Is it OK to Doubt?
By Kyle Blackwell
Is it okay to doubt the existence of God, the Almighty? This topic has been weighing heavy on my mind the past few months. And it has really upset me on so many levels. Well, the answer is yes. It is okay to doubt God. And it is okay to doubt Jesus Christ.
The truth is that so many kids who are brought up in church are riding on the coattails of their parents and grandparents. Oftentimes, children who grow up in church learn about all the stories but they are not taught apologetics. By this, I mean that they know all the stories but they do not know why they actually believe in the Bible. This explains the increasing amount of Americans turning away from faith. Now they call it deconstruction of faith. The reality is that they never really knew God and the true Gospel in the first place. All they knew were stories and a simple prayer that is supposed to get them to Heaven. Unfortunately, western christianity worships a “Live Your Best Life Now” kind of God. We learn in church that once you say a prayer you are sealed by the blood of Jesus. You are only out of fellowship with God if you go back to living your old, worldly, way of life. Sorry, but that is not the true gospel. My Bible states that when Jesus Calls you to Him, and you surrender your life to Him, that you are a new creation, His workmanship.
So, we preach these things in churches, then we wonder why there are ao many spiritual leaders and young people who are renouncing their faith. The short response to that question is answered by reading about the four soils which Jesus preached about in Matthew chapter 13. However, that is for a later topic. When the younger generations get to college, they are met by atheist professors who feel as though it is their duty to tell the “truth” about the fraudulent religion of christianity. Furthemore, parents blame the universities for their children choosing atheism instead of worshiping Jesus. No! No! No! You do not get to blame a college for your child’s lack of Truth in the Bible. There is a verse that I use at the end of all my articles that talks about God’s people being destroyed because of their lack of knowledge. As a Christian, it is my duty to always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks me for the reason for the Hope that is within me. Last year was such a great year for my faith. I asked God every day to increase my faith in Him. I was blessed to be able to read the Bible twice with the exception of Revelation the second time. God revealed Himself in so many ways. I Iearned about all the prophecies of Jesus that were told between 500 and 1,500 years before Jesus was even born. I will write about these in the near future, but passages such as Daniel 9, Zechariah 6, Psalms 110, Psalms 22, Isaiah 53, Deuteronomy 18, Joel 2, Genesis 49 and many more. And it is imperative that our children are being taught these specific prophecies because these are the same prophecies used by Jesus and the Apostles when the Church was founded.
Now that I am finished with my introduction, let's get on with the truth of doubt. I believe that doubt is a blessing from God. Jeremiah 29:13 states: “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” He will reveal Himself to anyone with an open heart. Even John the Baptist had his doubts, and he was a true man of faith, set apart for the welcoming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I love the story of when Sean Mcdowell told his dad that he no longer believed in God. Instead of his dad chastising him, he said that it was great. Josh said, “You have to know what you believe is true, and follow it”. He knew that Sean would seek the truth just like he did when he was younger. Josh wanted his son to find a personal relationship in Jesus, and not just a knowledge of Jesus which is what is preached today. If only we were like this in the church. I truly feel as if people are chastised and casted out of the social aspects of church when people lose faith in God. If you do not believe me, listen to all the atheist jokes and all the stupid jokes about other denominations even from within the christian world. Instead, we should encourage them to seek truth. Earlier, I quoted 1 Peter 3:15 when I talked about being ready to give reason for my Hope. That was part A of the verse. Part B says, “yet do it with gentleness and respect”. How often are churches disrespectful to atheists? How often are we respectful towards Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons or any other religion? Seriously, if we act like this toward other religions who do not believe what we believe, why are you so naive to think someone within our religion is going to speak up about their doubts?
If you have doubts about the Bible, please feel free to email me at kcblackwell13@gmail.com and I will gladly help you through any of your troubles. Some of the strongest Christians are people who were once atheist, and it is only through their thorough research that they are the strong men and women in the Lord as they are now.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge -Hosea 4:6
