What are your thoughts on faith and doubt? What are some helpful Scriptures on this? Can you have faith in God and doubt him at the same time? Does faith and doubt often coexist? Are they opposite of each other?
Questions on Faith and Doubt
- Thread starter CherieR
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Interesting question….
Faith and Fear are opposites, but doubt is a byproduct of fear.
The first account that popped into my mind was Shadrach, Meshach, and To bed we go.
Daniel 3:17 & 18
3:17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
3:18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
In the reverse was Peter walking on H20….He believed, and then he saw, then doubted.
Matthew 14:28-30
14:28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
14:29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
14:30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
As for scripture
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Literal translation – Now Faith/Believing is the title deed of things hoped for, the evidence they are yours before you have them.
James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works (action) is dead also.
Many times, I have to switch gears from neutral to faith... and sometimes from doubt to faith.
Neutral = Sometimes I am just not thinking about it or just walking by my senses …then I wake up and think …NO Way …this is happening, because the Word promises it….I get my mind locked in and God is faithful.
Doubt – Different situations would cause me to doubt ….generally because I started looking at things sense knowledge wise.
For instance not too long ago I needed some new running shoes, which I buy at least 2 pare of the same kind, at a time. I looked online and saw what I wanted… it was last day of the sale.
When I went to the store, I saw they only had 3 pare left not my size. The guy told me that there were none in the back…. all the sale items were on the floor.
I stood there thinking ....God, I know you told me to come here…or did you????? ~Doubt~ So I started to leave …got to the door and went NO Way …I walked back and to told the department Mgr to go in the back and he will find 2 pare of this shoe in 10.5 and I wanted both. He said …..there are none in the back…. I looked at him and punched him in the face……….No I didn’t… common…. I just looked him in the eyes and said….. God told me they are here, would you please go grab them….One minute later he walked out with 2 pare of shoes and said….. I have been back there a hundred times today …these shoes were not there…we had a great conversation afterwards.
Faith and Fear are opposites, but doubt is a byproduct of fear.
The first account that popped into my mind was Shadrach, Meshach, and To bed we go.
Daniel 3:17 & 18
3:17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
3:18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
In the reverse was Peter walking on H20….He believed, and then he saw, then doubted.
Matthew 14:28-30
14:28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
14:29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
14:30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
As for scripture
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Literal translation – Now Faith/Believing is the title deed of things hoped for, the evidence they are yours before you have them.
James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works (action) is dead also.
Many times, I have to switch gears from neutral to faith... and sometimes from doubt to faith.
Neutral = Sometimes I am just not thinking about it or just walking by my senses …then I wake up and think …NO Way …this is happening, because the Word promises it….I get my mind locked in and God is faithful.
Doubt – Different situations would cause me to doubt ….generally because I started looking at things sense knowledge wise.
For instance not too long ago I needed some new running shoes, which I buy at least 2 pare of the same kind, at a time. I looked online and saw what I wanted… it was last day of the sale.
When I went to the store, I saw they only had 3 pare left not my size. The guy told me that there were none in the back…. all the sale items were on the floor.
I stood there thinking ....God, I know you told me to come here…or did you????? ~Doubt~ So I started to leave …got to the door and went NO Way …I walked back and to told the department Mgr to go in the back and he will find 2 pare of this shoe in 10.5 and I wanted both. He said …..there are none in the back…. I looked at him and punched him in the face……….No I didn’t… common…. I just looked him in the eyes and said….. God told me they are here, would you please go grab them….One minute later he walked out with 2 pare of shoes and said….. I have been back there a hundred times today …these shoes were not there…we had a great conversation afterwards.
It depends what you are doubting. Don’t hold Him accountable for promises He never made to you.
Hello Cherie, here's a passage to consider from the opening of the Epistle of James.
James 1
2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
The good news is, the very same One who saved us has also promised to sanctify us (make us more and more Christlike), and that from here to Glory .. e.g. Philippians 1:6. Unlike our justification/salvation, we are to work alongside of God in this endeavor (as much as we are able to, that is) .. e.g. Philippians 2:12-13, and one of the signs of God's sanctifying work in us can be seen in our growth in faith/trust of Him .. e.g. Proverbs 3:5-6 and, at the same time, in our doubting of Him & of His word less and less
God bless you!
~Deut
p.s. - I believe that faith and doubt can, at times, exist together (to a certain degree anyway), even though faith and doubt are pretty much polar opposites. Also, here's an article that may prove to be helpful to you (with links to several additional articles on the same topic at the bottom of the page that may be helpful as well): What does the Bible say about doubt? | GotQuestions.org
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"A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." - James 1:8 KJV
"Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." - James 4:8 KJV
If we look at the science behind thought, we have the metacognitive model of attitude ambivalence which basically says that in each of us are parts that say yes and parts that say no. The difference is in the conviction one has toward an answer (the wolf you feed). Even Moses struck his staff twice. Moses later appears behind Jesus in the transfiguration. Even Job questioned God's goodness and then later was counted among the righteous (again). Given the right stressors and tests, many of us fall into the same condition of doubt. Doubt is often uncomfortable but it is possible to comfortably live with faith and doubt in God at the same time (ambivalence vs cognitive dissonance). In a fashion, the James passages seem to warn against being comfortable with doubt and faith coexisting without conflict. I hope that answers your question.
There are different degrees of faith. "O ye of little faith", "I believe, but help my unbelief".
Doubting God is a lack of faith, yet the suggestion to doubt can come from the devil, and people.
The Bible says Rom 12:3
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith."
Paul is saying God has given us faith (all) but don't misplace it with pride.
We know from the word of God without Faith it is impossible to please God Heb 11:6. Yet God is not trying to prevent one from having faith so you are not able to please HIM.
The word of God says how to get faith as we walk with GOD which is a walk of faith.
Rom 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
we apply the word of God in our daily life in every situation.
The same faith applied in different circumstances.
What stifles faith? the flesh, the devil, and eye off of God.
All of them are overcome by the word of God :
1. with prayer
2. studying the word of God and acting on it in faith
3. separating one's self from the world and drawing near God .
4. godly counsel
Heb 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith is believing in a God you can't see and trusting in His word to do what IT says.
the only thing that will hinder faith is doubt, the world ( flesh), and the devil.
IMO:
Two noticeable types of faith are:
a) earthly/carnal faith
b) spiritual/God given faith
All men are born with a modicum of earthly/carnal faith. Unbelievers in Jesus/God have such faith. They place their faith in all sorts of earthly things. Money, possessions, other humans, etc.
New believers have this faith also while they remain "carnal believers" as Paul taught. They believe, yet are not yet mature or strong enough in their faith to remove "all doubts."
Once they have received the indwelling presence of the Holy Ghost, they receive the Heavenly/God given faith. This faith is the strongest of all "faiths" and removes all doubt of the reality of God and the Truth of His Word, and the Salvation He bestows upon all who believe. John 3:16 is speaking of this type of faith when it says "whosoever believeth in Him." This "believeth" is a ongoing, never ending belief and not just a one time thing. The God given faith is what allows the believer to "endure till the end" as Jesus spoke of.
(my thoughts)
Two noticeable types of faith are:
a) earthly/carnal faith
b) spiritual/God given faith
All men are born with a modicum of earthly/carnal faith. Unbelievers in Jesus/God have such faith. They place their faith in all sorts of earthly things. Money, possessions, other humans, etc.
New believers have this faith also while they remain "carnal believers" as Paul taught. They believe, yet are not yet mature or strong enough in their faith to remove "all doubts."
Once they have received the indwelling presence of the Holy Ghost, they receive the Heavenly/God given faith. This faith is the strongest of all "faiths" and removes all doubt of the reality of God and the Truth of His Word, and the Salvation He bestows upon all who believe. John 3:16 is speaking of this type of faith when it says "whosoever believeth in Him." This "believeth" is a ongoing, never ending belief and not just a one time thing. The God given faith is what allows the believer to "endure till the end" as Jesus spoke of.
(my thoughts)
Well, to have faith, often you are overcoming doubt and fear. Faith is not blind, its grappling with doubts and fears with God, and having faith anyway.
I cant remember who said it, but there is the quote of something like:
Faith without fear, doubt, struggle, anguish, strife.. is not faith at all.
So it is in the doubt and fear etc that we find faith in Jesus. In the overcoming, we grow closer.
Refined in the fire
Peter got out of the boat by faith, walked on water then looked at the waves and started to sink….cried out for Jesus to save him…Jesus saved him, got him back in the boat and asked…. “Why did you doubt?” 
FOCUS! FOCUS! FOCUS! Eyes on Jesus Christ!
FOCUS! FOCUS! FOCUS! Eyes on Jesus Christ!
This is what the subject of the sermon was in church yesterday. And you nailed it with your response. Focus on Christ and study scripture.Peter got out of the boat by faith, walked on water then looked at the waves and started to sink….cried out for Jesus to save him…Jesus saved him, got him back in the boat and asked…. “Why did you doubt?”
FOCUS! FOCUS! FOCUS! Eyes on Jesus Christ!
Peter never should have walked on the water….he should have RAN…right into the arms of Jesus….in His arms is ALWAYS safety.
Peter was the example used also. You werent in the same church I was yesterday were you?Peter never should have walked on the water….he should have RAN…right into the arms of Jesus….in His arms is ALWAYS safety.
Faith is divine knowledge that does not come from our physical senses interacting with the physical realm…instead it is our spiritual senses receiving knowledge from the Heavenly realm….God given knowledge with complete understanding and knowing that the knowledge is absolutely undeniable because it is absolute TRUTH.
It’s The Word and The Spirit of God imparting TRUTH.
It’s The Word and The Spirit of God imparting TRUTH.
Remember Jesus Christ would speak and then say, “He that has an ear, hear what the Spirit is saying.”
We know Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
Faith is imparted to us by hearing the Word of God with our spiritual ears, amen.
Doubt comes when our human reasoning interferes with the Holy Spirit trying to teach us.
We know Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
Faith is imparted to us by hearing the Word of God with our spiritual ears, amen.
Doubt comes when our human reasoning interferes with the Holy Spirit trying to teach us.
Human reasoning can be deceived because it operates in the Physical realm.
As Holy Spirit believers IN CHRIST, we need to operate from the Heavenly realm while we live in our physical body in the Physical realm.
We walk by Faith (knowledge from the Heavenly realm), NOT by sight (knowledge from the Physical realm)..
As Holy Spirit believers IN CHRIST, we need to operate from the Heavenly realm while we live in our physical body in the Physical realm.
We walk by Faith (knowledge from the Heavenly realm), NOT by sight (knowledge from the Physical realm)..
There are 3 realms… Physical, Spiritual, and Heavenly.
The Spiritual realm is full of demonic activity, divination, witchcraft, spiritual wickedness in high places.
The Spiritual realm will be destroyed when the angel throws it’s vial into the air and all the mountains on the Earth are leveled…there is NOTHING good in the Spiritual realm…it’s Satan’s domain as he rules as the god of this world BUT, Jesus Christ rules from the Heavenly realm as the Most High!!! Hallelujah!!!
And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
Revelation 16:17-21 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Revelation 16:17-21&version=KJV
The Spiritual realm is full of demonic activity, divination, witchcraft, spiritual wickedness in high places.
The Spiritual realm will be destroyed when the angel throws it’s vial into the air and all the mountains on the Earth are leveled…there is NOTHING good in the Spiritual realm…it’s Satan’s domain as he rules as the god of this world BUT, Jesus Christ rules from the Heavenly realm as the Most High!!! Hallelujah!!!
And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
Revelation 16:17-21 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Revelation 16:17-21&version=KJV