Do you ever have doubts about your faith? Maybe a doubt or two about a Bible story and how it seems impossible to be true? If you do, you are normal. Doubt is a state of uncertainty or lack of conviction about something that is true, valid, or even whether what you think, see, read, or hear is reliable. According to the Oxford Dictionary, doubt is “a feeling of uncertainty or lack of conviction.” It can also mean “to feel uncertain about” or “question the truth or fact of.” The philosophy of doubt comes from the ancient Greek world. Its philosophy is part of Greek rhetoric that emanated from the art of reasoning about one’s existence. The Greeks used doubt as an instrument of persuasion. The ancient philosophers Portagoras, Socrates, and St. Augustine used the concept of doubt in their teachings and writings. The word “doubt” has been used since the Middle English period. It comes from the Old French “douter” and “doter” and the Latin “dubitare.” “Dubitare” means “to doubt, question, hesitate, waver in opinion” and is related to “dubius” meaning “uncertain.” The word “doubt” also means “a lack of conviction or to lack conviction in.”
Doubt can arise from various sources, such as a lack of information, conflicting evidence, personal biases, or a natural inclination to be skeptical. It plays a crucial role in critical thinking and decision-making, as it prompts individuals to seek more information, evaluate evidence, and consider alternative perspectives before reaching a conclusion. Doubt can range from mild skepticism to deep uncertainty, and it can impact how people approach beliefs, knowledge, and choices in their lives.
In the Bible, doubt is often portrayed as a lack of faith or trust in God’s plan, wisdom, or promises. Doubt is a potential obstacle to a strong relationship with God and can be contrasted with unwavering faith. Biblical doubt is the challenge that individuals must overcome to strengthen their spiritual connection and commitment to God. Doubt is a natural part of a believer’s journey. Doubt can even serve as a test of one’s faith, providing an opportunity for growth and deeper understanding. The first use of doubt was handed to Eve by Satan.
(Genesis 3:4)1NIV New International Version Translations “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.
Satan slips doubt into Eve’s mind concerning a command that she was given by God. “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1). Satan replied with a denial, which is a strong statement of doubt: “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4).
Thomas’s Doubt (John 20:24-29): You remember “Doubting Thomas.” After Jesus’ resurrection, Thomas expressed skepticism about the event until he saw and touched the wounds on Jesus’ body. Jesus responded by encouraging faith: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Doubt in Prayer (James 1:6-8): James, Jesus’ brother, discusses the role of doubt in prayer. He states that when someone prays while doubting, they are like a wave of the sea, tossed and driven by the wind. The passage suggests that doubt can hinder one’s effectiveness in prayer.
Elijah’s Doubt (1 Kings 19:1-18): The prophet Elijah experienced doubt and fear after his confrontation with the prophets of Baal. He fled into the wilderness and questioned his purpose. God addressed his doubt by revealing His presence through a gentle whisper, demonstrating care and guidance even during moments of uncertainty.
The Israelites’ Doubt (Exodus 16:2-3): After the Israelites were freed from Egypt, they doubted God’s provision in the wilderness and complained about the lack of food. Their doubt and lack of trust in God’s care led to forty years of challenges and lessons to teach them how to rely on God as they traveled to their promised land.
Abraham’s Doubt (Genesis 15:1-6): Abraham, known for his faith, expressed doubt about God’s promise of offspring because he and his wife were getting older. God responded by reaffirming His promise and crediting Abraham’s belief as righteousness.
Peter’s Doubt (Matthew 14:22-33): Maybe the best biblical story to show the damaging effects of doubt is the story of Peter walking on water. In a moment of perfect faith, Jesus calls Peter out onto the water to come to Him. Here we see the interplay between faith and doubt. Initially, Peter steps out of the boat in faith, but when he notices the strong wind, he begins to doubt and starts sinking. Jesus rescues him and chides him for his “little faith.”
Satan is still doing the same old trick today. Quite effectively, I might add. Effective action or behavior no longer becomes the purpose of thought. Philosophical thought starts to feed on itself. The search for truth becomes the goal of eliminating doubt and reaching supreme knowledge. Society today has become fragmented into groups that begin to question or hesitate to accept any claim, idea, statement, or situation due to their perceived lack of evidence, conflicting information, or the presence of conflicting emotions. This is how humanity begins to doubt whether its very Creator even exists.
Why is a doubt so concerning? A Pew Research Center study conducted just after the 2016 election found 64% of adults believe fake news stories cause a great deal of confusion, and 23% said they had shared fabricated political stories themselves, sometimes by mistake and sometimes intentionally. Fake news has only gotten worse since that survey was taken. It is an unfortunate truth that we all must face: fake news will live forever on the Internet and be embedded into the world’s base of knowledge. Even as Artificial Intelligence grows in acceptance, it too will be used as part of the vast pool of human knowledge. That which is not true has been created to seed doubt in the minds of humanity forever. Just as Satan owns our world, so do his seeds of doubt.
Human brains are not wired to contend with the pace of today’s technological change. The speed of communications and the ubiquitous nature of technology have spawned an era of the Internet of Things (IoT) which is contaminating every aspect of humanity. The future information landscape will have fake information crowding out reliable information and being used for scams and mass manipulation. We run the risk of simply giving up on being informed participants in civic life.
(Ephesians 2:8-9) – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
If faith is destroyed by doubt and Satan is the master of seeding doubt, has he won? How will you seek God’s Truth, remain faithful to His Word, and receive His Grace, and eternal life? The answer lies in God’s Word and how doubt has been resolved in the past through renewed faith and direct experiences with God. These biblical experiences provide us with a sense of confirmation and reassurance. Plato (a disciple of Socrates) concluded that the ideas in the world overtake the practical dimension of truth. All of Plato’s work was oriented towards showing the supreme value of truth. Plato believed that knowledge emanated from God (he believed in a unique deity) like a light. Those who were the furthest from the source were the most ignorant and primitive. As Plato moved towards the “light” through knowledge and faith, his world of absolute ideas guided him to become a historic and significant philosopher.
(Matthew 21:21) – “Jesus replied, ‘Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, Go, throw yourself into the sea, and it will be done.’”
Contemplations
- There is only one contemplation question in this study: If there is a time when all the information you hear through the media, from our leaders, from cable news, from the Internet, and from this world can no longer be trusted, how will you know if what you are being told is God’s Truth?
- Ideas to Explore:
- Will you read all the books written by famous theologians to get their opinions?
- Will you spend your time validating all you see and hear against what God’s Word says?
- Will you do what Solomon did—try to get rich, do everything, own everything, enjoy all worldly pleasures, and see if Solomon was right?
- Will you pray constantly for the assistance of the Holy Spirit to guide your decision-making?
- Will you pursue learning views that are contrary to your present opinion to understand all sides of worldly issues?
- Will you think through and then share what God has done for you with all you meet?
- Will you serve others as Jesus served His disciples, washing their feet?
- Will you always use God’s Truth to compare the sources of all you hear?
- Will you seek and find a church that challenges you to be more like Jesus every day?
- Do you think that we are already at the point where you cannot trust what you hear from our world?
- What will you do to seek God?
- Ideas to Explore:
- 1NIV New International Version Translations