A pastor I respected while in seminary once said, “you’ve never truly believed until you have truly doubted.” At the time, I thought this was decent advice. Now, almost ten years later, I realize that this may not be good advice. What place does doubt have in Christianity or should it have a place at all? Doug Kelly, in his Systematic Theology book, describes the western rejection of God’s testimony of Himself in creation and conscience. Doubt, Kelly explains, is a rejection of God’s testimony. On page 251 Kelly quotes T.F. Torrance, “Doubt rests upon a form of self-certainty” and “There is always a deep-seated element of false subjectivity in doubt”. This chapter helped me put together a string of thoughts on the subject.
Ultimately doubt and skepticism hold self as their authority and not scripture. God’s word tells us in James 1:6, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” One who treats scripture as a skeptic has no foundation and will be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. The one who holds the word of God as ultimate authority for faith and practice will stand on a secure foundation. We cannot trust our fallen intellect. Instead we must believe that we might truly know.
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