Beyond A Doubt

Doubt; It captivates our minds and our thoughts and holds them hostage. It shreds reason and tears down cornerstones. It replaces assurance with unsteadiness. As a young believer, I felt sure in my faith, and where I stood. However, little did I know my instability. When I was 15, my entire world collapsed around me. In the wreckage, I was left with nothing but my own thoughts and doubt. Everything I trusted seemed to have shattered. The people I believed in I didn’t know if I could trust. The truth of the Bible that I’d held to for so long, didn’t seem to hold water and I was left searching for truth. Many of us have been here at some point in our life. Doubt is not uncommon for us. But is it wrong to doubt? 

The idea of doubt is simple enough. It’s a concept and a reality we all understand. But is doubt wrong? Not at all. Doubt is simply when you question something you thought you knew or question the validity of something else. Questions are not wrong; just as doubt is not wrong. However, the actions you take when you doubt can be right or wrong. There are multiple options when we face doubt. We can either deny it, become unsure and lost, or we can seek to find answers to it. In my experience, I have found that everyone will fall into one of these three categories when faced with doubt. 

As a Christian, we’re not called to blindly follow God, but to lean into him as we search for truth and answers. All truth comes from God and if we earnestly seek it, we will find it. We are also given examples and stories in the Bible of people who experience doubt. In Genesis 17:15-21, God tells Abraham that his wife Sarah will be blessed with a son. However, Abraham doubts this promise from God. Abraham, not believing this to be true, went and had a child with Hagar, a servant. This is just one of many examples of doubt shown by characters in the Bible. Doubt can be a fear-evoking or denial-inducing thing if we look at it the wrong way. When doubt affects something that we feel is our cornerstone and it crumbles, it is much easier to give way. God does not look down on doubt, and calls us to ask questions. The question is how will you act on your doubt?

Living beyond a doubt does not mean living without doubt. It does not mean coming to a point in your relationship with Christ where you have no need to doubt anymore. A life without doubt is a life lacking growth. Doubt is a renewing process. It’s as if your previous conceptions and understandings are being tested by fire. Only that which holds weight and that which holds true will last. 1 Peter 1:7 says, 

“So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ”

The testing of our faith often leads us to question what we believe and have to re-evaluate our lives. When we doubt this very same thing occurs; That which we were sure of is tested and what holds truth will stand the test.

Beyond a doubt doesn’t mean coming to a point where you have no doubt. It means reaching the other side of your doubt. Each of us has an action when we face our doubts. When we seek to answer these doubts by leaning into Christ and truth, we will find the answers even if it takes time. Only then can you be beyond doubt. Denial and fear will never quench a doubt but will leave it lingering while seeking truth in the face of doubt is how you will live beyond it. We as Christians are called not to sit in our doubt but to seek the truth of God and take the steps to be beyond a doubt.

Editor’s Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official views of TeenPact Leadership Schools. To learn more about our Vision & Values, please visit teenpact.com/vision-values/.