No Room for Doubt…Or Is There?

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By Jamie Neben and AC Smith

Jamie says:

During our recent guest appearance on the Jesse Peterson radio program, a question arose as to whether having doubt in matters of faith is considered to be a sin.  I replied in the negative because we are all certain to be tested at various times, and periods of doubt are not only quite normal, but they are healthy too since we ultimately become stronger believers once we overcome that doubt.  AC Smith quickly found the following biblical passage in an effort to set me straight:

“And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith; for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”(Romans 14:23)

One can hardly argue with what seems to be such a clear statement, but I would at least prefer to understand the context in which it was made a little better.  After all, we know that some words and meanings have been occasionally altered, if just slightly, in the course of interpretation and translation.

I understand that some people, especially during tough times, may be tempted to call God’s existence, love, or power into question.  That’s not the kind of doubt I consider normal, and it should be met with strong spiritual support when it occurs.  However, a believer may not always know whether they are following God’s plan, or may struggle with how much they apply their faith in an increasingly secular world.

I believe that having doubt is an unavoidable part of being human.   We can recognize it, handle it, and be stronger for the experience.  The absence of doubt is perfection.  Only one person who ever walked the earth fit that category.  And it’s not AC Smith.

Here are some historical quotes on the topic:

Chinese proverb – “With great doubts come great understanding; with little doubts come little understanding.”   

Martin Luther – “Knowledge and doubt are inseparable to man. The sole alternative to “knowledge-with-doubt” is no knowledge at all. Only God and certain madmen have no doubts!”

George MacDonald – “Doubt can be a tool in God’s hand wielded, in the lives of those who allow it, for the strengthening, not the destruction of faith.” 

AC Smith says:

I quote God! You quote man!  When will you learn?

Although Martin Luther states that God has no doubt, it is wrong to compare God and a fool together as having common ground.   

George MacDonald seems to suggest that doubt is a tool of God’s. How can God have doubt as a tool when God doesn’t have doubt?

All the quotes seem to be meant well, but that doesn’t make them right. These are only quotes from men who we admire, but we make the mistake, when we put man’s words above God’s.   Always keep in mind that men are human and flawed.

 

 

 

5 thoughts on “No Room for Doubt…Or Is There?”

  1. What Mr. Neben evidently fails to understand is that doubting a lie (meaning not a false idea, but one crafted or appropriated to deceive and bind the believer to will of the deceiver) and doubting the truth are qualitatively distinct and mutually exclusive.

  2. Yguy — Mr. Neben does not understand the point of your comment. I understand that the deceiver is attempting to disguise the lie as truth, and sometimes the real truth is not always clear, so doubt can exist in either instance. But would you care to elaborate with an example that shows me I’m wrong about what I’ve said?

  3. Yguy — Mr. Neben does not understand the point of your comment. I understand that the deceiver is attempting to disguise the lie as truth, and sometimes the real truth is not always clear, so doubt can exist in either instance.

    You don’t understand the comment because you are focused on the circumstances which attend doubt, rather than its essence.

    But would you care to elaborate with an example that shows me I’m wrong about what I’ve said?

    [A] question arose as to whether having doubt in matters of faith is considered to be a sin. I replied in the negative because we are all certain to be tested at various times, and periods of doubt are not only quite normal, but they are healthy too since we ultimately become stronger believers once we overcome that doubt.

    By this reasoning, drug addiction is healthy because one is stronger for having overcome it, and sin is healthy since it leads to abounding grace.

  4. Drug addiction, like any addiction, is a disease and is necessarily accompanied by actions that feed it. If somebody conquers the disease, they will assuredly be healthier in mind and body. Usually, some kind of physically altering stimuli needs to be introduced apart from normal daily life.

    Doubt is a state of mind, that may or may not be accompanied by actions. No chemicals or other substances are required. I will agree that sin is unwanted. But doubt is just human nature, and when the cause of the doubt is found to be unjustified, a person can be better for the experience. But that doesn’t mean it’s always unnecessary.

    Don’t forget that when the anti-Christ arrives, he will make confuse people into thinking he is the real savior. Doubt will definitely come in handy then.

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