Doubt in a Christian's Life

            Many times in life we have doubts in what we believe in. A big struggle for many people is whether or not their belief in God is valid. This is very understandable considering how much a belief in Christianity is ridiculed and attacked. When people have these doubts they tend to internalize them. I once read a quote that said something to the effect, "Shame is not that people have doubts, but that they are ashamed of them". We should not be ashamed if we have doubt in God. And if our belief in God is being attacked and we are under serious doubt of his existence, then we need to remember first of all that this doubt does not make us any less of a Christian. As a matter of fact, it gives us the ability to strengthen our walk with God.

            You may ask how doubt can increase our belief in God. This is simply answered. The first thing we must do in dealing with doubt is to examine our core beliefs in God. We need to ask ourselves questions like, "Why do I believe in God?", "What evidence do I point to validate my faith?", "What experiences have I had that point to God's working?".

            As born-again Apostolic's some of these questions are very easily answered. For example, one possible answer to "What evidence do I point to validate my faith?" would be speaking in tongues. Tongues is an evidence of God working in and through us. This should be one of the first evidences that we point to when various questions arise that try and corrupt our beliefs in God. We should allow this experience from God should help us in times of trouble.

            The second step we should take when we deal with any type of doubt is to study the issue out ourselves. At the end I have cited books which I have consulted that have encouraged me in my beliefs. After we study the issue, we should then ask ourselves what our personal experiences have lead us to believe as well. Have our personal experiences led us to believe that there is a God or that there is not a God? It is also beneficial to have someone whom you view to have great wisdom help you and consult with you throughout this time. Generally this person would be quite older than you or someone who is a leader in your life. This person should have your best interests at hand as well.

            Now, after all these things are completed, you should examine yourself and see if your belief is being affected by your feelings. Feelings are complicated things and are not reliable. If you are a quite emotional person and simply feel like you have been abandoned by God or feel as if there is no God then you may want to re-examine your personal relationship with God. I have often noticed in my personal life that a rough time spiritually is often due to a lack of meaningful relationship with God. Also examine yourself spiritually to see if you have become stagnant in your walk with God or have grown spiritually. This will also help you determine whether or not you are being influenced by your emotions.

            Now that you have fully examined your beliefs and determined whether or not it can be attributed to a spiritual stagnation, ask yourself what you now believe in. If you are struggling with beliefs that are presented by other Christians and are contrary to your own beliefs, it would be of great benefit to us if we should study the issue out in the Bible. The Bible is the final authority on all subjects ranging from the Godhead to Salvation to Holiness issues. Personal interpretation should not be imposed upon our study of the scriptures, but we should allow God's word to speak freely to us.

            Ultimately I hope you make the correct choice. I hope that you determined why you believed in a God as opposed to falling away from God. I know from experience that God is real. As mentioned earlier, there are several tangible evidences which I base this on, excluding the Bible, one of which is speaking in tongues. Another thing I fall back upon is prophecy within the church, and tongues and the interpretation thereof. As a person who tends to require tangible evidence in order to believe, this is what I use in order to prove my belief to myself and others. I have literally felt God throughout these experiences and they have helped me in my personal life to combat doubt.

Here are some books to help you dispel doubt as I mentioned before:

            - "The Case for Faith", "The Case for Christmas", "The Case for Christ", "The Case for the Real Jesus" by Lee Strobel. www.LeeStrobel.com.

            - "Evidence that Demands a Verdict" and too many other to begin to list. By Josh McDowell. www.josh.org

            - "The Problem of Pain," "Mere Christianity" and "Miracles" by C.S. Lewis.

            - "The Gift Nobody Wants" by Paul Brand and Philip Yancey. This book is a personal favorite. Paul Brand was a world renown leprosy expert and offers an amazing insight on the subject of pain.

            I hope for those that are struggling with doubt, that they overcome it and develop a strong foundation for that is something that God can use mightily. Also, there may be times in our walk with God that we have no reason for the things that befall us. In these trials we learn to walk by faith. I sincerely hope that there are those who are encouraged by this blog and take to heart what I have said. It is not easy to struggle with doubt, but when it is overcome it remains a true testimony to us and others who are merely travelers in this temporary world.

A Look inside the Concept of Predestination

    When one embarks on a study of salvation, they will indubitably come across the idea of double predestination, which is commonly known as Calvinism (1). This doctrine is founded on the principle that God not only predestines people to be saved, but also predestines them to be lost. Interestingly enough, this concept predates John Calvin.  The earliest mention of which I found of this doctrine was a book from St. Augustine called, “On the predestination of the Saints” (2).  Even though this doctrine predates Calvin, he had a significant effect on its development. In 1963, another contribution was made to the doctrine of double predestination. A booklet called, The Five Points of Calvinism Defined, Defended, Documented, popularized the acronym T.U.L.I.P. In this acronym, each letter stands for a principle of Calvinism (3). However, even though the concept was of Calvinism was more easily understood through this acronym that does not mean understanding is the base of correctness.
    Having clearly summarized the history and defined the doctrine of double predestination, we will explore several of the errors contained within it.
    One of the bases of this belief is that, obviously, only some are destined to salvation while others are destined to eternal condemnation. However, this belief clearly contradicts scripture. If we look at Romans 1:16, it clearly says that salvation is for whoever believes, not just those who are “chosen”. Also, this line of thinking clearly contradicts the nature of God. God is willing that all should come repentance, as shown in 2 Peter 3:9, and is not willing that any should be lost. One other problem with this line of thinking is that it renders the crucifixion null. If God was to already determine who was to be saved and who was not to be saved, then of what use was Jesus coming to earth to die on the cross? It would be of no use. Therefore, we can clearly see that the belief of some predestined to be saved and others predestined to be unsaved, completely unbiblical.
    Another erroneous concept which double predestination advocates, is the concept of special or irresistible grace. Now, according to Calvinists there are two types of grace. One type is common grace, which is extended to all men, but cannot save. And the other type is irresistible grace. Irresistible grace is extended to only true believers who will make it to heaven because this grace extended by God cannot be resisted. However, this concept of irresistible grace violates scripture. Roman 3:22-24 states that, “For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”. Therefore we can plainly see that the saving grace of God is for all men and is not restricted to certain individuals.
    Also, another error which is commonly found in Calvinist theology is the concept of the total depravity of man. This concept states that, “Because of the Fall, man is totally depraved and dead in his sin. Man is unable to save himself and, therefore, God must initiate salvation. (4)”However, this concept also is found untrue when the word of God is consulted. When one looks at James 4:8, it is clear to see that if we begin to draw near to God, then he will draw near to us. Also in 2 Chronicles 7:14, God says, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” It is then easy to see that man can indeed initiate salvation.
    In conclusion, it is easy to see the errors of Calvinism when looking at the word of God. Though it may seem to make sense at first, when placed against the word of God it does not hold water. Many times in life we may come across things which seem to make sense, but we must remember to measure it against the word of God. Only then will we see the truth.

The Natural Fallibility of Man

            Throughout the ages, an argument has been made against the moral fallibility of man. People have had varying opinions from “Man is his own god” to “There is no such thing as morality, therefore there can be no moral fallibility“. All these arguments are simply to justify the conscience of man. By doing this he attempts to absolve himself from any guilt which would come by recognizing the Savior.

            As mentioned above, there are many arguments against the fact that man is morally fallible. One popular counter argument says that man is his own god. In order to refute this argument, we must first define the purpose of a god and its capabilities. We can do this by defining the God of Christianity and comparing his purpose as to what a god should be. The God of Christianity is subject to judging[1], therefore a god must be able to judge. In order to judge, he must have a set of standards that he and his people must abide by. The God of Christianity cannot sin[2] therefore he abides by his own rules. Therefore a god must abide by his own rules and judge other who do not abide by his rules. This is a problem when you consider that if every man is a god, then they all abide by their own rules, they cannot judge others. Therefore they cannot fulfill the requirements of being a god.

            One other argument is that there is no such thing as truth; therefore because there is no truth, there is no such thing as morality. This argument in itself is a “truth”, consequently it defeats itself.

A third argument against man’s ability to err morally is that because good and bad is relative, a man can judge his actions as good as he wants or as bad as he wants. This is untrue for several reasons. One of these reasons is that good and bad are not relative. They have unchanging values. These values are based upon the word of God, regardless if the person is a believer or not. Another reason why this is not true is the fact that man cannot judge himself. Man is not capable of judging anyone including himself, for the reason that he does not hold the ability to eternally condemn or commend himself to heaven or hell. Only God has that ability. Consequently, only God is able to judge.

In conclusion, we can clearly see that man is morally fallible, contrary to the common thinking of today. As believers we believe that man is naturally apt to do wrong because of his naturally sinful nature. However, this sinful nature can be remedied. By obeying the Acts 2:38 message and receiving the Holy Ghost by evidence of speaking in other tongues and being baptized in the name of Jesus, we receive the ability to shed our sinful nature. Our sinful nature will always remain with us, but through the act of obedience to God’s word we can be a light to a morally corrupt world.

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[1] 2 Corinthians 5:10

[2] Matthew 5:48