Then [Jesus] said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” (John 20:27)
Some passages in the Bible make doubt sound like the sin that God will not pardon. James declares that if you want wisdom from God, you must “ask in faith, with no doubting” (James 1:6). The author of Hebrews tells you that “without faith it is impossible to please [God]” (Heb. 11:6).
What does that mean, then, if you are wrestling with thoughts such as “I don’t know if God likes me. I don’t know if I am one of his children. I really want to be his child, but I’m not sure that I’m one of the elect. I don’t know if I’m really saved”? Those thoughts kind of sound like doubt, right? So does this all mean that God is not pleased with you and that you really don’t belong to him?
Let’s come at it from a different direction—let’s start with God and his character before we get to you and your thoughts. Remember Thomas, one of Jesus’s disciples? He wasn’t around when Jesus first appeared to his followers after his death, and so Thomas declared that he just couldn’t believe that Jesus was alive.
Jesus didn’t get angry with him or keep his distance. Rather, he moved toward Thomas, appearing again when Thomas was present and going straight to him—not to lecture Thomas, berate him, belittle him, or even remind him of all that he had said about rising again after being killed. Instead, he offered him the proof that Thomas needed in order to believe. Jesus bent himself around the doubter’s needs. Do you see how he is comfortable around doubters, and yet doesn’t leave them to flail about in their uncertainty? He doesn’t treat them as their doubt deserves, but he nurtures their souls and leads them from unbelief to faith.
So when you read passages like the ones from James and Hebrews above, read them through the filter of what God is like. He isn’t shocked at, appalled at, surprised by, dismayed by, or scared of your doubts. Instead, he has anticipated them. He expected doubt to be a real problem for many of his people, and he did something about it. He talked openly about your struggles with doubt and wrote down what you need to do.
And he did that thousands of years before you even knew that you had a problem. Far from being intimidated by your struggle or disappointed in you, he gives you the help you need in order to get beyond that struggle and to be more certain of his love for you.
The passages in the Bible about doubt are evidence of the heart he has for doubters—a heart that longs to strengthen your faith and end your doubt. They’re not there to give you less confidence in him; they’re there to give you more.
DON’T ALLOW YOUR DOUBT TO CAUSE YOU TO SHY AWAY FROM GOD. GOD CREATED YOU; HE KNEW YOU WOULD HAVE DOUBT, AND HE STILL LOVE YOU JUST LIKE YOU ARE, PLUS GOD WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO OVERCOME YOUR DOUBT.
Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com
PayPal.me/donatetochurch
PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
Well I definitely enjoyed reading it. This subject offered by you is very constructive for good planning.
I am typically to running a blog and i really respect your content. The article has really peaks my interest. I’m going to bookmark your web site and keep checking for brand spanking new information.