Faith and Doubt

Our answer can best be grouped around three major truths:

First, the true believer does not doubt the Lord so much as he doubts himself. He fears the deceitfulness of his heart, his proneness to minimize sin, and his tendency to presumption. He trembles at the thought of deceiving himself for a never-ending eternity. Hence, he often sighs with the father of the demoniac, “Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief” (Mk. 9:24).

The true believer is one who remains acutely aware of the ongoing poverty of his sanctification. He recognizes that although the new nature does not sin and is strong in faith, his old nature remains full of sin and is an enemy of faith. Even though his new nature lies at the core of his being and wages earnest war against the old, the old also presses in upon the new in an all-out effort to recapture lost ground.

Just as Matthew Henry calls faith the “captain grace” of the new heart, we may well refer to unbelief as the “captain enemy” which resides over the old nature. Unbelief is that too-frequent captain which the believer longs to see trodden down in the gates of the city of his soul (cf. 2 Ki. 7:7,20); nevertheless, as Bunyan states in The Holy War, though unbelief may at times be invisible and withdrawn, it continually returns to plague “mansoul” and can never be put to death this side of the grave.

In short, Cod’s people so often doubt not because they desire to, but as an outgrowth of self-distrust and spiritual warfare. Just as two groups tug at two ends of a rope to determine who is the strongest, so faith and unbelief tug at the heart-strings of the believer, both striving to gain predominance. Ultimately, of course, faith will gain the victory in the believer (1 Jn. 5:4), but along the way many skirmishes may be lost to the enemy of unbelief. These two warring factions led j.C. Philpot to write: “The soul which never believes or never doubts is not one wrought upon savingly by the Holy Spirit.” How clearly Romans 7 confirms this truth as well!

Dear friends, we hope many of you are not strangers of such heart-tuggings between faith and unbelief. Are you also one of God’s true Rebekah’s who internally experiences the wrestling of two seeds, leading you to cry out, “Why am I thus?” (Gen. 25:22)

Secondly, the question of doubt in the believer’s life may be more readily understood if the following terms are rightly grasped:

(1 ) The essence or gift of faith. This is the root of faith planted by God in the moment of regeneration as one of the three essential jewels unto salvation —faith, hope, and love. The essence or gift of faith can never be withdrawn subsequent to regeneration, regardless of how dark matters may become internally for the child of God. Hence, there is never any doubt or unbelief in the essence of faith, for faith itself cannot doubt.

(2) The practice, exercise, or activity of faith. These terms refer to faith in action. Action and exercise are essential for stability, comfort, and trust. For example, when natural love is not supported by action, the one who feels unloved will begin to doubt his or her being loved. Similarly, when the child of God feels the actions of unbelief to be in exercise or practiced more than the acts of faith, he ought not be surprised when he feels many doubts about both his state and condition for eternity. The comfort of the gospel, however, is that no matter how many doubts he may have from his side due to the lack of faith’s exercise, from Cod’s side the essence and gift of faith cannot be removed. Oh, what a comfort this may be at times for God’s child, for it preaches that God cannot forsake the work of His own hands! God’s gracious work shall triumph over the believer’s sinful works to His own glory.

(3) The assurance of faith. Though all true faith contains the seed of assurance so that faith in exercise cannot doubt, the believer may lack the full assurance of faith for his own consciousness. Personal assurance of faith is not necessary to possess faith. Personal assurance, the Westminster divines so beautifully noted, is necessary for the well-being of faith, but not for the being of faith. Thus, the lack of personal assurance, children of God, ought not discourage you from faith, but ought to cause you to seek grace to make your calling and election sure in Christ Jesus (2 Pet. 1:10). Seek much the gracious influences of the Holy Spirit, for it is His work that both overcomes doubt and provides exercises of faith, as well as seals full assurance.

Thirdly, bearing in mrnd what is written above, we do not intend to excuse doubt and unbelief onto the old nature or distinctions in terminology about faith, but must also recognize the sinfulness of unbelief in the life of Cod’s children. Certainly it is their own fault that they so often surrender to old nature stirrings of unbelief and become such easy prey for the tactics of the archenemy, Satan. As John Owen wrote: “For no sin whereof men can be guilty in this world is of so horrible a nature, and so dreadful an aspect, as is this unbelief, where a clear view of it is obtained in evangelical light.” And another forbear has penned: “Many are weak in their faith because they are slothful in spiritual things. Neglect of prayer, neglect of Bible study, sabbath-day services, a lack of appreciation for preaching, improper use of the sacraments or neglecting of them, worldliness, lack of communing with the saints, and unwillingness to confess Christ or to engage in Christian activities, all these and many more are sources of weakness in our faith.”

Dear friends, have you learned to hate and abhor unbelief as sin? Have you learned to trace every sin to unbelief—from Paradise until today? Oh, child of God, what is your impatience to wait upon God for mercy, your leaning on false foundations, your anxiety over earthly things, your poor religious duties, and your slavish fear —but naked unbelief? How deeply your unbelief dishonors your trustworthy Lord! ?

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