I think that it’s safe to say that I have never had any doubts about my faith. The great thing about being a Christian giant is that I am not plagued by the common misgivings of simple folk. So let me tell you all the things I have never doubted.
I have never doubted the existence of God. I have never thought to myself “God might not actually be real.” As I personally commune with God everyday, it’s hard to think he mightn’t be real. I would just as easily question the existence of myself.
I have never doubted if I’m saved. Even if I didn’t feel God’s presence (which I do) I know that salvation is assured in Jesus. Assurance means just that, obviously it’d be silly to question it.
I have never doubted the authority of the Bible. God breathed it, men wrote it, we read it. Simple really.
I have never wondered if my sin stops God from loving me. I love me even when I sin, so why shouldn’t God?
I have never thought there could be more than one way to God. Jesus is the only way. Just because people of other faiths are nice, and just because people have important spiritual experiences outside the Christian faith, there’s no reason for me to think there might be validity in any other faith.
I have never doubted God’s calling on my life. He said it once, why should he need to say it again.
I’ve never doubted the terrible nature of sin. I know it’s bad, the Bible says so. Why would you question that? Who cares what my desire tells me.
I have never doubted the uselessness of doubt. Doubt eats away at faith. Doubts cannot strengthen a person, so obviously I never doubt.
I have never doubted. Name a doubt, I haven’t had it.
I’ll pray for you that you can be more like me.
This is post is part of the Blogging by Request series. To make your suggestion of what I should blog about, go here.
I love you but I find this post a little self righteous.
1) Doubt isn’t useless. I believe it is good for a faith to be tested and questioned and sometimes doubt is part of that process. Your parents have this quote that says “faith isn’t faith till it’s all your holding onto.” From where I sit faith isn’t faith because we are sure we are right. Faith is faith because we are desperately holding onto it. And you know sometimes in the midst of pain, deep pain full of rejection and homelessness and not being wanted or loved and having no job or money and losing children and rape and illness and poverty I don’t blame people for letting go. Sometimes even when a preacher tells you God loves you, in those moments it is hard to feel. And if they come back, there doubt wasn’t useless.
2) Ofcourse there is no reason for you to wonder the validity of another faith. You were born into a strong Christian family and have lived with Christians and studied Christianity ever since. But what if you weren’t? What if you were born in Afghanistan or Israel? Maybe then living in that culture you would be presented with the validity of the faith that surrounds you.
3) The Bible isn’t that clear on sin. There seems to be times when genocide is condoned and people sleep with other people in all kinds of funny contexts, and in one place there is all this stuff about food laws and then they don’t matter anymore. And yes Jesus comes and abolishes food laws, but what else is abolished in the name of love?
4) Desire isn’t always bad. Unless it is for McDonalds and then it is in my opinion it’s bad. Shame McDonalds didn’t exist when the Bible was written. I’m sure there would be food laws against it.
Your stuff on never doubting God’s existence and never doubting being saved and never doubting God loves you, well that’s cool and lucky you.
But I don’t think this world was designed for simple answers. If it was designed for simple answers then it would be more simple. Sorry if I was simplistic about McDonalds. But you know, other people’s searches after truth and love and goodness and God and…….. Jesus are no more or less valid that yours, just because you happen to be a Christian giant.
P.S. I love you. Just throwing out some ideas. Sorry if I sound antagonistic. Just a little debate between friends.
Hey Gem,
Sorry for sounding self-righteous. Thank you for your thoughts.
I was hoping I was clear in the post, but I guess I wasn’t. I didn’t feel like writing a serious post about doubt, but I didn’t feel like dismissing doubt either. So I wrote about doubt as if I’ve never had it. Which, actually I have. I am no spiritual giant.
Pretty much the opposite of that post is true, which is what I was trying to get at. Every doubt I said I haven’t had, I have had, and some I have regularly. I have doubted the existence of God, I have doubted his love, I have doubted my salvation, I have doubted the exclusivity of Christ.
Like you say doubt is not useless. Doubt leads us into faith. If we never doubted we would never search. Philip Yancy once said something like “Doubt is the skeleton upon which faith grows.” Meaning only by not knowing, can you have faith. If you know something it’s not faith, it’s certainty and it needs little element of trust.
Anyway, thank you for you kind comment. If I read my post as you read my post I would not be feeling so kind.
I love you too, and appreciate that you won’t let me get away with saying stupid pompous things.
I could feel myself getting mad as I read this, but when I realised you were being ironic, I felt better. Thanks Tom. Nice to know that spiritual giants such as yourself have doubts too. I read a piece by Tim Keller yesterday that suggests that it takes more faith to not believe in God, than it does to believe in Him. An interesting thought, I thought.
Tom and Gem, I am moved by the way you talk to each other. Conversations like the one above keep me having hope for the body of Christ. Keep letting Jesus help you to be two such wonderful people!
I just feel silly for not realising you were joking. Maybe I should know you better. The line that really should have made it clear it was a joke if nothing else is – “I pray for you, that you can be more like me.” I mean you can be overly confident sometimes but I should have picked your not that confident. And then the “I love me when I sin, so why shouldn’t God.” No one loves themselves when they know for sure they have sinned. I actually thought I had gone to far, maybe even sinned, when I wrote this post to you. I was like, gosh if there is someone that doesn’t feel doubt then maybe I should leave them alone. Even if it is self righteous. Anyway now I know it is a joke it is kind of funny.