Doubt can be the soil faith can grow if you approach it right

Doubt can be the soil in which faith can grow, if you approach it right.

We can often feel nervous about acknowledging our doubts.

As if there are doubts are an enemy, or something to hide, but what if they're a voice that needs to be heard?

God is not looking for certainty in your heart he's looking for relationship with it.

At the Journey we want to help you get to know your doubts so you can locate where faith wants to grow.

Often in the church we think doubt is the opposite of faith, but I want to encourage us to see doubt as a place God is working. We can then build inclusive communities reaching out to those who are seeking faith.

Let's now look at a story where Jesus speaks to Thomas after appearing to all the other other disciples after his resurrection. 

John 20

24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’

But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’

26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ 27 Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’

28 Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’

29 Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’

 The root of Thomas' doubt

Now if we look at Thomas we can discover some clues to his doubt and how it leads him to encountering Christ.

First, Thomas means twin, and Didymus means twin. So, it is literally saying the twin known as twin .We don't even know his name.  In one of my classes at school there were twins and I very much remember them not like being known as just a twin. Maybe Thomas being only known as a twin might have effected his identity? 

So, for whatever reason Thomas is out when Jesus originally appears. Talk about bad timing! Do you think he might have felt left out?

Now, when have you felt left out? As a teenager I remember all the insecurity around friendships and who was hanging out with who.  I'd like to say feeling left out is just an adolescent problem we all move on from. The reality is we all can feel the pain of being left out or missing out. Humans long for acceptance and inclusion.

In this story Thomas experiences a profound sense of being left out. It leads him to doubt his friend's unanimously saying "Jesus is alive".  This isn't so much doubting Thomas, this is insecure Thomas.

Sometimes we can make statements about God or have questions that appear very skeptical. Usually there is a story behind our doubts. There's usually a question behind the question.

When Thomas says "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." It sounds a little bit like he's hurt. He maybe feels left out, even rejected.

Think about the doubts you have. There not your enemy or to be hidden away. As they come into the light you become more whole and that invites others to share their doubts.

God's response

What does God do when we doubt?

He moves toward us. He literally walks through walls to meet with Thomas. How amazing is that?

There's no condemnation, there's no silent treatment from God. 

God walks through our walls of doubt and gives us everything we need to believe, to trust him, to have a friendship and above all to know we are loved.

Certainty

Isn't it strange then that in the church we can resist doubt and think we almost need certainty? The reality is faith cannot function out of certainty. Certainty can undermine our trust in God.  It can lead to formulas.

Belief works in the context of relationship - where we have to talk and listen and work things out. 

We can be curious about our doubts because behind them might be some real treasure Jesus wants us to discover.

God is looking at the doubts in your heart as his next miracle of faith. We cannot belief unless God reveals himself, faith is a gift! So when doubts come, be assured that God wants to reveal himself.

What doubts do you need to voice? They might be silly. Often they are. They were in Thomas' case, but by voicing them Jesus responds.

At the most fundamental level God deals with our doubts by persuading us that we're included in his everlasting love. 

Mission

So, how can we embrace our doubts rather than dismiss them? What kind of community do we need to build where doubts don’t threaten us? 

I believe the HS is building tables of hospitality where we can invite the doubter , the seeker and trust that God will reveal his faithful love.

As the church we're on a journey, so  we don't have all the answers,but we can be guides as ones who have met God’s love in Christ.

Your response

Doubt can be where faith grows if you approach it as a partner and not adversary.  Thomas' story doesn't end with doubt, it ends with a statement of faith 

“My Lord and my God.” He realised that God could not be more accurately expressed than in Jesus Christ and his love on the cross.

Jesus finished with this,

"Blessed are those who have not seen, but yet believe."

Another way to say this is "Blessed are those who believe who have doubts"

The HS passes through every door and wall in our heart to assure us of God's everlasting love found in union with Christ.

We never need to fear missing God, or fear people expressing doubts in God when we know he loves us. 

Every doubt is an opportunity for God's faithful love to be revealed.