Faith and Doubt
We’re going to look at some verses that may appear to contradict each other so we’ll look at them in more detail later. These verses are Mark 9:23-27 and James 1:5-8
Mark 9:23 "'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for one who believes."
Mark 9:24 Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
Mark 9:25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again."
Mark 9:26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead."
Mark 9:27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
James 1:6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
James 1:7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
James 1:8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
Before we discuss these verses let’s look at some other verses about faith.
This verse tells us that grace and faith is a gift from God. You can’t be saved without faith.
Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--
Ephesians 2:9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
As we can see from this verse just a small amount of faith can accomplish great things.
It doesn’t take great faith to get prayers answered even if there is some doubt which we will discuss below.
Luke 17:6 He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.
We know that Paul didn’t lack in faith but yet he was unable to heal these people.
Paul was not able to heal Epaphroditus
Philippians 2:27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.
Paul was not able to heal Timothy
1Timothy 5:23 Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.
Paul was not able to heal Trophimus
2Ti 4:20 Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus.
If we didn’t have faith we could never please God. Remember Luke 17:6 that we only need a very small amount of faith.
Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Now let’s look at the verses we mentioned at the beginning in Mark and James.
Now we know according to Mark 9:24 that the boy’s father had some doubt and some believe but even with his doubt Jesus still healed the boy. So what was James talking about when he said if you doubt you should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
Now let’s look at what James is saying. Let’s start by looking at the 5th verse. Notice he was saying if you need wisdom. He didn’t say if you need healing, a job, food, a home or anything else. He said wisdom. Now we need to look at verse 8 where he said “Such a person is double-minded”. Being double-minded is referring to loving the world at the same time that you claim to love God. Being double-minded is only mentioned 2 times in the new testament. The second time is in James 4:8
James 4:8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. In the scriptures leading up to the 8th verse he is warning the people against worldliness so again he is comparing being double- minded with not to be in love with material things and worldly status. Basically the people were trying to straddle the fence between God and the world. The doubt they had was not fully trusting in God and relying on their own worldly methods.
I found the information below on the internet and I think he explains it very well. I know it’s kind of long but I really encourage you to read it to better understand these scriptures.
If I Doubt, I’m Out?! A Look at James 1:5-8
By Derek DeMars on May 14, 2018
In my previous two posts, I mentioned how important it is that anytime we read a difficult or perplexing Bible verse, we need to view it in its original context. We have to study what it meant “back then” before we can interpret what it means for us here and now. I’ll admit there have been times when I’d read a verse that confused me and I’d get really hung up on it and get frustrated . . . and then I’d read the rest of the passage. And I’d realize how silly it was to get frustrated so quickly, because the biblical authors would go on to explain away the difficulty! I sometimes picture them saying, “Well, if you had just let me finish!”
Sometimes we have to put a little more effort into our reading instead of just stopping at a verse or two. Today I want to give one example of a passage that can sound jarring at first, but starts to make a lot more sense when we look at the context and when we study what the author was originally trying to say. It’s in the first chapter of James.
“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:5-6, CSB)
Whoa! Hold up! So is James saying that if I ever have any doubts, God won’t answer my prayers? If I have even just a tiny bit of uncertainty or hesitancy in the back of my mind, I’m out? Call disconnected, try again later?
That’s how some people take this verse and others like it. They’ll tell you that you have to force yourself to have faith; you have to “will away” all your doubts so you can claim the blessing!
But this is silly if you think about it, because really it just turns your prayers into a way of relying on your own efforts – which, by the way, totally defeats the whole purpose of humbly praying to God for his wisdom! If my success in prayer was dependent on me having perfect confidence and intellectual certainty all the time, then my prayers would be getting answered zero percent of the time.
Thankfully, though, when we put this verse back into the context of James’ letter, we gain some much-needed clarity on what he’s actually getting at here.
James goes on to say: “That person [aka the “doubter”] should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, being double-minded and unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:7-8)
Hmm. So doubting is about being “double-minded.”
That wording just so happens to pop up again later on – in chapter 4, where James warns his readers not to be in love with material things and worldly status. (The danger of idolizing money and status is one of the key themes throughout James.)
He says, “You adulterous people! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God” (James 4:4). James then goes on to call his readers to submit to God and resist the devil (4:7). He challenges them: “Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded“ (James 4:8, emphasis added).
Ah. So being double-minded is related to loving the world at the same time that you claim to love God. It’s related to hypocrisy.
For James, being double-minded or a “doubter” isn’t so much about having intellectual uncertainty; rather, it has to do with divided allegiance.
A double-minded person is insincere in their claim to trust God, because at the same time they’re wanting to hold on to their worldly resources. They’re keeping their options open. They say they have faith, but really they’re non-committal.
This also goes hand-in-hand with the word James uses for “doubt.” That may not actually be the best translation, since we tend to associate it today with having questions about something or with being uncertain about the future. But the Greek term James uses here (diakrino) has more to do with wavering between two options. In this context, then, it’s about someone wavering between trusting God and trusting themselves; relying on God or relying on worldly things.
The key issue, in James’ view, is this: Are you really putting all your trust in God? Or does your true loyalty lie with the world and with your own resources? He’s echoing Jesus’ teaching that “No one can serve two masters” (see Matthew 6:24).
And this is why it’s unfortunate that so many people take verses like James 1:6 out of context and abuse them in ways that can be harmful. We all have doubts at some point. Every one of us. If you’ve never once doubted God or been unsure how he was going to answer your prayers, I’d love to hear your secrets, because that would be pretty incredible.
But James isn’t telling you that you can never have any uncertainty in your walk with God. Indeed, if we knew everything about God and about how he was going to answer our prayers, wouldn’t that make faith completely unnecessary?
Rather, what James is getting at is the fact that we should have complete faith in the character of God, even if we’re uncertain what he wants us to do or how he’s going to answer our prayers. The “doubter” James refers to is one who is wavering between God and the world. It’s not a question of having all the answers, but of whether your basic attitude is one of loyalty to the one who does have the answers.
We could consider Abraham’s life as an instructive example. The Bible says that Abraham “Did not waver [the same word James uses for “doubt”!] in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God” (Romans 4:20). So Abraham did what James is telling us to do – trust God without wavering.
But notice how often Abraham asked God questions (see Genesis 15:2-3) and even laughed at the thought of God giving him a son when he was 100 years old (Genesis 17:15-19). And don’t forget that time he did try to bring about an heir through his own means instead of waiting on God (Genesis 16). But Abraham did continue to grow in his relationship with God and ultimately his loyalty was to God alone. He fully trusted that God was the best and only Master he should follow with his life.[1]
Summary
So, in summary: James’ point is about whether you’re truly relying on God, and not wavering between God and the world. It’s a question of loyalty vs. hypocrisy. God isn’t going to look down on you for having honest questions or concerns. We should remember the man who asked Jesus to heal his epileptic son, who cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). Jesus did answer that prayer.
God would rather you be honest about your doubts while continuing to seek him, than to pretend like you have it all figured out and reduce prayer to a formula. Ask God for wisdom, and expect him to answer. Don’t waver back into self-reliance. That’s the point of James 1:5-8 in context.
Personally I find that it’s possible to have faith even while experiencing self-doubt or intellectual questions about Christian beliefs, and that’s okay! In fact, I would say that having faith doesn’t mean you no longer have questions or struggles; it means that you stay loyal to Jesus even through the questioning. Faith is personal trust in Christ even when you don’t fully understand. Or even through the self-doubt. He is always looking out for you.
We’re going to look at some verses that may appear to contradict each other so we’ll look at them in more detail later. These verses are Mark 9:23-27 and James 1:5-8
Mark 9:23 "'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for one who believes."
Mark 9:24 Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
Mark 9:25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again."
Mark 9:26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead."
Mark 9:27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
James 1:6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
James 1:7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
James 1:8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
Before we discuss these verses let’s look at some other verses about faith.
This verse tells us that grace and faith is a gift from God. You can’t be saved without faith.
Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--
Ephesians 2:9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
As we can see from this verse just a small amount of faith can accomplish great things.
It doesn’t take great faith to get prayers answered even if there is some doubt which we will discuss below.
Luke 17:6 He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.
We know that Paul didn’t lack in faith but yet he was unable to heal these people.
Paul was not able to heal Epaphroditus
Philippians 2:27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.
Paul was not able to heal Timothy
1Timothy 5:23 Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.
Paul was not able to heal Trophimus
2Ti 4:20 Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus.
If we didn’t have faith we could never please God. Remember Luke 17:6 that we only need a very small amount of faith.
Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Now let’s look at the verses we mentioned at the beginning in Mark and James.
Now we know according to Mark 9:24 that the boy’s father had some doubt and some believe but even with his doubt Jesus still healed the boy. So what was James talking about when he said if you doubt you should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
Now let’s look at what James is saying. Let’s start by looking at the 5th verse. Notice he was saying if you need wisdom. He didn’t say if you need healing, a job, food, a home or anything else. He said wisdom. Now we need to look at verse 8 where he said “Such a person is double-minded”. Being double-minded is referring to loving the world at the same time that you claim to love God. Being double-minded is only mentioned 2 times in the new testament. The second time is in James 4:8
James 4:8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. In the scriptures leading up to the 8th verse he is warning the people against worldliness so again he is comparing being double- minded with not to be in love with material things and worldly status. Basically the people were trying to straddle the fence between God and the world. The doubt they had was not fully trusting in God and relying on their own worldly methods.
I found the information below on the internet and I think he explains it very well. I know it’s kind of long but I really encourage you to read it to better understand these scriptures.
If I Doubt, I’m Out?! A Look at James 1:5-8
By Derek DeMars on May 14, 2018
In my previous two posts, I mentioned how important it is that anytime we read a difficult or perplexing Bible verse, we need to view it in its original context. We have to study what it meant “back then” before we can interpret what it means for us here and now. I’ll admit there have been times when I’d read a verse that confused me and I’d get really hung up on it and get frustrated . . . and then I’d read the rest of the passage. And I’d realize how silly it was to get frustrated so quickly, because the biblical authors would go on to explain away the difficulty! I sometimes picture them saying, “Well, if you had just let me finish!”
Sometimes we have to put a little more effort into our reading instead of just stopping at a verse or two. Today I want to give one example of a passage that can sound jarring at first, but starts to make a lot more sense when we look at the context and when we study what the author was originally trying to say. It’s in the first chapter of James.
“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:5-6, CSB)
Whoa! Hold up! So is James saying that if I ever have any doubts, God won’t answer my prayers? If I have even just a tiny bit of uncertainty or hesitancy in the back of my mind, I’m out? Call disconnected, try again later?
That’s how some people take this verse and others like it. They’ll tell you that you have to force yourself to have faith; you have to “will away” all your doubts so you can claim the blessing!
But this is silly if you think about it, because really it just turns your prayers into a way of relying on your own efforts – which, by the way, totally defeats the whole purpose of humbly praying to God for his wisdom! If my success in prayer was dependent on me having perfect confidence and intellectual certainty all the time, then my prayers would be getting answered zero percent of the time.
Thankfully, though, when we put this verse back into the context of James’ letter, we gain some much-needed clarity on what he’s actually getting at here.
James goes on to say: “That person [aka the “doubter”] should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, being double-minded and unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:7-8)
Hmm. So doubting is about being “double-minded.”
That wording just so happens to pop up again later on – in chapter 4, where James warns his readers not to be in love with material things and worldly status. (The danger of idolizing money and status is one of the key themes throughout James.)
He says, “You adulterous people! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God” (James 4:4). James then goes on to call his readers to submit to God and resist the devil (4:7). He challenges them: “Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded“ (James 4:8, emphasis added).
Ah. So being double-minded is related to loving the world at the same time that you claim to love God. It’s related to hypocrisy.
For James, being double-minded or a “doubter” isn’t so much about having intellectual uncertainty; rather, it has to do with divided allegiance.
A double-minded person is insincere in their claim to trust God, because at the same time they’re wanting to hold on to their worldly resources. They’re keeping their options open. They say they have faith, but really they’re non-committal.
This also goes hand-in-hand with the word James uses for “doubt.” That may not actually be the best translation, since we tend to associate it today with having questions about something or with being uncertain about the future. But the Greek term James uses here (diakrino) has more to do with wavering between two options. In this context, then, it’s about someone wavering between trusting God and trusting themselves; relying on God or relying on worldly things.
The key issue, in James’ view, is this: Are you really putting all your trust in God? Or does your true loyalty lie with the world and with your own resources? He’s echoing Jesus’ teaching that “No one can serve two masters” (see Matthew 6:24).
And this is why it’s unfortunate that so many people take verses like James 1:6 out of context and abuse them in ways that can be harmful. We all have doubts at some point. Every one of us. If you’ve never once doubted God or been unsure how he was going to answer your prayers, I’d love to hear your secrets, because that would be pretty incredible.
But James isn’t telling you that you can never have any uncertainty in your walk with God. Indeed, if we knew everything about God and about how he was going to answer our prayers, wouldn’t that make faith completely unnecessary?
Rather, what James is getting at is the fact that we should have complete faith in the character of God, even if we’re uncertain what he wants us to do or how he’s going to answer our prayers. The “doubter” James refers to is one who is wavering between God and the world. It’s not a question of having all the answers, but of whether your basic attitude is one of loyalty to the one who does have the answers.
We could consider Abraham’s life as an instructive example. The Bible says that Abraham “Did not waver [the same word James uses for “doubt”!] in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God” (Romans 4:20). So Abraham did what James is telling us to do – trust God without wavering.
But notice how often Abraham asked God questions (see Genesis 15:2-3) and even laughed at the thought of God giving him a son when he was 100 years old (Genesis 17:15-19). And don’t forget that time he did try to bring about an heir through his own means instead of waiting on God (Genesis 16). But Abraham did continue to grow in his relationship with God and ultimately his loyalty was to God alone. He fully trusted that God was the best and only Master he should follow with his life.[1]
Summary
So, in summary: James’ point is about whether you’re truly relying on God, and not wavering between God and the world. It’s a question of loyalty vs. hypocrisy. God isn’t going to look down on you for having honest questions or concerns. We should remember the man who asked Jesus to heal his epileptic son, who cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). Jesus did answer that prayer.
God would rather you be honest about your doubts while continuing to seek him, than to pretend like you have it all figured out and reduce prayer to a formula. Ask God for wisdom, and expect him to answer. Don’t waver back into self-reliance. That’s the point of James 1:5-8 in context.
Personally I find that it’s possible to have faith even while experiencing self-doubt or intellectual questions about Christian beliefs, and that’s okay! In fact, I would say that having faith doesn’t mean you no longer have questions or struggles; it means that you stay loyal to Jesus even through the questioning. Faith is personal trust in Christ even when you don’t fully understand. Or even through the self-doubt. He is always looking out for you.
