©
1999 James A. Fowler
You are free to download
this outline provided it remains intact without alteration. You
are also free to transmit this outline electronically provided
that you do so in its entirety with proper citation of authorship
included.
DOUBT
I. Bibilical references to "doubt."
A. Greek word distazo - from
dis meaning twice or double.
Matt. 14:31
- (to Peter) "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
Matt. 28:17
- (disciples) "they worshipped Him, but some were doubtful."
B. Greek word diakrino - dia
= through; krino = to judge, determine
Matt. 21:21
- "if you have faith, and do not doubt"
Mark 11:23
- "does not doubt, but believes..."
Rom. 14:23
- "he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because not from
faith"
James 1:6
- "ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts
is like the surf of the
sea
driven and tossed by the wind."
Jude 1:22
- "have mercy on some, who are doubting."
C. Greek word dialogismos - dia
= through; logizomai = to reckon, consider
Luke 24:38
- "why do doubts arise in your minds?"
D. Greek word diaporeo - dia
= through; aporeo = perplexed (KJV)
Acts 2:12
- "they continued in amazement and great perplexity"
Acts 10:17
- "Peter was greatly perplexed in mind"
Acts 10:20
- "accompany them without misgivings"
II. Defining "doubt."
A. English word derived from Latin
dubitare or dubius from which we get "dubious."
B. Two different concepts of "doubt."
1. Unbelief,
disbelief, rejection, denial, agnosticism, faithlessness.
a.
"Cartesian doubt" begins by doubting all things, but
refuses to doubt its doubts.
b.
Skeptics and scoffers begin with contempt and derision to prove
their preconceived
unbelief.
2. Uncertainty,
lack of confidence, reservation, problematic, misgivings, skeptical,
questioning,
wavering,
indeterminate.
III. Faith and doubt.
A. Differentiating between belief
and faith. Greek word pistis.
1. Belief
Mental assent, cognitive acceptance, dogmatic assertion
comprising intellectual
certainty.
(static)
2.
Faith Volitional receptivity and availability allowing
for functional certainty of God's
activity.
(dynamic)
B. Relating doubt to belief and faith.
1. Belief
and doubt.
a.
The intellectual certainty of mental belief does not allow for
unbelief, rejection or denial.
b.
The intellectual certainty of mental belief does not allow for
the uncertainty of
questioning,
reservations or misgivings.
(1)
This is the basis of fundamentalism, fideism, credulity and "blind
faith."
2. Faith
and doubt.
a.
The functional certainty of receptive faith is founded upon belief
in God, and therefore
not
functional when there is unbelief and rejection of God.
b.
The functional certainty of receptive faith is not functional
if we consider it impossible,
unlikely
or doubtful that God will function faithfully and sufficiently
in accord with who
He
is.
(1)
The divided mind or double-mindedness of doubt affirms belief
in God (a), but
questions
God's character or ability (b).
(2)
Most of the New Testament references pertain to such double-mindedness.
c.
The functional certainty of receptive faith allows for mental
and emotional questioning,
reservations
and uncertainty.
(1)
When we are living by faith that is receptive and available to
God's function in our
lives:
We don't know where God is taking us into the unknown and uncharted
territory.
We don't know where this adventure will end.
We don't know what God will do next.
We don't know how God is going to work this out.
We don't know when this situation will be settled.
We don't know why God is allowing this circumstance or why God
is acting as He
does.
(2)
The situation where we find ourselves is indeterminate and problematic.
We are
questioning,
uncertain and perplexed. We are forced to recognize our inadequacy,
inability
and our own lack of faith as we remain receptive to God's activity.
Mk. 9:24 - "I believe; help my unbelief."
Jude 1:22 -"have mercy on some who are doubting"
(3)
God is big enough and understanding enough to accept our doubts,
to convince us
and
assure us of His character and sufficiency, and to bring us along
to increased
faith.
IV. Quotations about "doubt."
A. Chinese proverb - "With great
doubts come great understanding; with little doubts come little
understanding."
B. French proverb - "Only the one
who knows nothing doubts nothing."
C. Blaise Pascal - "One must know
when it is right to doubt, to affirm, to submit. Anyone who
does
otherwise does not understand the force of reason."
D. Francis Bacon - "If a man will
begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will
be
content
to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties."
E. Martin Luther - "Knowledge and
doubt are inseparable to man. The sole alternative to
"knowledge-with-doubt"
is no knowledge at all. Only God and certain madmen have no
doubts!"
F. Alfred Lord Tennyson - "There
lives more faith in honest doubt, Believe me, than in half the
creeds."
G. George MacDonald - "Doubt can
be a tool in God's hand weilded, in the lives of those who
allow
it, for the strengthening, not the destruction of faith."
H. C. S. Lewis - "If ours is an
examined faith, we should be unafraid to doubt. If doubt is
eventually
justified, we were believing what clearly was not worth believing.
But if doubt is
answered,
our faith has grown stronger. It knows God more certainly and
it can enjoy God
more
deeply."
|