Does Faith Ever Doubt?
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1).
"Sure" and "certain" indicate lack of doubt. "Hope for" and "do not see" indicate doubt. How can these two opposites be compatible in the Biblical definition of "faith"? One of the most profound statements in God’s Word is: "Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, 'I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!'" (Mark 9:24).
"Sure" and "certain" indicate lack of doubt. "Hope for" and "do not see" indicate doubt. How can these two opposites be compatible in the Biblical definition of "faith"? One of the most profound statements in God’s Word is: "Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, 'I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!'" (Mark 9:24).
Can I believe and have unbelief at the same time? Can I be sure of something and hope for it at the same time. Can I be certain of something, having never seen it?
We tend to think of faith as being 100% sure. But being 100% sure is having it in our hands.
Faith requires doubt in order to be faith.
We tend to think of faith as being 100% sure. But being 100% sure is having it in our hands.
Faith requires doubt in order to be faith.
I don’t have faith that I have a computer. I know I do. I’m typing this on it right now. If I do not doubt that I have a computer, I cannot call my knowledge of my computer faith. However, I do have faith that if the Lord doesn’t come back tonight I will be able to turn on my computer tomorrow. I don’t know with 100% knowledge that my computer will come on tomorrow. I’m 98% sure. But there is a margin of doubt, because I know things can happen to computers. Yet how many times have I told someone, “I’ll email that to you tomorrow.”? I live as if it is going to come on tomorrow because I believe so strongly that it will. I have good reason to believe my computer will come on tomorrow. It has come on every day for the past couple years since I’ve had it. When I purchased it from Circuit City before they went out of business, they assured me that it should last me several years and I believed them.
Applying this same example to God’s Word:
I don’t have faith that I have a Bible. I know I do. I’m looking at it right now as I quote verses from it to you. However I do have faith that God will provide for me everything I need. I don’t know with 100% knowledge that God will provide every need. I am 99.9% sure. I am more sure of this happening than I am about my computer working tomorrow. But being human, I am not totally 100% sure of something I have not yet seen. I have not seen tomorrow. Yet how many times have I told someone, “God will take care of me tomorrow.”? I live as if God is going to take care of me tomorrow because I believe so strongly that he will. I have good reason to believe he will take care of me. He has cared for me daily ever since I put my trust in him. His Word says he will never leave me nor forsake me and his Word has become my trusted friend.
God does not expect his children to have 100% faith, or even 99.5% or 98% or 75%. He is not measuring how much faith we have.
I don’t have faith that I have a Bible. I know I do. I’m looking at it right now as I quote verses from it to you. However I do have faith that God will provide for me everything I need. I don’t know with 100% knowledge that God will provide every need. I am 99.9% sure. I am more sure of this happening than I am about my computer working tomorrow. But being human, I am not totally 100% sure of something I have not yet seen. I have not seen tomorrow. Yet how many times have I told someone, “God will take care of me tomorrow.”? I live as if God is going to take care of me tomorrow because I believe so strongly that he will. I have good reason to believe he will take care of me. He has cared for me daily ever since I put my trust in him. His Word says he will never leave me nor forsake me and his Word has become my trusted friend.
God does not expect his children to have 100% faith, or even 99.5% or 98% or 75%. He is not measuring how much faith we have.
Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, `Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:19-20).
Jesus said they had little faith, but only needed as much as a mustard seed. Yet a mustard seed is tiny. What did Jesus mean? Could it be that the disciples were looking at the impossibility of driving out the demon? It is impossible. Could you drive out a demon? They looked at the impossible and Jesus wanted them to look at the possible.
He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, `Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:19-20).
Jesus said they had little faith, but only needed as much as a mustard seed. Yet a mustard seed is tiny. What did Jesus mean? Could it be that the disciples were looking at the impossibility of driving out the demon? It is impossible. Could you drive out a demon? They looked at the impossible and Jesus wanted them to look at the possible.
If they had just a tiny glimmer of hope inside them that they could drive out the demon in the power and authority of Jesus’ name that he had given them, and applied that glimmer of hope; if they trusted with all the little faith they had and surrendered to God, God would act on the little faith they had and drive out the demon. Faith is not something we call up by positive self-talk.
Faith is not wishing for something badly enough we convince ourselves it will happen.
Faith is not saying with our intellect God will do something for us just because it is something we want him to do.
"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17 NKJV)
Faith is knowing from God’s Word and from his working in our lives in the past that he has always been faithful to us and promises he always will be. It is placing our hopes in him that he will be true in the future to what we have experienced of him in the past, and what his Word promises will come to pass. Faith is a process of growth. God does not expect us to be "there." He only expects us to be on the way.
Faith is knowing from God’s Word and from his working in our lives in the past that he has always been faithful to us and promises he always will be. It is placing our hopes in him that he will be true in the future to what we have experienced of him in the past, and what his Word promises will come to pass. Faith is a process of growth. God does not expect us to be "there." He only expects us to be on the way.
"Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13).
Whatever amount of faith you have is enough. If you apply that faith, God will respond to it and he will give you more faith in the process.
So, how do you apply faith? It is simple. You determine to keep your mind off of the problem and on the promises. You determine to keep your mind off of the past failures and off of the future worries, and on the present. Is God sufficient for you just now? Are you fulfilling his will for you this minute? Does he have something to say to you in his Word this minute? Can you survive the present circumstances for just this moment? Can you trust God to be with you in the next moment as he is now? Great! That is faith.
Whatever amount of faith you have is enough. If you apply that faith, God will respond to it and he will give you more faith in the process.
So, how do you apply faith? It is simple. You determine to keep your mind off of the problem and on the promises. You determine to keep your mind off of the past failures and off of the future worries, and on the present. Is God sufficient for you just now? Are you fulfilling his will for you this minute? Does he have something to say to you in his Word this minute? Can you survive the present circumstances for just this moment? Can you trust God to be with you in the next moment as he is now? Great! That is faith.
Mark 9:14-35
When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. "What are you arguing with them about?" he asked.
A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not."
"O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" "From childhood," he answered. 22 "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." "`If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."
Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again."
The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer." They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.
They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all"
He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer." They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.
They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all"
Matthew 17:19-20
Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, `Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you"
Discussion Questions
What were the teachers of the law arguing about?
Why do you think the father of the demon-possessed boy was so quick to answer?
Why did none of the teachers answer Jesus?
Why were the disciples unable to deliver the boy from the evil spirit?
What was Jesus' attitude toward the disciple’s unbelief?
What do you think was Jesus' attitude toward the father's unbelief?
Was there a difference in Jesus' attitude toward the unbelief in the disciples and the unbelief in the boy's father?
What do you think you will remember from this lesson? How will you apply it?
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