Doubt is often viewed as a negative thing in the Christian life. As Christians, we stress having faith in God and trusting Him, and doubting seems to be the antithesis of this faith and trust.
Not all doubt, however, is bad or even harmful to our faith. On the contrary, how we handle seasons of doubt can actually draw us toward deeper faith in God.
This is what author Paul Copan discusses in his article âLearn How (Not) To Doubtâ for The Gospel Coalition.
Copan reminds us of two types of doubt the Bible talks about. One is in James 1:8 and involves being âdouble-mindedâ and âunstable.â
âJames condemns a mindset of divided loyalty between God and the worldâa spiritual adultery,â writes Copan. Of course we want to steer clear of this kind of doubt.
There are other places in the Bible, however, which speak to how Christians are to deal with seasons of doubt which will inevitably come.
In Jude 22, Godâs people are instructed to âBe merciful to those who doubtâ or to âshow mercy to those whose faith is wavering.â
God created our minds and hearts and knows that we will experience times of doubt.
Experiencing these times of searching and questioning can be opportunities for us to push deeper into our understanding of the Lord.
âGod doesnât rebuke saints for honest inner struggles, questions, and emotions. Indeed, even amid our doubts and darkness we can show forth Godâs presence through faithful living,â writes Copan.
Copan goes on to offer three reminders for when we are in a season of doubt.
First, we often think that, in order to believe something, we have to be 100 percent certain about it.
Copan notes that even most philosophers do not operate on the idea of absolute certainty. âThis absolute-certainty demandâwhich no one truly followsâis itself questionable: How do we know with 100 percent certainty that knowledge requires 100 percent certainty? Itâs a phony criterion that canât sustain itself.â
There are many strong points that can be supported with sound reasoning and evidence for the belief in Christ, in the Bible, in a loving God, etc., but we shouldnât place the burden on ourselves of being 100 percent confident in these truths twenty-four-seven. It is human to doubt.
Secondly, we often equate proof of Godâs existence, of His authoring the Bible, of His being involved in our lives, etc. with science alone.
Although such debates as Creation vs. Evolution are certainly important, it is actually, as Copan notes, a âfaulty philosophyâ to affirm that science is the ultimate source of knowledge.
âThe Christian faith is science-friendly, and we can find supports in scienceâŚ.But insisting that only science can give us knowledge is both arbitrary and self-contradictory,â writes Copan. In this view, instead of using science as a tool, we can tend to make science an idol–what Copan terms âScientism.â
Thirdly, and perhaps most relevant of all for the Christian who is experiencing a time of doubt, why do we allow ourselves to have double standards?
âWhy do we give more weight to our doubts than to our beliefs and even convictions? Why donât we doubt our doubts? Why assume doubting is somehow âsmarterâ than belief?â asks Copan.
Though they may start small, doubts often turn into a nagging presence that threatens to turn our entire belief system on its head. The problem is, we often give them more power than they deserve. We are people with finite understanding living in fallen world–there will be things that donât make sense and that we must grapple with, but this shouldnât undermine what Christ has shown us to be true.
In times of doubt, may you be encouraged to reflect on the ways God has shown Himself to be true and may you not be afraid to face your questions and so deepen your relationship with Him.