Doubts

Hello again!

Yesterday we finished Matthew, so today we’re moving on to Luke.–This is what God gave me today in His word:

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. (Luke 1:13)

And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” (Luke 1:18-20)

Doubting is, quite obviously, a very bad thing, with some unpleasant consequences. The problem is, we all doubt. Everyone Christian has times when they aren’t sure they are saved (which is somewhat ironic, because being worried about whether you’re saved or not is a good indication that you are a child of God; no one who wasn’t saved would bother to think twice about it), that God will actually fulfill His promises, and if God even exists or not. But, what can someone do to dispel these doubts (and avoid the possibility of some version punishment)?

Well, in the case of whether or not God will fulfill the promises He makes in Scripture or not, the solution is the same as it was for Zechariah: wait until it happens. This may seem rather childish; the, “Just wait, and it will happen.” approach may not seem very scientifically correct. However, God wants us to have a child like faith, and so will specifically put us into positions where we need to trust Him; positions, where we need to just wait on Him.

The other two doubts that may enter a Christian’s mind, which I named (obviously there are many more doubts that may cross the mind), are not quite so easily addressed. In fact, there’s even a little thinking involved. The two others that were mentioned were:

1. Not sure of their own salvation.
2. Not sure that God even exists.

Both of these have one solution: dwelling on Christ, the cross, as Jesus’ Resurrection. Am I saved? Well, do you believe Jesus rose from the grave or not? Does God even exist? Well thousands saw Jesus, who is God incarnate, and based off of that, we can safely assume that yes, He does exist. (In addition to that though, we can see the evidence of Him in creation.)

The point being this: no doubt can ever truly stand up against scrutiny. The Devil only ever gives part truths, and once we look at the way, the truth, and life (who is Jesus), whatever he says falls apart.

You are Loved!

Joshua Cleveland

 

Doubts

Hello again!

This is what God gave me today in His word:

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. (Matthew 11:2-5)

John, the very same John that proclaimed Jesus to be, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” [John 1:29], is now having doubts. It can really be quite easy to trust in God during good times. When the sun is shining, and you’ve got every luxury that you could want, it’s easy to believe their’s some sort of benevolent God out there that’s looking out for you. Granted, John, the locust and honey eater, wasn’t exactly living the high life when he called Christ, “the Lamb of God”, but neither was he suffering too severely. He had food, clothes, and was fulfilling God’s will for His life. Which is more than many can claim. It’s the times of trial which God gives us when it can become difficult to believe God really cares.

Doubting God, whether it’s just doubting His promises, or doubting that He even exists, is a normal part of being a Christian. Jesus doesn’t rebuke John for his momentary bit of doubt, but instead, tells him that He is indeed the, “one who is to come”. Specifically, he told John’s disciples, who told John, “the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.”

Now, we can add another thing to that list: the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them, and we have been given grace immeasurable. Doubts are an unavoidable part of Christianity for both the old and young Christian, and can very seriously affect a Christian, but that doesn’t make them true. All we have to do is look at the five thousand that Jesus appeared before when He was Resurrection, to know that God most certainly is real, and that He without a doubt does fulfill His promises (God promised that a deliverer would come, and He did).

The point being this: All we have to do is look at the grace which we have received by Jesus’ death and Resurrection to have any doubts we may have be dispelled.

You are Loved!

Joshua Cleveland