convictions. Need to examine our beliefs. Are they ours? Have we absorbed rather than accepted beliefs? This was me.

5. Doubt from lack of growth. Faith without works is dead.

6. Doubt from unruly emotions. This doubter is the most vulnerable to outside circumstances, like Elijah in the Old Testament. He did not need theology but sleep and food = Behavior changes feelings.

7. Doubt from fearing to believe. This doubter is afraid of being hurt. He looks upon belief as risk.

If you are a Christian, then you are a believer living in a disbelieving age. We are surrounded not by doubt but by unbelief. This, in turn, makes it easier for us to doubt, to wonder if Christianity is really true, if God is really what he says that he is.

A peace of mind from doubt is available to those of us who name the name of Christ.

God is the answer to doubt, a matter of truth, trust, and trustworthiness. Doubt can be overcome by recognizing the power and trustworthiness of God, by practicing our faith through service, and by learning to submit our emotions to the Lord.

So “faith,” Guinness says, “is not doubt-free, but there is a general assurance of faith that is beyond a shadow of a doubt.”

2 Timothy 2:12-13 says, “If we disown him, he will also disown us." Rejection, a decision to lodge one’s faith in something other than God. That's unbelief.

Then it says, " If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” We are weak, we waffle, we are buffeted by life, we are anxious. That's doubt.

Doubt is not the opposite of faith, not unbelief, not a betrayal of faith.

Many Christians, including leaders, have doubted, Doubting Thomas, St. Augustine, John Calvin, Charles Spurgeon, C.S. Lewis, Francis A. Schaeffer’s crisis of the soul recounted in his True Spirituality. Doubt is part of living the Christian life. But there is also rest from doubt for those who seek it in the Lord.

If you’ve wrestled with doubt, read 2 Timothy 2, and pray Martin Luther’s doubter’s prayer with me:

"Dear Lord, although I am sure of my position, I am unable to sustain it without thee. Help me, or I am lost."

Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best. If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. Download an episode for your friends. For more Christian commentary, check my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com.

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm.

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