Many of us have doubts from time to time when it comes to our faith in God. Is it really worth it? Is it actually true? Is there really a God? I don’t think God is afraid of our questions or put off by our doubt. He wants us to choose Him, and making a choice requires consideration of all the facts involved.
If God would have wanted automated robots who had no questions and who had no choice but to follow Him, He would not have blessed us with the gift of freewill.
What’s the alternative?
When doubts creep into the Christian mind, the first question we have to ask is, “If not God, then what are my other options for a belief system?” When you examine the alternatives, I think you will find your faith in God strengthened. No matter where you turn, you will have to answer the big questions in life: “How did I get here?” and “Why am I here?” If the Bible is not true then we must come up with another explanation for how the human race came to be. Evolution is a theory espoused by many. For all the faith required to believe in an invisible God creating all living things, I find I would need far greater faith to believe that somehow one day the stars aligned and created life out of some cosmic explosion. From that point the exact perfect conditions continued to manifest themselves over millions of years to grow human beings out of monkeys and amoeba’s. I’m sorry, that’s just too much for me to swallow. Observational science says it can’t happen. Suddenly the invisible Creator God seems easily believable to me.
The other big question is “Why are we here?” If not for the mission of Christ, we are doomed to a meaningless existence, here for a little while to experience as much goodness and as little pain as possible. That’s one of the most depressing things I could ever think of! A life without purpose would provide no incentive to get out of bed in the morning. Conversely, the opportunity to collaborate with my Creator in His plan for the world is very exciting and highly motivating. Everything else simply falls flat for me; so again, I am left with no compelling reason to not follow Jesus.
What if it’s true?
The other thing we have to consider when doubt creeps in is what if it is true? What if Christ did die for our sins and what if He does command our obedience? If I ignore this calling, what becomes of me at my death? If I ignore Him then for what shall I live? If I live for Christ with all my heart only to discover at the end that it is not true, I will not be sorry. I will still have lived a life that had a purpose and existed to serve the needs of others. If I do not live such a life and get to the end to find He is who He said He was, I am destined for eternal separation from Him as I spend eternity in Hell. For a logical person such as myself, the choice is pretty much a no-brainer.
Doubt is the devil’s tool
When you take the time to examine your faith, I think you’ll find that there really is nothing to doubt. We believe because we are convinced that the Word of God is true. The moments of doubt are simply a tool used by Satan to distract us and keep us from living out our purpose for the King of the Universe. It’s okay to occasionally doubt; it allows us to reaffirm our faith by carefully examining the facts. At the end of the day, there are no plausible alternatives. Only Jesus provides the answers to the questions of life. Only He provides life that is both fulfilling and eternal. I know it can be harder to believe than not to, but cast your doubt aside and rest in the confidence that comes only in knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord.
Question: What events or circumstances cause you to doubt your faith?