FAITH AND DOUBT--BE AT PEACE

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

It is so hard to believe because it is so hard to obey. --Soren Kierkegaard

Doubt is a touchy subject among us.  Christians of all ages.  Those who have been Christians for a long time and Christians who are new to the faith are troubled that they have doubts about the Scriptures, doubts about the existence of God, doubts there is life after death, doubts their prayers are heard, and doubts about the divinity of Christ.  (And there are many other areas of uncertainty they doubt they can actually bring themselves to believe.)  on the one hand, in a certain sense, they know they ought to believe to be a true Christian.  On the other, by learning, reason, or experience, they doubt because many pieces of the faith seem to be far more likely to be the stuff of fairy tales and stale superstition.

Yet, there is an odd nature to doubt a Christian may have.  Most Christian doubters believe in Christ's resurrection--a huge leap of faith.  But then he brings himself to doubt much smaller things.  Things like Christ's miracles, the virgin birth, the divine inspiration of the Scriptures, or the conundrum of grace and free will. With character of belief, once the resurrection is believed, all other beliefs fall into place.  Nevertheless, often there is a quirk in human nature which readily provides the foundation for inconsistency.    One swallows the elephant whole but finds the gnat difficult to stomach.   If one believes in Christ's resurrection, why is his virgin birth so difficult to suppose.

The common wisdom taught to Christians young and old is that doubt is not the opposite of faith.  Doubt and faith are companions in the Christian life.  In fact, doubt can propel one into deeper faith as one explores the meaning of uncertain doctrines of Christianity.  (Although so few actually do.)  Some advise that one can take the deeper meanings of dubious articles without accepting them literally.  Absent that, some even advise that even if one cannot believe wholeheartedly in matters like the Nicene Creed--one should keep them as heirlooms of the faith of the Church--much like buying a home already furnished with antiques.

Personally, I dispense with the word "doubt" and prefer to call it what it is:  unbelief.  Because that is what it is.  Classic Lutheranism holds that experience is no guide to the truth.  Truth is only to be found in the Word of God. This, however, is more than we can accept.  We cannot as mere human beings disregard our treasure of experience.  We don't want to.  We look upon experience as too hard won and precious.  Neither can we abandon reason because surely reason is also too valuable and can be too easily lost by attacks from civilization's enemies.

Faith is the master, and reason the maid-servant. --- Martin Luther

But Luther once used the image of reason as a donkey from which man will fall off on one side only to mount again and fall off to the other side.  Reason has a bad habit of being buffeted about by the winds and notions of our time. What appears to be reasonable at one point is history is seen to be gravely flawed and unsound in another.   But the fact is by its nature reason is too frail weed that cannot bear the weight of the Cross.  The Lord's truth is not discoverable outside His Word.  He does not make it available in any other way.

Faith is a gift of God; do not believe that we said it was a gift of reasoning. Other religions do not say this of their faith. They only gave reasoning in order to arrive at it, and yet it does not bring them to it.  (Pascal, Pensees, 279)

The life of every Christian is plagued by unbelief.  Unbelief often raises its ugly head

in spite of ourselves and undermines the kind of man of God we want to be.  Many times unbelief appears in our thoughts and desires we do not understand--but are known unto God.  The good news is that God's grace is more than enough to cover our imperfect faith.  The Lord will save us as we are--unbelief as well as our sins.  Instead of feeling guilt and unease in our doubts, we should find peace in His loving grace.  He takes us to Himself in His righteousness and Truth with all our imperfections.   Battling our unbelief is often our desire to justify ourselves.  Beware, dwelling upon our unbelief can turn into a festering poison which can kill and destroy.

So, as Luther wrote and preached, when faced with our unbelief and confusion, trust Christ's promise.  He loves us still.

And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;

¹⁸ And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.

¹⁹ He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.

²⁰ And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.

²¹ And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.

²² And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

²³ Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

²⁴ And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

²⁵ When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

²⁶ And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.  (Mark 9: 17-27)