Doubt

MissH84 said:

It says in The Bible not to have doubt, well I don't want it. Please can someone advise me?

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Where does it say that?

There is nothing wrong, nothing sinful about having doubts or questions about one's belief or he Bible etc.

What is sinful is having doubts and doing nothing about finding the answer to those doubts or questions.


Let us face facts. Nobody here on this forum is a genius or can claim to have above average intelligence, or to have been given special knowledge from God about Christianity.

Yet there are a great many highly intelligent people who have struggled with the doubts and questions we all have.
They have written down the answers they have found.

I'm not saying one has to read mountains of theological books, though that never hurts, but to use sites like coldcasechristianity, reasonablecfaith, tough questions answered, answersingenesis etc etc etc.

These sites and others have research common questions, doubts etc and have answers for enquires on a plate.

Or post here what challenges you and see replies you get.

Tolworth John said:

Let us face facts. Nobody here on this forum is a genius or can claim to have above average intelligence,

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I have seen some posts that have flipped my mind on this site. There are some people on this site who are actually quite intelligent. IDK if you meant this as saying there are no "great minds/theologians" on this site or not, but I have come across people here who are far above average intelligence.

Note: Intelligence just helps you solve problems but problems don't go away just because you can solve them.

MissH84 said:

How do I get rid of this nagging doubt that I have? I believe in God, read The Bible, listen to worship music, read/watch testimonial videos, pray etc but I still have doubt. It's very frustrating because I know it doesn't belong there. I hear about people having these life changing experiences that changed them. Sometimes when I watch videos of people talking about God I get moved to tears and I try to do little things like uploading Bible verses that I like on my Instagram to do something. Maybe I need to put more effort in because to be honest I don't think I read The Bible etc enough. Could that be the reason? It says in The Bible not to have doubt, well I don't want it. Please can someone advise me?

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Doubt is an important motivator in knowing God better, more deeply and fully. Left to fester, though, doubt can become a dangerous corrosive to faith.

I don't doubt that my wife exists and that my marriage to her is real and true. We interact every day with one another; I have a daily experience of my wife that eradicates all doubt as to her existence and my relationship to her. The whole world could deny my wife exists and that I'm married to her but I could not be persuaded to think the same because I enjoy daily, intimate fellowship with her!

So, too, with God and His children. The simplest best remedy for doubt is a healthy love-relationship with God, the experience of which is a daily, ongoing thing. When you enjoy loving fellowship with God every day, the whole world could be against your relationship with God, denying it, and you'd still hold firm to its reality.

What's it mean, then, to experience God? Christians like to use phrases like "experiencing God," or "walking with Jesus," or "fellowship with God," but often, when I press them to explain exactly what they mean by these phrases, they are unable to offer a plain, clear, and biblical definition. How about you?

As an Elder/Pastor, I teach a Discipleship course at my church and have done for many years. I have worked up my own course of discipleship, one of the lessons of which deals with what it means to experience God. It may help you in dealing with your doubt to consider it. Here's part of the lesson:

Discipleship Lesson 11c: The Nature of God -The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

Quick facts:

- Called the Comforter or Helper (“Paraklete” in Greek) – John 14:16; the Spirit of Christ – Romans 8:9; the Spirit of Grace – Hebrews 10:29; Spirit of the Lord – 2 Corinthians 3:17-18.

- The third Person of the Trinity. (Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11)

- He is not a force, or divine spiritual energy, but a distinct personal entity who may grieved (Ephesians 4:30), who teaches and reminds (John 14:26; 1 Corinthians 2:13), who speaks (Acts 8:29; 13:2), who makes decisions (Acts 15:28), who can be lied to (Acts 5:3-4), who has a mind (Romans 8:26-27), and so on.

Common Questions:

1.) What is the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian?

- He imparts spiritual life by dwelling within every believer. (John 7:39; Acts 2:3-4; Romans 8:8-11; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Titus 3:5-6)

- He convicts of sin. (John 16:8)

- He illuminates our minds to God's truth. (Luke 12:12; John 14:26; 16:13)

- He comforts and helps. (John 14:16)

- He enables the believer's obedience. (Acts 4:7-8; Romans 8:13; 15:13, 19; Philippians 2:13)

- He produces in the believer the character of Christ. (Galatians 5:22-23)

- He is the “down payment” or “guarantee” of a believer's future spiritual and eternal inheritance. (Eph. 1:13, 14)

_______

The born-again Christian experiences God in the Person of the Holy Spirit. When a Christian believer talks of "walking with God" what they mean - whether they realize it or not - is "my experience of the Holy Spirit." The Spirit convicts, strengthens, teaches, disciplines, comforts and transforms the born-again disciple of Christ. It is in the Person of the Spirit that the Christian is made alive spiritually and placed in Christ. (Titus 3:5; Romans 8:9-10; 1 John 4:13)

So, what is your experience of the Holy Spirit? Has he convicted you of sin? Has he strengthened you in times of temptation and trial? Has he taken you deeper into the truths of God's word? Has he progressively formed in you the "Fruit of the Spirit"? Has he disciplined you when you have been wayward and carnal? These are the daily events that ought to transpire between you and God, that anchor your faith, not just in the declarations of Scripture, but in a real and regular personal interaction with God. It is this personal experience of God that is, I believe, the single best remedy for doubt.

MissH84 said:

Matthew 21:21
Matthew 14:31
Mark 11:23
Maybe I just misunderstood those verses?

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I agree the word doubt is clearly used in these verses. However, It is Jesus who restores the doubter that I believe is the lesson in all of these examples. Jesus isn't saying not to doubt, he is there to reassure them, not condemn them. If doubting was a sin, Jesus would have said so. He doesn't. He uses the doubt to show His glory.

True Counterphobia said:

I agree the word doubt is clearly used in these verses. However, It is Jesus who restores the doubter that I believe is the lesson in all of these examples. Jesus isn't saying not to doubt, he is there to reassure them, not condemn them. If doubting was a sin, Jesus would have said so. He doesn't. He uses the doubt to show His glory.

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Dear brother,
If Jesus uses doubt to show glory, it doesn’t make sense that He told this to His disciples:

And Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen. -Matthew 21:21

Why the Lord asks His disciples not to doubt ? Why don’t He encourage them to use doubt ?

If the disciples used doubt to show His glory so that what they come to pass. Why Jesus said otherwise? Then they who uses doubt are NOT disciples of Jesus. Why ? If they uses doubt to show Jesus’ glory because nothing came to pass. What glory can they bring ?

Dear brother, listen carefully to what Jesus have said :

but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. -Matthew 18:6

Dear brother, be aware that you cause those here in Christian forum who are still in children in their faith to sin by teaching doubt bring glory to Christ.

Dear brother, repent that you may not offend Christ but be found in His grace.

True Counterphobia said:

I have seen some posts that have flipped my mind on this site. There are some people on this site who are actually quite intelligent. IDK if you meant this as saying there are no "great minds/theologians" on this site or not, but I have come across people here who are far above average intelligence.

Note: Intelligence just helps you solve problems but problems don't go away just because you can solve them.

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Agreed, but you miss the important part, that there are no new questions, doubts etc, they are All already answered.


No one has the excuse " but no one could answer my questions/doubts "