HONEST DOUBT OR STUBBORN UNBELIEF? (Part #1)

"THE FACTS OF THE MATTER"

"A weekly letter of encouragement to business and professional men and women"

April 07, 2010

Good Morning!

HONEST DOUBT OR STUBBORN UNBELIEF?  (Part #1)

The other day, a young, newly minted PhD philosophy professor sat in my living room, expressing with angst doubts he harbors concerning the veracity of the Biblical accounts.  It is obvious that his blue chip education is crashing head on with his faith in Jesus.

Tell me, do you ever have moments of doubt?  Ever wonder if the whole Christian thing is a charade?  Ever fear that God won’t show up in your time of crisis?  How do you think God views our struggles with doubt?  Is it ok to doubt?  Is there a difference between  honest doubt and unbelief?  

The Scripture seem to divide honest doubt into three categories.

#1  Weak Faith: Remember the father whose son Jesus delivered from an evil spirit?  Said the father, “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us,” to which Jesus replied, “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Said the man in response, “Lord I believe…help my weakness of faith.” (Mk. 9:23 – Amp, 24).  My guess is that what this father meant in his heart of hearts was, “Lord, it is useless to hide this unbelief that still struggles in my heart. I wrestle with it and cry out for your help against it.” Obviously, the Lord had compassion on him.  After all, he healed his son.

The disciples on the Road to Emmaus after the crucifixion said, “We thought [Jesus] was the Messiah,” to which the Master replied, “O foolish ones [sluggish in mind, dull in perception] and of heart to believe.”  (Lk. 24:25 Amp.)  Commentator Adam Clarke writes of these men:  They were “slow of heart – backward, not easy to be persuaded of the truth, always giving way to doubtfulness and distrust.”  Yet, it was these very men Jesus commissioned to take the Gospel to the ends of the world.  We know from history that most of them were martyred for their faith.

#2  Wavering Faith:  John the Baptist, languishing in prison while awaiting execution - after powerfully heralding the coming of Christ – wavers in his faith, sending an emissary to Jesus, asking, “Are you the Christ, or do we seek another?”  And Jesus’ response?  Castigation?  Angry disappointment?  No, exoneration.  ”I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.”   (Matt. 11:3, 11)

Remember the account of the disciples observing Jesus walking on the water?  Peter asked if he could walk to Christ.  “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’"  That is, Why did you “waver?”  (Matt. 14:30, 31)  Yes, Peter wavered in his faith.  But he grew in faith to become the powerful leader of the 1^st Century church.  Years later, he wrote this powerful statement on faith: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”  (I Pet. 1:6, 7)  Some years later Peter was martyred for his faith.

After the resurrection, Jesus met the eleven on the mountain where he commissioned them to take the Gospel to the world.  Yet, ^“When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.”  (Matt. 28:17)  That is, they wavered in their faith.  Had this been my training program, I probably would have said, “Hey guys.  Time out.  Let’s take another year or so and go back over this issue of faith..  Given your shaky belief system, I’m not quite ready to entrust the future of Christianity into your hands.”   Not Jesus.  He went with what he had, knowing, as history has proven,  that their wavering faith would mature into stable, strong convictions.

Next week we will conclude our discussion with “Perplexed Faith,” and “Stubborn unbelief.” 

My prayer is that you are having a great week!

R. Dwight Hill