Matt. 21:18-22
Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. 19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. 20 And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! 21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. 22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
James 1:5-8
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (d?a????? diakrinó (dee-ak-ree'-no): doubt) For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Doubt – What exactly is doubt? What does Jesus mean by telling us If ye have faith, and doubt not? James tells us that we ought to ask in faith, without doubting, For he that doubts is like a wave blowing with the wind. Is doubt unbelief? Do I not believe God because I have doubts?
We are going to embark on a two-part study on doubt, to address these questions of doubt we just proposed, which most of us have and wonder within ourselves. So, here we go.
Experiencing doubt is common to all. Even those of us with faith in God struggle with doubt on occasion, same as the man in Mark 9:24, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”. However, the man did say “help me overcome my doubt”. He said “unbelief”, which is ?p?st?a, a?, ? apistia (ah’ pis-tee-ah); meaning, unfaithfulness, distrust - unbelief. But, what we have to understand, is the man’s unbelief was a result of his doubt winning over. Stay with me now.
Some people are greatly hindered by doubt; while other see it as a springboard to faith; seeing it as an obstacle to be overcome by our faith in God. The Bible is literally, littered with examples of doubt. Doubting God, doubting ourselves, doubting others, doubting life, many are skeptic and doubt everything. Doubt is common in life to everyone from the beginning till now, man has doubted. From Adam and Eve till now, those who believe in God and those who don’t.
To understand the difference between doubt and unbelief, we must first have an understanding of the Biblical definition of doubt.
The word “doubt” in the Bible are the Hebrew words:
????? t?a^rap_ (tar-raff); meaning, to pluck off, pull in pieces or torn in pieces;
?????? tala (taw-law'): meaning to hang, hung up or bent on turning.
And the Greek is:
d?a????? diakrinó (dee-ak-ree'-no), to separate, to waver, to judge back and forth.
d?st??? distazo¯ (dis-ta-zo); mentally waver in opinion; to go two ways, shifting between positions "a double-stance”.
So, in both the Hebrew and Greek meaning of doubt is: to waver or fluctuate between opinions; an unsettled state of opinion; to be in uncertainty; uncertainty of mind; undetermined; wavering; to be in suspense as to truth or fact; to be undetermined concerning some things; to be suspended in judgment. To question, or hold questionable; to hesitate to believe; to lack confidence in.
So the working Biblical definition of “doubt” is being torn between two opinions, two minds, vacillating between two ways of believing.
Now, here’s something that is vital, vitally important for us to understand, and that is, the same word used for doubt d?a????? diakrinó (dee-ak-ree'-no), is the same word used for discernment.
Discernment is purely an ecclesiastical word; meaning, the origin of the word “discern or discernment” comes directly from the scriptures. And, in its simplest definition, discernment is nothing more than the ability to decide between truth and error, right and wrong. Discernment is the process of making careful distinctions in our thinking about truth. In other words, the ability to think with discernment is synonymous with an ability to think to accepting God’s truths verse false.
The word ‘doubt’ is also ‘discern’. It is the context in which the world is applied. Hmmm! Stick a pin in this, you’ll start getting it as we work our way through this study on “doubt”.
Now, the very first expression of doubt and discernment, in the Bible, can be seen in at the beginning of man in Genesis 3, when Satan tempted Eve. God had given a clear command regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and had specified the consequence of disobedience. However, it shows us that Eve was torn between two opinions, two minds, two ways of believing….
Check out the interaction that brought Eve to a point of being torn between two minds, two opinions, two believes;
Gen. 3:1-6
He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Satan introduced doubt to Eve’s mind when he asked here, “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” He wanted her to lack confidence in God’s command. When she affirmed God’s command, including the consequences, Satan replied with a denial, which was but a stronger statement of doubt: “You will not surely die.” Satan then gives Eve the thought of being of another mind, another belief - For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil…. Eve listens to Satan, and now is in between two opinions, two ways of thinking about it, two beliefs; i.e., What God said, truth or fact or what the devil said, truth or fact – she is torn between two believes, two opinions, three if you add her own.
Now, we can’t lay all of the blame on Satan for sin entering into the world, because Adam and Eve we’re still accountable for their choice in who they would believe. Satan merely introduced the element of doubting what God said to Eve. I’m sure you know that Eve believed in God, without doubt. After all, He walked with them in the Garden for who knows how long and she was aware He made both her and Adam. So, the issue was not whether she believed in God. The issue is what Satan introduced, “doubt” - a choice between believing what God said or believing what Satan told her.
In her conflict of opinions, thoughts and beliefs, she chose what she felt, saw and thought over what God had told them – When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.
You can only waver, vacillate, go back and forth, for a short period before you will make a choice – you’re either falling off the fence to one side or jumping off the fence on the other side, but either way, you’re coming off that fence. And, it doesn’t matter how righteous or how faithful you think you maybe. We all suffer from doubts and it then becomes a choice. Do you think Eve didn’t believe God? Of course she did.
Because you believe in God, and even have faith in God doesn’t make you immune to doubt when faced with circumstances, your own reasoning, For example Luke 1:5-38:
In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
Notice, it says Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were righteous in the sight of God walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. This tells us, that Zechariah and Elizabeth’s righteousness was a true inward godliness, and not merely an outward showing. They had faith in God, believed God and had walked with God for many years. So, make no mistake in your interpretation of this passage, Zachariah was not a man with false faith, unbelieving or of pretense.
Now, vs. 11-18 we see, this righteous man of God, Zachariah, was visited by the Archangel Gabriel who told him that he would have a son, which we know to be John the Baptist. Now, we know that Zachariah knew it to be an Angel of the Lord, because it tells us in Luke. 1:11-13
And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
Zachariah doubted the word of the Lord given to him. He logically assumed his circumstance, much like Abraham and Sarah, that he and his wife were too old to have children. However, what is most important to note here, is Zachariah was a priest of the Lord, meaning He knew the Torah and the Prophets. He knew the Word of God, the testimony of God, how God had given Abraham and Sarah a child at an old age. This is very important for the understanding of what happens next.
Zachariah wavered because of his circumstances and in response to his own doubt, said to the Angel of the Lord, vs. 18, “Whereby shall I know this?” Which is actually translated more of, “How can I be sure this will happen?” Or in today’s colloquial, “I don’t know about this, I’m too old.” Zacharias was limiting God by the normal course of human nature.
Listen to the Angel’s response to the righteous man Zachariah, Luke 1:19-20:
And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
Abraham may have doubted but they choose to believe God’s Word and their quest was all about God fulfilling His promise of giving them an heir, even to their mishap of trying to do it through Sarah’s handmaiden Hagar. But, Zechariah doubted God’s ability to overcome natural obstacles, He and Elizabeth were too old to have children. Case closed! Many people today share this same doubt, no matter how righteous you believe you are. Any time we allow human reason to overshadow faith in God, doubt results in unbelief. No matter how logical our reasons may seem to our reason for doubting.
Now, let’s compare, Gabriel appearance to Zachariah, to Gabriel’s appearance to Zachariah and Elizabeth’s cousin Mary, Luke 1:26-38
Luke 1: 26-29
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled (or confused and disturbed) at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
Gabriel goes on to tell Mary 31-33:
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Mary, who was confused and disturbed it tells us, also had common doubts and questions because of her human reasoning and logic. She like everyone else sees from the vantage point of the circumstances of life, the natural occurrences of life, so she calls into question what the Angel Gabriel just told her, vs. 34:
“How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?”
Basically, Mary said, Uhhh, Mr. Gabriel, Sir, Angel of the Lord, “ummm, how is this supposed to be, seeing I have never been with a man”.
Now, understand, Mary’s question, like Zach’s was logical, rational and makes sense, it was normal skepticism, like Zach’s.
However, listen to Gabriel’s response to Mary, vs. 35 “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
Now, I know Mary was like, “whatcha talking about Willis?” – You know that show in the late 70’s early 80’s with Gary Coleman – “Different strokes”? Any way, it’s obvious Mary had no understanding of what Gabriel was telling her. So, Gabriel goes on to assure Mary by telling her about her cousin Elizabeth who Mary knew to be old and barren was now with child – It says, vs. 36: “And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.” Then, Gabriel says to Mary, vs. 37 “Nothing will be impossible with God”.
Now, here’s the comparison of doubts between cousins Zach and Mary, vs. 38: And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.
Mary jumped off doubt on the side of believing what God said even in the face of her skepticism, while Zach fell off on the side of doubt. Even more so, what is very important to understand, is that Zach had been praying to God for a child, and when God answered him, he doubted. We know this because vs. 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son… Though Zach and Mary basically questioned the Angel of the Lord because of human skepticism, Zach had prayed and God answered, and he doubted, whereas Mary skepticism was legitimate human reasoning, something like this had never happened before throughout the history of man – a woman becoming pregnant without a man. But yet, Mary accepted what the Lord said.
Now, here’s what we are to learn from this testimony in Luke chapter 1 of these comparisons of cousins; what most of us fail to get, understand or see, and that is, you can’t have faith without questions. Faith is trusting God even when His plan goes against human reason or experience.
This is true for the simple reason, because God has chosen to keep many things secret from us, that are not within our understanding, as it tells us in Deuteronomy 29:29: “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children”.
There are many things God has kept secret from us which makes are faith necessary in believing Him. And, then there are the things God has revealed to us, which makes faith in Him possible. Do you get that?
Let me see if we can explain it:
It is common and natural for us to ‘doubt’; after all, we are not supposed to believe everything we hear and see without question?
Doubt is a valuable element in our life for honest and rational inquiry. It prevents us from reaching hasty conclusions or making commitments to unreliable and untrustworthy sources, especially when we doubt the intention and motive. We doubt many of times when people are telling us something and we are apprehensive of whether their telling the truth. We doubt when we see something a person is doing but saying the opposite.
Doubt helps us to suspend judgment on a matter or circumstance until we can make sufficient inquiry or gain adequate proof to make a sound judgment. As we are told in jury trials, “we can’t render a verdict of guilty unless it’s without a shadow of a “doubt”. We can’t just vote to send a person to prison for life just because the police say I know he’s guilty. No, we are to have a healthy dose of skepticism, doubt.
Doubt is a normal part of our reasoning and thinking ability. Doubt, is absolutely essential for life, because if you are a real seeker of truth, it is necessary that you question or doubt, instead of taking everything at face value, because if you did, you would believe every word of false teachers, easily accept lies, bad advice from the devil or any charlatan, con-artist or deceiver. Because without doubt, we would not know how to find truth, and be willing to accept all kinds of information that contrary to what God. So, we must have doubt to reason it not being the truth.
So, doubt is natural, common doubt, and is not the enemy of faith nor is it opposite of faith.
It is possible to have questions (or doubts) without it being unbelief. Look at the attitude of the Bereans in Acts 17:11, they were commended as being more noble for questioning or doubting the message of the Gospel that was preached to them by Paul:
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said - [Was what] true.
They were not condemned for questioning or doubting what Paul told or taught them. Basically they approached what Paul preached to them with a healthy dose of question or doubt, only to confirm truth for themselves. Amen!
The problem with most of us is, we’ve heard, been taught and told that doubting is basically synonymous with the absence of faith or is unbelief; which is not true. Doubt actually is not the absences of faith, but is the questioning of faith. You can only doubt what you already believe.
Let me explain it this way:
When a Christian doubts, he or she fears God may not exist or the Bible to be true. A Christian believes there is a God, and when he or she doubts, they are questioning what he or she believes to be absolute truth. When an atheist doubts, he or she fears God may exist. The atheist believes there is no god; and so, by definition, a doubting atheist would be someone who is questioning their belief of there is no god. Do you get it. Doubt presupposes some kind of belief. You cannot have doubt of what you already know or settled as fact or truth in yourself. Doubt is being of two opinions, of two thoughts, torn between two ways of believing of fact or truth, not the absences of; which is what un-belief is, un is the prefix meaning “not” – belief. You cannot doubt what you do not believe. I hope you all got that. It’s very important to grasp the difference between doubt and unbelief.
Doubt and unbelief are two different things. Doubt is questioning what you believe; while unbelief is a determined refusal to believe. Doubt is a struggle faced by all believers. Unbelief is a condition of the unbeliever. Unbelief involves spiritual blindness and a determined resistance to God. Paul says, 1 Tim 1:13
Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief (ah’ pis-tee-ah). Basically, Paul is saying, “I couldn’t understand the truth (ignorance), and so, I was deeply resistant to the truth of God (unbelief).
If you have truly accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and been born again, you no longer reside in the condition unbelief. As, with Paul, his condition before the Damascus Road was unbelief, and the only cure for unbelief is his encounter with Jesus, and discovered Jesus as Lord, his whole disposition of his soul was changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. He moved from a position of unbelief to a position of the ability to have faith in God. Same with us once we’re born again, we are transitioned from unbelief to the ability to have faith in God.
However, crossing over doesn’t change our issues of doubt constantly plaguing and attempting to hinder our faith as believers. As we stated, “doubt” is a natural part of the human psyche, or instinct, a mechanism in us to cause us to question, to rationalize, to make sense of things, matters and circumstances. God placed this within all of us. However, He also placed within all of us an innate knowledge of Him, and this is what makes faith the chosen method of God on which we must be saved. Because faith is a very distinct choice of will. Let me say it again. To have faith is a “choice of will”. Faith requires I choose to belief beyond myself, my own comprehension and reasoning, to believing beyond my natural inclinations of questioning – “doubts”.
I hope I didn’t loose you, and I hope you have gained an understanding of “doubt” from a Biblical perspective, because in part two of the study of doubt, we are going to put it together of what Jesus said in Matt. 21:21, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.” And, James 1:6 “6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (.d?a????? diakrinó (dee-ak-ree'-no): doubt) For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. How to face, and overcome the struggle with doubt. Amen!
But, before we close, I want you to think on the fact that “doubt” has both a humanistic definition, meaning it’s common to all of us just being a human being, and then there is an ecclesiastical or Biblical definition; meaning, there is spiritual entanglement of doubt, which God is most concerned with. Not, mere human questioning.
Remember, Jesus called John the Baptist the greatest of men born of a woman; yet, John the Baptist had doubt.
Make sure to come back and hear part two to this study of doubt.
