Big questions
What if I have doubts?
Doubts and questions are normal, and you don’t need to have everything worked out before you come to God. Faith is not being certain about everything. It is trusting Jesus with what you do know.
You are in good company
A desperate father once brought his sick son to Jesus, wanting to believe but not sure he could.
Immediately the father of the child cried out with tears, “I believe. Help my unbelief!”
Jesus didn’t send him away until his faith improved. He helped him. John the Baptist, in prison, sent to ask Jesus whether he really was the one they had been waiting for. Even after the resurrection, with Jesus standing in front of them, Matthew records this about the disciples:
When they saw him, they bowed down to him, but some doubted.
Thomas
One of the twelve, Thomas, refused to believe that Jesus had risen unless he could see and touch him. Jesus did not write him off. He came to him.
Then he said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see my hands. Reach here your hand, and put it into my side. Don’t be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and have believed.”
Different kinds of doubt
- Questions of the mind: is it true? Did it happen? These deserve proper answers, and there are good ones to be found.
- Questions of the heart: does God care about me? These often arise from pain or disappointment, and need patience and company more than arguments.
- Questions of the will: do I want it to be true? Sometimes the real hesitation is about what following Jesus would cost.
It helps to work out which kind you are dealing with, because they are answered in different ways.
Honest questions are welcome
There is a difference between asking questions because you want to find the truth and using questions to keep God at arm’s length. Christianity has nothing to fear from the first kind. It makes claims about real events, and they can be looked into.
What helps
- Read one of the Gospels. John says he wrote his so that readers might come to believe.
- Ask God. A prayer as simple as “God, if you’re there, please show me” is a real prayer.
- Talk it through. Courses such as Alpha and Christianity Explored are run by churches across the UK for exactly this purpose, and no question is off limits.
- Don’t doubt alone. Doubts grow in isolation and shrink when they are spoken.
These are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.
If you are already a Christian
Doubt does not end when you become a Christian, and it does not mean you have lost your faith. Most believers go through seasons of it. Keep praying, keep reading and keep meeting with other Christians. Faith that has faced its questions usually comes out stronger.
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