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Publications I Believe . . . The Apostles' Creed for the Third Millennium By Robert P. Mills, Associate Editor The Presbyterian Layman
The Place of Doubt Suggested Scripture readings Matthew 28:16-20; James 1:2-8 Must Christians believe without reservation every affirmation of the Apostles’ Creed? Is it possible to trust Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and yet be unsure about some things the Bible teaches? Does having doubts mean lacking faith? Indeed, is doubt the opposite of faith? To answer such questions, we must consider not only what we believe, but how we believe. ‘But some doubted’ One place to look for answers to such questions may seem unlikely – the introduction to the Great Commission. In Matthew 28:16-17 we learn that after Jesus’ resurrection “the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.” I must admit that when I think of the Great Commission, the words “but some doubted” are not the first that come to mind. But, especially considering their context, these words are very comforting. Some of the disciples – who had spent three years of their lives with Jesus, who had heard with their own ears his prophecy of his impending death and resurrection – doubted even as Jesus stood right before them. They had heard that the tomb was empty, walked miles to meet with Jesus, saw him and began to worship him, yet even as they worshiped some doubted. That some disciples simultaneously worshiped and doubted reassures us that absolute freedom from doubt is not a precondition to the worship of God. Rather, the disciples’ conflicted response indicates that having doubts about things we do not fully understand is not ultimately incompatible with worshiping the one we know to be our Savior and Lord. How can that be? One way of approaching this question is to distinguish between the content of our faith and the structure of our faith; between what we believe and how we believe. Content vs. structure For example, Christians do not believe that God may exist, but then again, he may not. Neither do we believe that Jesus may or may not be God Incarnate, the second person of the Trinity. Doubts about the existence of God or the deity of Christ are not a part of the content of Christian faith. Christians believe and teach that God does exist, and that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is his only begotten Son.
Yet, despite our doubts, we continue to worship. And, despite our doubts, God accepts our adoration and praise. That is because God knows that we are finite, fallen, fallible creatures whose hearts and minds, clouded as they are by sin, are prone to doubt. Yet God continues to love us just as we are. Nowhere in Scripture does God condemn a believer who has doubts. Remember Gideon? He had serious doubts about leading the people into battle, so he laid out a fleece not once, but twice. God honored both requests (Judges 6:36-40). And when Thomas said “Unless I see … I will not believe,” Jesus answered, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe” (John 20:24-29). While doubt is nowhere commended as an attitude to cultivate, neither does Scripture teach that our doubts lead God to cease caring for us. God knows the frailty of our human nature, and he responds to our doubts as to our other weaknesses – with steadfast love. ‘Double-souled’ Understanding doubt as part of the structure but not the content of our faith also gives us insight into James 1:2-8 where James teaches that when we ask God for wisdom we should “believe and not doubt,” for the one who makes this request while doubting the one of whom it is made “is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” “Double-minded,” literally “double-souled,” is a word found nowhere in Greek literature prior to this occurrence, which suggests that James may have coined the term for this occasion. A double-souled person is one who prays to a God he does not believe to exist. He doubts God’s existence but hedges his bets. His doubt is a part of the content of his faith. In contrast, the kinds of doubts that trouble Christians are part of the structure of our faith; that is, they arise out of how, not what, we believe. The doubt James writes about is part of the content of belief, a fundamental doubt that the God being addressed even exists. That distinguishes the doubts of Christians from those of “double-souled” individuals, those who pray to a God whose existence they do not affirm. Faith in Jesus Christ does not mean living a life free from doubts any more than it means living a life free of suffering, trials, and temptations. It does mean that when doubts arise, we can prayerfully discuss them with God and ask him for wisdom. That kind of doubt, which arises when faith seeks understanding, means that Christians cannot be “double-souled,” nor can they make requests of God while harboring the kind of doubt James describes. I believe The biblical evidence clearly shows that it is possible to be a faithful follower of Jesus Christ and to have honest doubts about aspects of your faith. If you fear expressing your doubts, remember Christianity has survived 2,000 years, often in the face of intense persecution. So it seems quite unlikely that the faith will crumble because you have asked a hard question. If you doubt that reality, look back at what Matthew tells us about the disciples. Had the disciples lacked faith, they never would have gone from Jerusalem to Galilee to meet someone they had watched die on a cross. Had the disciples lacked faith, they would not have worshiped their living Lord. They went and they worshiped, but some doubted. Yet despite their doubts, these disciples recognized their risen Lord as God in human flesh, and they worshiped him. As we saw in Chapter 2, the most basic creed of the Christian faith is “Jesus Christ is Lord.” To be sure, that confession does not give full expression to the breadth and depth of what it is to be a Christian. But once an individual confesses Jesus Christ as Lord, he or she is ready to begin an exhilarating exploration of the mind of God, an exploration that can be aided by a careful study of the Apostles’ Creed. Will doubts arise along the way? Undoubtedly. For doubt is not the opposite of faith. Disbelief is the opposite of faith. Doubt is merely a part of how we believe, one manifestation (among many) of our sin-tainted nature. But like the disciples, despite our doubts, we must worship our risen Lord. And like them, we must then obey the command to “go and make disciples of all nations,” secure in Jesus’ promise that “surely I am with you, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20). For reflection and response 1. In your own words, explain the difference between doubt as a part of what we believe and doubt as a part of how we believe. 2. What is the place of doubt in Christian faith and life? 3. Why is disbelief, not doubt, the opposite of faith? Pray and give God thanks for remaining faithful when we are troubled by doubts. You may wish to pray Psalm 139:1-12 or to use those verses as a model for your prayer. Scripture passages for further study Genesis 15:1-15; Judges 6:34-40; Matthew 11:1-6; Mark 5:35-41; John 20:24-29. Additional resources Os Guiness, Doubt: Faith in Two Minds (Tring: Lion, 1979). Alister McGrath, The Sunnier Side of Doubt (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990). Paul Tillich, Dynamics of Faith: Faith and Belief: What They Are and What They Are Not (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1957). |
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