John the Baptist sent his followers to ask Jesus, “Are you the [Messiah] to come, or should we expect someone else?” John was Jesus’ cousin, and he had doubts. Neither Jesus’ ministry nor God’s kingdom looked anything like John had anticipated, so John inquired of Jesus.
Jesus didn’t rebuke John for his doubts but rather replied,
Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor (Matthew 11:4-5).
Jesus was directing John’s disciples to report (and investigate) two sets of data. First—look at the evidence of good deeds and miraculous power. Second—look at how those facts fulfill the scriptural prophecies, namely Isaiah 35:5-6. Jesus was pointing people to factual evidence and scriptural fulfillment.
Faith as belief and practice
Throughout the church’s history, “faith” has meant more than just subscribing to an intellectual belief. Faith is aligning your entire life towards something we regard as “TRUE” in the ultimate sense. Thinking correctly is an important part of faith, but so is living and practicing a moral lifestyle.
None of us knows everything about the universe, nor does anyone have every ethical or rational challenge resolved. I find many deep philosophic, historical, and ethical issues perplexing. There are areas where my faith seems to collide with the latest scientific theories and other areas where the two flow seamlessly together. Some of the church’s interpretations of Scripture are deeply troubling to me, and some are as clear as a sunbeam. The difficulty of suffering and free will in the world poses troubling questions that plague most of us, honest enough to admit.
Faith isn’t the absence of all doubt; it’s belief on account of the evidence. We’ve discussed previously in our article Deconstructing that it’s important to look critically and factually at what we believe. Faith and reason are not in conflict. Yet, last week in Jesus, Rabbi or Son of God, we also observed the ambiguity in how Jesus revealed himself. Jesus’ own methods opened the door for confusion and doubt among his closest followers. Every philosophical system has unanswered questions and has to wrestle with insufficient answers. In the face of withering challenges, I find the Christian faith resilient, honest, and more satisfying than the alternatives. Even still, humility is a great companion and aid to any pilgrim seeking answers.
Faith, while seeking answers
Saint Anselm famously coined the phrase “faith-seeking reason.” We can believe in God while still attempting to understand how things work. We can pattern our lives according to the highest moral and ethical teachings from Christ’s life even while we search for the historical reliability of his death and resurrection. We can bring our laments to him and shout in his face in wounded rage, even while we try to understand how he permits evil to run amuck in his universe.
We do well to remember that God isn’t just a force to explain or a riddle to solve; he is a person who acts personally. To believe in him is to find satisfaction not just rationally but relationally and spiritually as well. God is an engineer and mathematician but also a Father and counselor. He is our Spirit-guide and companion who takes us by the hand and walks with us along life’s path. We can trust him even if we don’t understand everything about him.
Can I have doubts and still be a Christian? Yes. Yes, of course. But don’t wallow in the doubts. Don’t celebrate the doubts. Investigate your doubts. You can even doubt your doubts. You may discover that God is still bigger than them. Seek God, not just answers. He is the personality that fills the room. He is more than rational rightness. He is the Life Source and giver of our rational and emotional souls.
Tags: faith, trust, evidence, ethical, science, life, belief, suffering, doubt, interpretation, scriptures, proof, moral, practice, challenges, skeptic, facts, theories, deconstructing
