- Why Do I Have Doubt?
- When You’re in a Season of Doubt
- How to Overcome Your Doubts about God
Have you ever doubted your faith? Have you ever wondered whether God is even there, whether the Bible is true, whether following the rules of the Bible is worth it? If so, you’re not alone. Many, if not most, Christians have gone through a season of doubt, and most have come out stronger than before. It isn’t a matter of whether you ever doubt; it’s a matter of what you do when you doubt.
John chapter 6 records some strange words of Jesus, words that led to a crisis of belief for many of his followers. Confusion and doubt set in, and a choice was made.
The day before, Jesus had fed 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. Now Jesus and his closest disciples have crossed the Sea of Galilee (the disciples took a boat, while Jesus walked), and the people have followed him there. They aren’t interested so much in what Jesus says and certainly aren’t into obeying his teachings, but they like his food. They experienced the miracle of feeding the day before but missed the meaning of the miracle.
How about you? Are you following Jesus for the wrong reasons? Are you using the whole church thing like a good luck charm? Maybe saying you believe in Jesus will help life be a little better for you. If so, what will happen when Jesus does something different than you expect?
Jesus had a long conversation with the people that day, leading him to make one of his most important statements:
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)
This is one of the “I Am” statements of Jesus. Maybe one day I’ll do a series on those statements, and I’ll flesh out John 6:35 and this entire chapter, but for now I want to point out the word “believes” in that verse. The topic of belief, or faith, weaves its way throughout this passage, as does doubt.
Hold that thought for now, and let’s continue our look at that day in Capernaum. His conversation with the people led Jesus to say these words:
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (John 6:51)
Then he doubled down:
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” (John 6:53-58)
It’s difficult for us to understand how shocking this statement was to the Jewish listeners. We can see now that Jesus was talking about his death on the cross. He was saying that believing and accepting his death as the payment for our sins is the only way to salvation, the only way to life with him for eternity.
To the listeners, though, it was disgusting and alarming. How could they eat his body? That would make them cannibals. And drinking blood was strictly against the Jewish law. The people were shocked, angered, offended, and grossed out by Jesus’s words.
A crowd of people stopped following Jesus that day. Sure, the food was good the day before. Yes, he’d healed lots of people. But with these words, they turned away. And in that crowd of people who left were many disciples:
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. (John 6:66).
These disciples who left weren’t in the Twelve, but they had been counted as followers of Jesus, since they physically followed Jesus around and listened to his teachings, watched his miracles, and thought of him as their teacher. But when Jesus said they needed to eat his body and drink his blood, they walked away for good.
Can you imagine what it felt like for Jesus that day? He watched as people abandoned him, knowing their future apart from him. A great crowd looked Jesus in the eye that day and walked away.
That’s when Jesus turned to the Twelve.
So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” (John 6:67)
You can feel the concern in his voice. Jesus knows that eternity is at stake for all these people. He knows most of those who turned away will spend eternity without him. So he asks his closest followers, will they turn their backs on him as well?
Have you ever come close to turning your back on Jesus? Maybe he didn’t come through for you. Or you’re in a situation now and it feels like he doesn’t care. You’ve lived for him, even suffered for him, but the one thing you want from him he won’t give. Do you want to go away as well?
Before you do, listen to how Simon Peter responded to Jesus:
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69)
Peter got it. He may not have understood everything Jesus said that day, but he knew, knew, that Jesus was the only way to eternal life. He knew Jesus was the Messiah, the Holy One of God, God the Son.
So Peter asks, “To whom shall we go? Who else is there to follow? There is no one else who loves us like you do and who offers to spend eternity with us. No one.”
Maybe you’re in the middle of difficult circumstances. You don’t understand why God would allow you to go through what you’re going through. You’re doing everything you feel God is calling you to do, and you get nothing. Maybe you hear people saying over and over that God isn’t real, his rules are way out of touch. For whatever reason, doubt has settled into your heart.
But here’s the truth:
Only Jesus can offer you a personal, forever relationship with God.
There is no one else and nothing else you can turn to that will provide that. No one. Nothing.
Take a look at your life. Scan your memory and see all the times God has moved in your life. The times he came through for you. The times you sought him when making a decision and he made your path clear. When you felt not just his love but his arms around you, pouring his love into you. He was there for you then. But he hasn’t left. He’s still with you now.
There is no one else who can do that. And even in your season of doubt, he clings to you, because he is the Holy One of God, and he loves you with a love we can’t comprehend and that will never waver.
Here’s another truth: because Jesus loves you, he’s the one who allows you to go through times of doubt in the first place. What? Yes! He is sovereign, which means he is master of everything in our lives. And in his sovereignty and through his great love, he allows us to go through times of doubt because he knows that it’s in these times that we grow.
It’s in these times that you search your heart and see your faith. You see your areas of weakness, the things that cause your faith to falter.
But it’s also in these times that God brings you to the point of even greater trust in him. He’s holding on to you, he will bring you through, and you will be changed. If it feels as if your faith is running on empty and doubt is taking over — wait. When Jesus brings you through to the other side of this, you’ll have much greater trust in him. You’ll experience his love for you and have a deeper love for him than ever before.
Focus on that, and allow him to lead you.