Discipleship Letter 63

I lost discipleship letters 57-62, 64-72. I accidentally deleted them. I hope I can find the Xeroxes here and there.

Discipleship Letter 63                                    Nov. 31^st, 2009

“Doubt is a perennial problem in the life of faith. Doubt reflects our inability to be absolutely certain about what we believe…In part, doubt reflects the continued presence and power of sin within us, reminding us of our need for grace and preventing us from becoming complacent about our relationship with God. We are all sinners, and we all suffer from doubt, to a greater or lesser extent” [Alister McGrath, Knowing Christ (New York: Galilee, 2002), p. 79.].

The Bible says that we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). In other words, doubt is the inevitable result of walking with faith. If I don’t see it, how can I not doubt? If I don’t see you coming on time, how can I not doubt whether you don’t come at all? Faith doesn’t eliminate the possibility of doubt; it sustains the reality of doubt. If the Lord is the only true God (Jer. 10:10) and He cannot lie (Titus 1:2), doubt will guide us to the trustworthy God.

In the early stage of Christian journey, we practice “faith seeking understanding.” As time goes by, we encounter roadblocks and learn to embrace “doubt seeking understanding.” Doubt reminds us that we’re unable to know all things about the mystery of God that is gradually and yet surprisingly manifested through God’s creative work in our lives. “As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things” (Eccl. 11:5). The psalmist looks at the mysterious work of God from another angle. “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Ps. 139:14). We cannot fully comprehend His work; however, we do see the works of his hands.