Doubt Part-Two Series

Last week we began our study on doubt. We learned that doubt is a part of our human psyche, a part of our daily life, it’s human nature to doubt. Healthy skepticism and questioning is what keeps us from being easily misled, deceived, manipulated and led astray. Natural doubt many of times assists us to make rational judgments as to a matter or circumstance.

What we also learned was that doubt is also supernatural or ecclesiastical, which is Biblical in nature. Now, don’t get hung up on the word supernatural. The word supernatural is simply defined, as that which pertains to unearthly, that which is of another plane of existence. So, when we say supernatural, we’re saying that it has to do with something more than our natural being.

So, we see that doubt is natural to all human beings for use to avoid being deceived, misled, manipulated and led astray so easily. From a humanistic view, doubt is essential to life, in terms of us not simply accepting what we hear or see, that we be not deceived so easily by the devil, his minions, deceitful man and anyone who wants to tell or show us things that are not truth, real or even believable. Because if we didn’t live with healthy skepticism, we all would simply be following everything people, this world and the devil tells us.

And, then there is Biblical doubt, which has to do with doubting supernatural things.

Last week we saw how the Priest Zechariah doubted God’s ability to overcome natural obstacles, while his cousin Mary, though she doubted from a humanistic point of view, believed that with God all things are possible, and submitted herself to that belief, as opposed to her being swayed by her own natural vantage point of earthly limitations.

Doubt was present in both cousin Zach and cousin Mary, but Zach fell off the fence on the side of what he saw as human and natural limitations, while Mary jumped off on the side of limitless abilities of God who can do what He says, no matter what the circumstances or natural order of things appear to be.

Zacharias was limiting God by the normal course of human nature. He and Elizabeth were too old to have children, and that’s it! Case closed! But Mary, believed the Angel Gabriel speaking on behalf of God, “Nothing will be impossible with God” and held no doubt of the supernatural acts of God (Luke 1:37).

Now, by definition, a miracle is something that is divorced from its natural order. For example, the natural order of the earth is to completely rotate in a 24-hour cycle, with each side of the earth facing the sun for 12 hours a day; 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night time. That’s it’s natural orders. However, one-day God caused the earth to stop rotating so that it would remain daylight all day so that Israel would keep the advantage over their enemies. Josh. 10:12-14

Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. 14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel.

This is the reason we have leap year; every fourth year we have one less day. God divorced the natural order of things – “that’s a miracle”. Now, you either believe this testimony of God’s supernatural intervention or you don’t. God doesn’t quiver with anyone. From a humanistic point of view, you doubt it, because 1) it’s against human nature. That it’s not possible. 2) It makes no sense to you. So, your skeptical about this testimony. Thinking, I’m not sure I believe it.

There it is! Humanistic vs. Supernatural.

It’s normal to have humanistic doubt, to question whether such an event happened. However, from a supernatural perspective, you either believe with God all things are possible and believe this event happened or you believe from a humanistic point of view, that these things are not possible in nature.

From an ecclesiastical or supernatural perspective, we either believe He is who He says He is, can do what He says He can do, and has done what He told us He has done, which goes beyond my human reasoning or understanding.