WHEN DOUBT STRIKES

A few days ago a friend of mine sent me a booklet by a German theologian who, without denying the necessity of Jesus for salvation, claims that Jesus wasn't divine and that Jesus' words were not translated correctly. According to the theologian, this leads to false assumptions and beliefs. This theologian studied the ancient Bible languages for decades, and everything I read in this pamphlet had the appearance of a thoroughly researched study.

How can a respected theologian write such a thing? "Jesus not divine?", "His words not the truth as I know it?".  I was about to laugh it off and dismiss it as the attempt of a "ferocious wolf in sheep's clothing" to confuse me (Matthew 7:15), when for a split second the question "What if?" popped into my mind. I was shocked. Had I just experienced doubt about my core beliefs? 

I immediately began to pray and asked God to fill me with His truth and wisdom and for some reason I began to speak out loud what that truth was. As if I needed to shout it out to the world around me.

What came out of my mouth was the unchanging Christian message. The truth so simple that some can't believe it. But we need to hear it again and again in its simplicity to be reminded of where we stand.

"It is God who wanted to make himself known to us, his creation, whom he loves. But a creation that was also on the verge of collapse because it didn't know who God was, and so in a desperate attempt to fill the "God vacuum," people decided to make up their own gods. So God, who is Spirit, sent Himself to earth in the form of Jesus the Christ (the Messiah), who had been prophesied centuries before. To live among us, to teach us who God is, and to show us a way out of our finite and miserable existence. God came to us in the form of Jesus to reveal that our deep longing for Him points to Jesus. Jesus lived for us and walked before us so that we might have a way to walk. And He died for us so that we might find eternal life through Him and Him alone. And when Jesus died for our sins, He didn't leave us alone, but sent His own Spirit to live in the bodies of the born-again believers to counsel, guide, and communicate with them. Jesus is God's final attempt to show His love for mankind before He "closes the book" forever."

After shouting out this simple and eternal truth that I firmly believe, I realized that these split seconds of doubt are actually a healthy exercise. When you do not make up your own mind, but let God do the work (2 Peter 1:20-21), it draws you closer to Him and makes you stronger and bolder.

Jesus, the man on the cross, had a moment of doubt when he cried out: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? So it is perfectly normal for us to have moments of doubt in our human nature. But it is imperative that we question our doubts rather than questioning God.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, 

correcting and training in righteousness,

so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped 

for every good work

2 Timothy 3:16-17