“Faith”—a small word that houses an enormous truth. It calls forth a responsibility from the one who holds it because faith is something that cannot live on its own without being sustained by the one in whom it dwells. In its essence, faith is trust. But that definition falls short by itself. The biblical meaning of “faith” also necessitates the idea of loyalty, which results in faithfulness. Therefore, a more fully developed meaning of “faith” is that it comprises a steadfast conviction that results in allegiance or commitment to someone or something.
That definition may sound great and all, but having faith is not as simple as snapping your fingers. Maintaining a “steadfast conviction” is not something that just automatically happens inside us. It takes deliberate effort and a conscious determination to form in one’s mind and heart, and it must be carefully guarded and preserved. The Apostle Peter calls genuine faith “more precious than gold” (1 Pet. 1:7). Faith is one of the most treasured possessions one can have and far more valuable than any physical possession or worldly gain. Furthermore, the Apostle John assigns the utmost importance to faith when he describes it as the power that enables us to have victory over the world (1 John 5:4).
Most of us realize the significance of faith and how it is the means by which we are connected to Christ and live according to the new life of the spirit that he has given to us. But a common objection that is often raised is that to have faith one must not have any doubt. James 1:6-8 says, “But let him [the believer] ask [God] in faith, doubting nothing, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed around by the wind. Indeed, that person must not think that he will receive anything from the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
A misconception that people often take away from this passage is that doubt is the antithesis of faith. This is simply not true. The opposite of faith is unbelief. What James is addressing here is a form of “doubt” that issues in a faulty allegiance and distrust—a doubt that causes one’s heart to be divided and thus fails to promote any sort of true confidence in God. But there is such a thing as healthy doubt—a type of doubt that serves to increase one’s faith, not oppose and destroy it. This sort of positive meaning for having doubt is like a sieve that runs through one’s faith finding weak points that have not yet been fortified by the wisdom and knowledge that come from God.
The way that this type of doubt can be seen as helpful for faith is aptly put by Christian pastor and writer, Timothy Keller. He writes,
“A faith without some doubts is like a human body without any antibodies in it. People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a smart skeptic. A person’s faith can collapse almost overnight if she has failed over the years to listen to her own doubts, which should only be discarded after long reflection. Believers should acknowledge and wrestle with doubts – not only their own, but their friends’ and neighbors’” (Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism [New York: Penguin Books, 2008], xvi-xvii).
Keller and others talk about doubt in terms of being inquisitive and deep-thinking in the faith. This sort of positive-oriented doubt can serve to shed light on the places in our faith where we have just coasted on by without a close examination of the truth or our own life experiences. And in so doing, it can alert us to where we are deficient and in need of growth or more investigation and contemplation. If we are sensitive to recognize when questions arise within us, we can begin to assess where we are lacking in the answers we need. This should not be a scary encounter, but an encouraging one, for no one’s faith is immune to the questions that life brings. And surely no one’s faith has already discovered all the answers to all the questions.
We mustn’t be afraid of inquiring for more solid understanding as though it is something that will erode and destroy our faith as though we are always completely “sure” about everything we think we know. Doubt can have the capacity to destruct faith if it is left to fester, or if the questions it raises are ignored and neglected. But the fact that doubts arise in our mind at times actually should be seen as an indicator of a mind that recognizes there is yet more to be learned. One who never thinks critically about their faith seems to imply that they might think they have attained sufficient knowledge or are complacent and prideful in their faith, and they couldn’t care less whether such questions ever get answered or not. It makes no difference to them. They are done seeking.
To ban all forms of doubt as if they are an infection contaminating your faith is to lose the benefit that being inquisitive and critically-minded provides for growing in faith. In fact, a faith that resists the possibility for any such positive doubt is an impoverished faith, deprived of the refining and strengthening quality that the desire for greater clarity and understanding can offer.
So, don’t be afraid of the questions that emerge in your journey of faith. Let them lead you into a more intimate relationship with Christ and into the rich depths of knowledge that God has provided in Scripture. We won’t ever attain perfect knowledge and possess all the answers for the questions we have. But if we stay hungry and humble, knowing that the Lord feeds those who come to him, doubt can be a servant of faith, not its enemy.
~JW
