Here are some thoughts about doubt arising from my own experience, reflection on the Scriptures, and talking to others. I would love it if they led to some discussion. I think this is too little talked about.
1. Doubt is not good. “He who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6). Not the most encouraging place to start, but important. In some ways, our world praises doubt: reluctance to be too dogmatic, reservation about those who are too certain. But Christians should not esteem doubt. Faith has its stake in assurance and conviction (Heb 11:1), and from that stable ground, it acts. Let us not be content to be doubters.
2. Yet doubt happens to Christians. It happened to the apostle Peter (Luke 22:31–34); it happened to those who saw the risen Jesus (Matt 28:17); it can happen to us. And “happen” is the right word. To some extent, of course, doubts are a product of choices we make, decisions that can be sinful; but often we can only see these in retrospect, and the experience of finding oneself amidst doubts is also something that can take you by surprise, like an uninvited and slightly off-putting visitor, who simply leaves us with the question, what do I do now.
3. Doubt is not denial—although it feels like it is, and powerful forces want us to think it is (on this, see below). But to doubt is not to give up. To be uncertain is not to abandon. In The Brothers Karamazov, the devil speaks this way about tempting the saints: “They can contemplate such depths of belief and disbelief at the same moment that sometimes it really seems that they are within a hair’s-breadth of being ‘turned upside down’”. “The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we endure, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself” (2 Tim 2:11–13). Perhaps we may see here a distinction between faithlessness and denial. Denial is, to be sure, the horizon towards which faithlessness heads; but it is not there yet. Just because you have come unstuck, it doesn’t mean it’s all over.
4. Doubt is spiritual. “The Devil,” writes Peter, “prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8). If that is true, then doubt is a spiritual issue, not just an intellectual one. Thinking about the truthfulness of Christianity is not something that is spiritually neutral: it is part of a war. This is why in Psalm 73, the psalmist’s experience of doubt is overcome not, finally, through just clear thinking or intellectual effort, but through an act of worship: “until I went into the sanctuary; there I perceived…” (Psalm 73:17).
5. Doubt is not just spiritual. The problem is, though, that in the midst of doubt, a spiritual experience is precisely what it does not feel like. In the midst of doubt, the existence of spiritual realities is often precisely what is up for grabs. If we knew it was a spiritual battle, we wouldn’t be doubting! But the substance of doubt is mostly real, and often fairly non-spiritual questions, perhaps historical, philosophical, scientific. This double aspect of doubt makes it tricky; because on the one hand, we can’t only treat it as a spiritual reality as that would be to just avoid the real issues. But on the other hand, to not treat doubt as spiritual is already to give the game away. Because if, in fact, our doubts are mistaken, and Christianity is true, then doubt is anything but just a matter for careful thought and rationality.
6. Doubt is hard. For this, and other reasons, doubt is hard. Doubt is hard because faith is important and good. Faith is not just a particular opinion; it is the ground of our identity, our whole way of looking at the world, our outlook on life. For this to be called into question is like suddenly feeling the floor move below you. Everything seems up for grabs. Doubt can be a terribly distressing experience, and this distress can itself be a temptation. We can feel that we simply cannot go on torn and unsteady, hypocritical and uncertain, such that the prospect of release from the struggle becomes very attractive. To be a Christian is always to wrestle with unanswered questions. One of the attractions of unbelief can be not having to worry about things so much.
7. Doubts have a tendency to multiply. “Do not give the Devil a foothold”, writes Paul, talking about anger (Eph 4:27). The same idea applies to doubt. One nagging question can lead to a whole range of other questions and suspicions. Everything starts to look shaky. This is tricky, because we can lose sight of what we’re really concerned about. We can no longer put our finger on what it is we’re worried about; it’s just the whole thing. And then we don’t know where to start thinking, and so we just let it sit. This is dangerous, because the cumulative weight of all our questions is much more than the sum of all of them individually. When we find ourselves in the midst of this experience, I think we need to remind ourselves of the spiritual aspect of doubt, and then try to think about our actual questions as best we can.
8. Doubt saps our strength for service. The problem with doubt is that it takes the wind out of our sails. And that, I believe, is why the devil is so keen on it. When I doubt, it is much harder to proclaim. How can we sing the songs of Zion in a foreign land? The doubter, as James puts it, can be “unstable in all his ways” (1:8). Doubt cuts our hamstrings when we need to be running.
9. Doubt can be used for good. Yet God is sovereign, and he can bring good out of any evil. Out of doubt can come a new clarity, a fresh energy, a clearer focus. And out of doubt can come new capacities to help. Doubt is a spiritual experience, and it can bring spiritual growth. The author of Psalm 73 looks back on his experience and sees it with a new clarity (vv.21–22), and finds a deeper understanding of God’s grace and care for him (vv.23–26). The same can be true for us as well.
10. Doubt will not have the last word. In the midst of doubt everything feels up for grabs. It can feel like we don’t know how we’re going to manage, and we can’t see how we could ever find a way out. Yet, Christians do not have to experience doubt only in this way. For there is a word of confidence for us because of Jesus, our faithful High Priest, who has made atonement for our sins and even now intercedes for us, bringing us to himself. He was tempted in every way, yet without sin; and so he can provide the grace to help us in our time of need. “Simon, Simon,” he said to Peter, “Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:31–32). This assurance is for all those who entrust themselves to Jesus’ care. For He has already met and defeated the evil one for us. He has faced the temptations we face, the doubts that threaten us; and he has won. He has believed for us. And he prays for us. Therefore, we can face doubts with confidence. It will not be the last word for us.
really valuable stuff. thanks mate.
well said.
i would add, as perhaps 7b, or even 5b:
doubt often drives us in the wrong direction. when we are faced with doubt, we tend to withdraw from those who (we think) don’t doubt, not sharing with them. and instead of being driven back to the bible to recall what we first believed, we read material of those we think are fellow doubters, but who never shared out faith in the first place.
Amen to that. We do need to talk about this more in Christian circles, if only because talking about it like this reveals how common the experience is. Doubt -> multiplying doubts -> greater clarity: that has been my experience of doubt too, just as it was for the psalmist, just as it was (and is) for many other brothers and sisters.
Knowing we’re not alone in it is of tremendous worth, and helps to counteract the issue psychdougie raised above.
Andrew, just wondering if you have read Frank Rees’ Wrestling With Doubt: Theological Reflections on the Journey of Faith? I recommend it on this subject.
Thanks guys. Jason, I haven’t heard of the book. I’ll check it out. Cheers.
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