Could some forms or degrees of doubt be considered a sin on faith and faithfulness?
A little of both I guess.Pro Sandy said:
Is this an academic question or is something going on in your life?
be wary of things that tell you not to listen to your voice of reason, and instead to just "trust".dds08 said:
Could some forms or degrees of doubt be considered a sin on faith and faithfulness?
+1schmendeler said:be wary of things that tell you not to listen to your voice of reason, and instead to just "trust".dds08 said:
Could some forms or degrees of doubt be considered a sin on faith and faithfulness?
+1Pro Sandy said:
Is doubt a sin? Sure. It is a lack of faith. But when we look throughout the Bible, we find that God is sympathetic to doubt.
When Abraham and Sarah doubt that they will be able to have a child at their elderly age, God doesn't revoke his promise, but reassures.
When the disciples of John the Baptist come to Jesus doubting if he is indeed the messiah, he reassures them by reminding them of the miracles and the testimony of John the Baptist.
When Zechariah doubted that he could have a son, God made him mute for a time, but did not revoke the promise.
When Thomas doubted that it was the risen Christ, Jesus offered his side and hands as proof that it was him.
God hears us cry out about our doubt in faith and listens. He knows that faith is a very difficult thing. Jesus tells Thomas that we who believe based on faith are blessed.
Many times, I think God reminds us of things that He has done in our lives as reassurance that He is who He says He is. In the ark of the covenant, they carried reminders of what God had done for them. The Hebrew festivals were to serve as a reminder of what God had done for them. We celebrate Christmas and Easter as a reminder of what God has done for us through Jesus. These markers in our life are things we can return to when doubt creeps in.
I do not think our salvation is in jeopardy when we doubt. We see how God responds to those who doubt, he keeps His promise. His promise of salvation remains even when we doubt, because the promise of salvation is dependent on the finished work of Christ.
Is it a sin? Sure. Does God still love you and keep His promise even when you doubt? Undoubtedly.
+1The Debt said:
In many occasions in the Bible the translation of "faith" is best understood as "trust". Those concepts are often linked. So what is the opposite of trust? What does that tell us about doubt?
Absolutely.dds08 said:
How about when Peter saw Jesus walking on water and Jesus told him to come near? Peter began to sink once the wind started blowing and Jesus came and took hold of him.
Oddly enough, this is one of the stories that led me down the doubting path.dds08 said:
How about when Peter saw Jesus walking on water and Jesus told him to come near? Peter began to sink once the wind started blowing and Jesus came and took hold of him.
I don't know. He says it is because of little faith, which sounds like doubt. The extent, I don't know.dds08 said:
In Matthew 17 Jesus said it was the disciples' unbelief that caused them to not be able to cast out the demon from the boy who would throw himself into fire and water(try to drown himself).
I would like to know more about the doubt they had. What was the doubt and to what extent was it?
He says so, so yes.Quote:
Are there certain things that will only be healed, as Jesus said, by prayer and fasting?
I think fasting is an often forgotten about spiritual practice. I saw a while back that only 15% of protestants fasted. Jesus expects that we will fast. When asked why his disciples didn't fast, Jesus said "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast." Numerous examples in Acts of disciples practicing fasting. Martin Luther fasted so much his friends worried for his health.Quote:
I admit that I pray, however as far as fasting. Not so much.
When I think of fasting, often times, I immediately think of refraining from food. However, I would consider a refrain from tv or other things as fasting too, in a way.
Not necessarily so. There is nothing wrong with believing what people tell you (assuming it's all truth). If it's all truth, there is no error in that.RockTXAggie said:
I don't see how anyone can consider themselves to be a true believer without ever going through at least one phase of doubt or questioning. If you never once have had a doubt, then how can you possibly grow? You're just mindlessly believing in something at that point just because people told you to.
dds08 said:Not necessarily so. There is nothing wrong with believing what people tell you (assuming it's all truth). If it's all truth, there is no error in that.RockTXAggie said:
I don't see how anyone can consider themselves to be a true believer without ever going through at least one phase of doubt or questioning. If you never once have had a doubt, then how can you possibly grow? You're just mindlessly believing in something at that point just because people told you to.
Dr. Watson said:
This is why I don't get folks saying doubt is a sin. God doesn't show himself in creation or actively visit people. Everything found in the Bible is 1800 years old at the youngest. Why shouldn't people question such a deity? Why is that a sin?
This thread assumes a certain level of faith, that you are at least a born again believer in Christ and that he is your savior.Dr. Watson said:
This is why I don't get folks saying doubt is a sin. God doesn't show himself in creation or actively visit people. Everything found in the Bible is 1800 years old at the youngest. Why shouldn't people question such a deity? Why is that a sin?
A believer in Christ may go through life and certainly have doubts. The development of faith is a never-ending process, once someone becomes a believer, till the day Christ returns.AstroAg17 said:
I don't understand what the questioning process is if someone has faith. What questions could you be asking?
I wouldn't say it's a question of need necessarily. If one of the fruits of the Spirit is Faith, then I would be willing to believe The Father/Son/Holy Ghost have faith too.AstroAg17 said:
Jesus didn't need faith, he had knowledge.
I love what Jesus says about faith in Matthew 17:RockTXAggie said:Dr. Watson said:
This is why I don't get folks saying doubt is a sin. God doesn't show himself in creation or actively visit people. Everything found in the Bible is 1800 years old at the youngest. Why shouldn't people question such a deity? Why is that a sin?
Exactly. It's human nature to question things. We all believe in Santa until we grasp the concept of critical thinking. At some point, you have to question the existence of God if you're a living, breathing human being. It's just natural. And honestly, I have a hard time believing God would fault someone for questioning. It's called faith, afterall.