A Place for Doubters
Jude 22
If you come across a church where everyone claims to have unwavering faith and all the answers, get away as fast as you can.
In the tiny, sometimes forgotten, Letter from Jude to churches rife with heresy and rebellion, there is a curious word of instruction to church leaders. In verse 22 these individuals who have been challenged to defend the faith, are told, “Be merciful to those who doubt.” Rather than condemn and shame the doubters, they are to show compassion and mercy. What’s going on here?
It seems reasonable to suggest that the New Testament recognizes two types of doubt.
* There is that doubt which is frequently described as “unbelief.” Unbelief is the willful refusal to assent to and to live one’s life in light of what is evidently true.
The earliest preachers condemned the unbelief of the leaders in Jerusalem. They condemned them because these leaders maintained their opposition to Christ despite the overwhelming evidence for the resurrection.
This type of doubt is rooted in the will rather than the intellect. In a candid moment, Friedrich Nietzsche, the man who thought he had published God’s obituary, said, “It is our preference that decides against Christianity, not arguments.”
* There is that doubt which reflects the uncertainty of an otherwise open mind. The truth is, I suspect there is little uncertainty in the first form of doubt—unbelief. It’s the attitude which says, “My mind is made up, don’t confuse me with the facts.”
The man or woman who has this second form of doubt earnestly yearns to find the truth but in not entirely convinced the map can be trusted. Os Guinness describes this type of doubt: “To believe is to be ‘in one mind’ about accepting something as true, to disbelieve is to be ‘in one mind’ about rejecting it. To doubt is to waver between the two, to believe and disbelieve at once and so be ‘in two minds’.” This is the type of doubt which the Christian may feel when confronted by the arguments of an unbeliever, evidences which seem contrary to the Christian world-view, or some challenging experience of life.
I want to stress that the community of faith, the church, has room for those who wrestle with this second form of doubt. More than that, I want to tell those who are wrestling with this second form of doubt that they are not alone; almost every thoughtful Christian has, at one time or another, experienced such doubt. Above all, I want to tell those who are experiencing this doubt that there is hope; yes, hope that they will one day experience a certain and confident faith but, just as important, hope that God will do great and wonderful things in and through them despite their wavering faith.
The story of a distraught father seeking help for his son underscores this truth.
We meet this father immediately after a significant moment in Jesus’ life, the Transfiguration. While Jesus, along with Peter, James, and John, were on the mountain the remaining disciples waited below. As they waited a man approached them. Perhaps he was leading his son by the hand. We’re not told much about the boy’s appearance but the text allows us to wonder if his face and arm were covered with bruises, self-inflicted damage. There may have been dried spittle on his face.
We can imagine the father hastily explaining to the disciples that he had brought his son to Jesus to have him freed from the power of Satan. Perhaps the disciples whispered among themselves, “You know, we’ve seen Jesus do this, let’s give it a go.”
So the disciples tried to exorcise the demonic forces which had so often gripped this young man. They failed, again and again they failed.
At last, Jesus came down from the mountain to discover what had happened. He was told of the disciples’ failure. The desperate father appealed to him for help. So, the boy was brought to Jesus.
It was not to be a quiet encounter. The boy fell to the ground, began rolling around, and foaming at the mouth. With this happening, Jesus started taking a case history. After learning just how serious the situation was, Jesus made a remarkable promise: “As far as possibilities go, everything is possible for the person who believes.”
Some pious types—the types with bumper-stickers which say, “Jesus said it, I believe it, that settles it”—would claim that these words from Jesus were all they would have needed to hear. But the father, unwilling to present himself as something he wasn’t, responded, “Lord, I believe, help my lack of faith.”
We can admire this father for his honesty. He had faith, born, perhaps, from what he had heard about Jesus. Yet, he also had doubts.
What happened when he was so honest? Did Jesus send him away? Did Jesus say, “Unless you believe in me 110%, don’t waste my time with your prayers?”
No, Jesus accepted him, Jesus helped him. We need to learn from Jesus’ example. A refusal to allow a person to admit doubt won’t instill faith. It may simply push them into hypocrisy. Accepting the person who has doubts raises the possibility of leading them on to stronger faith.
It’s even possible doubt may have a positive impact on our personal lives and on the life of the church.
Doubt may lead us to greater certainty regarding the truth we have already embraced.
After graduating from Southwestern Seminary I did some graduate work in the religion department of a major southern university. The atmosphere of this school was very different from that of the seminary. Although the faculty at the seminary had different opinions on many subjects, they were united in holding on to the historic Christian faith. Despite the fact they were part of a religion department, the teachers at the university were united in their rejection of the historic Christian faith. For example, one New Testament professor believed that much of the story of Jesus was the product of the fertile imaginations of gospel writers.
For the first time in my life I was faced with serious challenges to the fundational elements of my entire world-view. I must admit some of their arguments were compelling.
I never considered jettisoning my faith, but seeds of doubt were sown. As a result I was forced back to the sources, forced to reexamine the roots of my faith.
For example, I gave focused attention to what the Bible has to say about itself. I looked at what the great thinkers in the history of Christianity had to say about the Bible. I rediscovered the fact that historic Christianity is so tied the authority of the Bible that to discard the Bible is to discard the Christian faith.
In time, my “doubts” led me to confirm the integrity of the Christian world-view.
2. An attitude which allows for doubts produces believers who tend to be less susceptible to false teaching.
Why didn’t the followers of Jim Jones or David Koresh raise questions about their highhanded claims about themselves? I suspect that many of their followers were never allowed the privilege of doubt, never taught that there is a place for raising questions and challenging suspicious teachings. They had forgotten John’s warning, “Dear friends, don’t believe all people who say they have the Spirit. Instead, test them.” (I John 4:1)
In his history of Paul’s evangelistic tours, Luke has high praise for the people from Berea.
AC 17:10 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. [11] Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. [12] Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
They examined the Bible, for themselves, to see if what they were being taught was true. The community allowed for a healthy doubt which kept them from being gullible.
3. It would be surprising if you didn’t have some doubts as you pursue your pilgrimage.
This story of the wavering father reminds us that a community unwilling to welcome those with doubts is unprepared to do the work of evangelism and nurture.
Ours is a skeptical age. Many doubt the established institutions of our culture.
We also have to remember that the average thirty-something man or woman has been subject to powerful influences throughout their lives, influences which tend to make commitment to Christ difficult.
* We have been taught that science has confirmed their very presence on earth is the product of mindless chance, that the notion of a Creator belongs to an age of superstition.
* We have been taught that there are no absolute truths, that all world-views are of equal value.
* We have been taught that religion in general, and Christianity in particular, is designed to keep women and minorities in subservient positions, that Christianity has been the source of many of history’s greatest evils.
* We have read in popular magazines that the Founder of Christianity, Jesus Christ, while a remarkable man was nothing more than a man. More recently, they have been taught that Christ is largely the product of the imaginations of first and second century writers of fables.
If you’ve been troubled by these issues, you know how important it is that there be a place where you can bring your questions. If we who have been raised in the church need such a place, how much more is such a place needed by those who may just be peaking though the church door.
It can be scary. Sometimes it is necessary to allow those exploring the possibility of trusting Christ to raise profound questions about the Faith. We cannot expect them to be content with our telling them that they must take it all by faith. In fact, the church which refuses to allow people to ask questions will fail in these important works.
Remember the story of Thomas, Doubting Thomas who questioned the reality of the Resurrection. It was while Thomas was in the midst of those convinced of Jesus’ triumph over the tomb that he had his encounter with the Risen Christ. That encounter resolved his doubt.
CONCLUSION
In one way the story of Thomas illustrates just what I’ve been talking about. Despite his doubt, he was embraced by those who walked with Jesus, those whose faith was stronger. Despite his doubt, Jesus cared enough to minister to him.
That’s the power of a community where doubters are welcome.
