Outreach

Q What if I have doubts about God?

A When you have doubts about God, just remember that God does not have doubts about you. 

The good news about your doubts is that you already have faith. At Calvin Seminary, professor Neal Plantinga used to say to us, “Doubt is not the absence of faith; rather it is the presence of it. For if you did not doubt at all, then you would not have believed at all.” 

Furthermore, doubt can bring about a stronger and more robust faith. When the apostle we call “Doubting Thomas” demanded evidence from the risen Christ, Jesus said, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side.” You see, Jesus did not rebuke Thomas but encouraged him to wrestle with his doubts and to expose them in the light of the evidence.

One of the most detrimental things we can do in church is fail to cultivate a safe environment where people can freely express their doubts. A leading cause of young adults leaving church and their faith altogether is that they did not know what to do with their unexpressed doubts. I’d encourage you to do what gospel writer Luke, the scientist/journalist, did: “Since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you.” 
In The Reason for God, Tim Keller writes:

During a dark time in her life, a woman in my congregation complained that she had prayed over and over, “God, help me find you,” but had gotten nowhere. A Christian friend suggested to her that she might change her prayer to, “God, come and find me.  After all, you are the Good Shepherd who goes looking for the lost sheep.” She concluded when she was recounting this to me, “The only reason I can tell you this story is—he did.”

The risen Christ can deal with your doubt. Can you?