Faith and Doubt

[Reader: Originally, I started this as an answer to a comment left on the last post entitled "The Following Leader." However, I felt as though the material was relevant enough for a post. The overriding question of the comment I am responding to was, essentially, "How do I overcome my doubts about healing?" Trust me when I say I am oversimplifying an incredibly thoughtful and thought-provoking comment, so I encourage you to go back and read what they had to say.]

 

Your questions are most of the questions I have been dealing with for over half of my life. Moreover, these questions have been asked by seekers and Christ-followers alike for almost two thousand years. The answers are simple, but not easy.

The core issue here is one of faith. Consequently, we have to begin with a discussion of the nature of faith. Essentially, we can sort faith into three categories. The first we will call public convictions. Public convictions are not necessarily faith at all. It is more PR exhibited for the benefit of others. It is the display of faith that one feels is necessary to gain advantage or approval from others. King Herod demonstrated this "faith" that is really no more than the appearance of faith when he asked the magi to share with him the location of the newborn Christ so that he, too, could worship him. Herod didn't want to worship Jesus. He wanted to kill him. He said what he thought was necessary to gain the approval of the magi.

Though our reasons are most assuredly not as extreme, we can often display public convictions that we really don't believe. The culture we live in or even the people we are currently in the presence of dictate the faith we are willing to share. So, hypothetically, you are, politically, a member of party xyz. However, in this election you believe you are going to vote for the presidential candidate of party abc. Now you are out to dinner with some of your long time xyz cronies. They are talking about how wonderful the candidate of xyz is. You sit there and nod your head in agreement, because it is easier to agree at this point than to express your true feelings and ruin a perfectly good dinner. This demonstrates how our public convictions do not always represent what we truly believe.

The next type of faith we demonstrate can be summarized as our private convictions. Private convictions are things I think I believe until circumstances change and show me that I do not believe them. For example, you are in a relationship and you sincerely believe that you have found the perfect partner. That is, until you find out that they have been unfaithful all along. Suddenly, you don't want to ever see that person again. Were your convictions sincere? Absolutely. Were they true? Not so much.

A biblical example of this is found when Jesus tells Peter that he will deny him three times. Peter exclaims that this would never happen. Did he sincerely believe this? Yes. Was it true? No.

The last type of faith is represented by our core convictions. Core convictions are beliefs that are so absolutely real to us that we would never, never violate them. Our public convictions may be bogus. Our private convictions may be fickle. But, our core convictions are actually believed and demonstrated by our actions. This is what James means when he writes, "Faith without works is dead." (James 2:17-19) His point is not that it is our works or our actions that get us into heaven. His point is that our actions demonstrate the depth of our convictions. Consequently, faith that is unaccompanied by actions that demonstrate our conviction is something less than true faith. In may be public. It may even be private. But it is not core. It is this core faith that Jesus wants to work on in our lives. It is our core convictions that he is concerned about.

So, as we speak about healing, the principle issue is our core convictions. This is what we are really talking about when we speak of faith. Now, does the presence of faith mean that there will be no doubt? Not at all. To the contrary, one cannot doubt without faith. Doubt is evidence of the presence of faith. Consider, if someone does not believe in something they do not have doubt about it. They simply lack faith. Doubt, on the other hand, is the questioning of what one believes. It is an uncertainty or lack of confidence. It presupposes faith.

Let me give you an example. Do you have faith that I read every comment posted on my blog? I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that your answer is "Yes." Now your confidence is not born out of ignorance. It is firmly grounded in experience. Most of the time, I respond to the questions posed in my comments. Moreover, you know a little bit about me. I'm a pretty stand-up guy. It would be contrary to my character to give the appearance of reading all my comments when in actuality I do not. But can you prove it? I don't always respond and the only way you have of knowing, absolutely knowing I have read a comment, is when I do respond. So, can you say without a shadow of a doubt that I have read every comment? No, really, you can't. That is the presence of doubt in faith.

Now, over time, can your confidence and your certainty grow? Absolutely. How? If I continue to prove myself to be faithful in answering, your doubt will decrease and your certainty will increase. Even if I don't answer every comment, the preponderance of the evidence would point to the fact that I do read them all.

When it comes to healing prayer, the pattern is much the same. My faith in God and his ability to heal is not born out of ignorance. First, it is grounded in what I know about God. As I have grown in my relationship with God, as I have gotten to know him better, His character becomes clearer to me. Furthermore, God has demonstrated his willingness and ability to heal. Numerous times over my ministry, I have seen people healed in such a way that even doctors have referred to them as miracles. Now, has every person I've prayed for been healed? No. So, can I say without a shadow of a doubt that God heals? No, really, I can't. But faith is not about the absence of doubt. It is about the presence of certainty. As it says in Hebrews 11, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." It's interesting what this verse infers. The ability to actually "see" or to know beyond a shadow of a doubt destroys faith. Why? Because then it is no longer faith. You know. You don't believe.

But I will say this. The more I pray for healing, the more I trust God and believe that he will heal, the more faithful he proves himself to be. Does He heal everyone? No. Do I understand why? Not a chance. But the preponderance of the evidence of my experience increases my certainty every day. So, do not let your doubts discourage you. Pray as you can, not as you can't. In other words, pray with what faith you have and ask God to assuage what doubts you have. As a father once said who brought his son to Jesus for healing prayer, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24)

[Much credit is given to John Ortberg, noted Christian author and pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church and his message given on October 5, 2008 concerning the issue of faith.]