God in the Dark: The Assurance of Faith Beyond a Shadow of Doubt

It is because there is something blocking us from seeing all the evidence. When we doubt that God is real, it is not because of a lack of evidence.

When we doubt God’s goodness, it is not because God is not good. This is the case with us and all our doubts about God. The question is whether the man knows Jesus can heal his son. Jesus tells the man that the question is not if He can heal the man’s son. This man, half doubting, half desperately hoping that Jesus can help him out, approaches Jesus and begs him to do what he can. Here, Jesus reveals the true nature of the situation. Rather, Jesus tells him that everything is possible for one who believes. Yet he does not banish the man from his presence until he could muster up faith, or at least hide his doubts. “Quick, cover! Say, if you choose!”Jesus was clearly disappointed with this man’s doubt. “He just said if!” That one word exposed this man’s doubts. Jesus replies, “‘If you can?’”Īlarm bells were probably going off in the crowd surrounding Jesus. The man says “if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us” (Mark 9). One of my favorite Bible stories is of a man who brings his demon-possessed boy to Jesus. When people ask us to answer the very questions that disturb us, we hastily encourage them to “just have faith!” We believe this is the way to glorify God.īut this may not be the best way to deal with our doubts.

We know doubts dishonor God, so we suppress them and tout a cheery line of faith. How do you deal with your doubts about God and Christianity? Many of us have been taught to rebuke, bury, or pretend they’re not there. She currently trains college students at Bayside Church, where she also coordinated the 2010 Apologetics Conference featuring J.P.

in Christian Apologetics from Biola University. Today, I’m pleased to feature an exclusive guest post by my friend, Dena Jackson, who is working hard to bring accessible apologetics training to our local area.

God in the Dark: The Assurance of Faith Beyond a Shadow of Doubt