We are living in difficult times, scientifically and spiritually; things are not easy. Doubt and scepticism is reaching its climax. This philosophy is greatly influencing people to doubt even their own existence. There are many questions that cause people to doubt in this day and age, such as:
- Does God exist?
- Will this world end?
- Is resurrection real or is there life after death?
- Does God have a purpose for my life?
- The Bible, is it true?
- Does it pay to repent and become a real Christian?
- Are all denominations (churches) in error?
- Does God have only one true church?
The above questions may be answered differently by different people. The answers can be, yes, no, not sure, or maybe. When someone is not sure or maybe, this insinuates doubt. But, is doubting a sin?
Spiritual doubt has its beginnings with Lucifer. Lucifer’s doubt is the opposite of belief or having faith. When someone is not fully clear on something, he may need faith to believe. When faith is absent, there is doubt and uncertainty.
“We are living in the time when Christ is about to close His work of mediation in our behalf. All should now closely examine their hearts to see whether they are in the faith. Instead of indulging doubt and unbelief, they should humble themselves before God, cultivate faith in His word and His work, and labor earnestly for the salvation of souls. It is no time now for caviling, dissension, and disunion. Where these exist, we may know that self is not dead. Those who have received the truth into the heart will be so filled with joy and gratitude, and so absorbed in the desire that others may share its great blessings, that they will lose sight of petty doubts and evil surmisings.” –The Signs of the Times, September 27, 1883
Discouragement is very common in our day, more than ever before. In the Bible, discouragement is called a disease; it robs us of our purpose, our sense of meaning, and we can only see our problems. We experience a loss of energy and strength. Discouragement does not bypass Christians. Christians are not immune to it. We live in this sinful world the same as everyone else does. We face he same events and challenges.
“While God has given ample evidence for faith, He will never remove all excuse for unbelief. All who look for hooks to hang their doubts upon will find them. And those who refuse to accept and obey God’s word until every objection has been removed, and there is no longer an opportunity for doubt, will never come to the light.” –The Great Controversy, p. 527
There are two very inspiring stories in the Bible about doubt and its consequences. To understand them better, we need to compare them, and then we shall have a clearer view of what doubting is, and when it is sinful to ask questions of uncertainty. The two stories are about the experience of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. John the Baptist was born a little bit before the birth of Jesus, according to the gospel of Luke.
Both of them had a child in a miraculous way.
To Mary it was declared “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.” Luke 1:30–38
Mary, was a virgin. How could she be pregnant and bear a child? How was this possible? Humanly speaking, it is impossible. If someone doubts the reality of this, they do have reasonable grounds to base their doubts on. Did Mary believe or doubt?
To Zacharias the Gabriel came and gave a clear message to him. “The angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:13–17
To the message from Gabriel, Zacharias asked this question, “Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years?” (verse 18). This question showed his lack of faith. He was a priest, standing before God for the atonement of his people and judging according to God’s law. But now he says “how can I be sure of this?” Gabriel immediately answers by saying, “I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.” (verses 19–20). And it was done. He become, dumb, until the fulfillment of the promise, the birth of his son, John. If you were Zacharias would you doubt? Or would you believe without any doubt?
When comparing the two servants of God, we read that one asked, and she was answered. The other one asked, and he was disciplined for his unbelief.
Both of them wanted to be sure and to have more light regarding the words of Gabriel. While they both seemed to be asking the same thing, one was doubting and the other was asking for a better understanding.
Mary was simply asking, “How will this be, since I am virgin?” ESV. She wanted to understand.
Zacharias asked with doubt in his mind. “How can I be sure of this? My wife and I are very old.” CEBA
What do we learn from these experiences? We believe that we are living in the end of time. Jesus is soon to come. Although we may not understand some of the experiences we are going through, we need to trust and not doubt. It is ok to ask in faith for understanding as did Mary, as opposed to asking with doubts in our mind as to the wisdom of the experiences we are going through. Do we believe that we are being led by God when we face difficult situations or do we doubt the Lord’s leading and feel that we have been forsaken by God?
In the final days of this earth’s history the conflict will be severe. The Apostle Peter warns us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8. His main target is the true children of God—the elect (Matthew 24:24). He tries, if possible, to deceive and mislead especially them, hoping to plunge them
into skepticism and criticism. He does this by trying to implant doubts into their minds especially in regards to the main pillars of Adventism; doctrines such as that of the sanctuary, the ministration of Jesus in the Most Holy Place, the prophecies of Daniel 8 and 9, and the manifestation of the gift of prophecy in the remnant church by the ministry of Ellen G. White.
In the Christian World, although there is only one Bible, there is much belief and doubt about key doctrines of faith. There are many different and conflicting beliefs which are based on tradition more than on Biblical truth. Thus, many doubt very clear truths such as that of the Sabbath and the true state of the dead.
Amongst Adventist believers there is also a crisis of true faith. We sadly see many independent movements, all believing slightly differently, or doubting some key doctrines, such as mentioned above.
Skepticism and unbelief today
Many people today, when they are given the plain truths of the Bible, doubt as did Zacharias and ask for clarification with a doubting spirit. Christian people often run to their church leaders to ask their opinion of these doctrines which seem so contrary to what they have been taught in their Sunday keeping churches.
There has been great attacks against the remnant church and the pure doctrines of the Bible. History repeats itself, and we see it happening still in these last days. Modern technology has greatly advanced, and some of the opposers of the truth have taken advantage of this. They introduce their poison in the media, the Internet in particular (YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, etc.) to deceive and mislead souls, causing them to doubt the pure truth. There are many websites that bring forth suggestions and doubts regarding the fundamental truths of the Advent message, strongly attacking their doctrines and teachings, especially with reference to the Spirit of Prophecy manifested through the person of Ellen G. White, who was God’s messenger.
Many people have been studied with and have come back to the church stating that they read this and that on the internet against the Adventists’ key doctrines, and against Ellen G. White and thus they decide they do not want to study any longer.
Modern critics are not the first ones to do this work. The Spirit of Prophecy was already under attack in the last century. And who were the bitterest criticizers? Those who had once been strong defenders of the truth. “The most bitter opposers of truth today are found among those who profess to be its defenders.” –Sketches from the Life of Paul, p. 279. They knew the truth, but they were deceived by the enemy and were led to doubt the Adventist Message.
In the end of time we will see this happening again. Those who doubt and oppose the true believers will be their former brethren. Which side will you be on? To be on the right side, you must be in unity with your brethren today.
Many nominal Adventists no longer believe in the Spirit of Prophecy writings of Ellen G. White. If the enemy of souls could implant doubts in the minds of the people of God by leading them to disbelieve the Spirit of Prophecy, his triumph would be great. Sadly, we see that he has been somewhat successful in his deception. They have departed “Had Adventists, after the great disappointment in 1844, held fast their faith and followed on unitedly in the opening providence of God, receiving the message of the third angel and in the power of the Holy Spirit proclaiming it to the world, they would have seen the salvation of God, the Lord would have wrought mightily with their efforts, the work would have been completed, and Christ would have come ere this to receive His people to their reward. But in the period of doubt and uncertainty that followed the disappointment, many of the advent believers yielded their faith. . . . Thus the work was hindered, and the world was left in darkness. Had the whole Adventist body united upon the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, how widely different would have been our history! –Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 68
We read that Zacharias did not lose his way after his questioning with a doubtful spirit. Unfortunately, many today do question the truths and doctrines of Adventism with a spirit of doubt and end up overthrowing their faith completely. To doubt is dangerous.
“The angels of God in their messages to men represent time as very short. Thus it has always been presented to me. It is true that time has continued longer than we expected in the early days of this message. Our Saviour did not appear as soon as we hoped. But has the word of the Lord failed? Never! It should be remembered that the promises and threatenings of God are alike conditional.” –Ibid., p. 67
“And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to build and to plant it, and to destroy it; . . . . If it do evil in My sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.” (Jeremiah 18:7–10).
Some may question genuinely for further understanding as did Mary. They are gems and we have to go and find them. “Instead of questioning and caviling concerning that which they do not understand, let them give heed to the light which already shines upon them, and they will receive greater light. Let them do every duty which has been made plain to their understanding, and they will be enabled to understand and perform those of which they are now in doubt.” –The Great Controversy, p. 528
Satan has always been working to cause God’s people to doubt. We must choose to ask in faith if we do not understand. “Light and darkness, truth and error, are before us. We are free to choose. God will never remove all excuse for unbelief. . . . It is far easier to suggest doubts than to inspire faith. Because the natural heart is at enmity with God, a greater effort is required to believe than to doubt the word of the Most High. And Satan himself opposes everything that would strengthen faith.” –The Signs of the Times, June 8, 1882
“If rational beings really desire the truth, God will give them sufficient light to enable them to decide what is truth. If they have a heart to obey, they will see sufficient evidence to walk in the light. But if they in heart desire to evade the truth, He will not work a miracle to gratify their unbelief. He will never remove every chance or occasion to doubt. . . . There are those who walk amid perpetual doubts. They feed on doubts, enjoy doubts, talk doubts, and question everything that it is for their interest to believe. To those who thus trifle with the plain testimonies of God’s word, and who refuse to believe because it is inconvenient and unpopular to do so, the light will finally become darkness; truth will appear to the darkened understanding as error, and error will be accepted as truth. When thus shrouded in error, they will find it perfectly natural and convenient to believe what is false, and will become strong in their faith.” –The Review and Herald, January 5, 1886. It is very dangerous to doubt. One small question asked in doubt can lead to greater doubts.
To picture the glories of the heavenly paradise is beyond our comprehension. Our imaginations cannot conceive what heaven is really like. We only know that God’s promises are sure, and if He has promised these things, and by faith we accept them, then, if we remain faithful, we will one day receive them. We may not fully understand, but we must not doubt. Ask with faith for understanding.
Many today try to speculate and philosophize regarding certain doctrinal points in the Spirit of Prophecy because they do not understand them. They do not wait patiently for the Lord to reveal the truth to them in His own appointed time. Thus they begin to doubt their inspiration. It is true that not everything can be understood, or will be understood to the fullest, either in the Spirit of Prophecy or in the Bible, and we had to accept that. “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever.” Deuteronomy 29:29. There are many things which we will learn only in the hereafter. If we prayerfully study the word of God, the Holy Spirit will reveal to us the truth we need for our salvation, if we ask for understanding by faith. Those who are looking to criticize will always find some grounds for doubt. “There are many things apparently difficult or obscure, which God will make plain and simple to those who thus seek an understanding of them. But without the guidance of the Holy Spirit we shall be continually liable to wrest the Scriptures or to misinterpret them.
“There is much reading of the Bible that is without profit and in many cases a positive injury. When the word of God is opened without reverence and without prayer; when the thoughts and affections are not fixed upon God, or in harmony with His will, the mind is clouded with doubts; and in the very study of the Bible, skepticism strengthens. The enemy takes control of the thoughts, and he suggests interpretations that are not correct. Whenever men are not in word and deed seeking to be in harmony with God, then, however learned they may be, they are liable to err in their understanding of Scripture, and it is not safe to trust to their explanations. Those who look to the Scriptures to find discrepancies, have not spiritual insight. With distorted vision they will see many causes for doubt and unbelief in things that are really plain and simple.” –Steps to Christ, p. 110–111. These people look for discrepancies to give them reasons to doubt because they want to doubt. This is true for the Bible as well as for the Testimonies.
I know your danger. If you lose confidence in the testimonies you will drift away from Bible truth. I have been fearful that many would take a questioning, doubting position, and in my distress for your souls I would warn you. How many will heed the warning?” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 98
“When you find men questioning the testimonies, finding fault with them, and seeking to draw away the people from their influence, be assured that God is not at work through them. It is another spirit. Doubt and unbelief are cherished by those who do not walk circumspectly.” –Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 45
“My brethren, beware of the evil heart of unbelief. The word of God is plain and close in its restrictions; it interferes with your selfish indulgence; therefore you do not obey it. The testimonies of His Spirit call your attention to the Scriptures, point out your defects of character, and rebuke your sins; therefore you do not heed them. And to justify your carnal, ease-loving course you begin to doubt whether the testimonies are from God. If you would obey their teachings you would be assured of their divine origin. Remember, your unbelief does not affect their truthfulness. If they are from God they will stand. Those who seek to lessen the faith of God’s people in these testimonies, which have been in the church for the last thirty-six years, are fighting against God. It is not the instrument whom you slight and insult, but God, who has spoken to you in these warnings and reproofs.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 234–235
Zachariah was struck dumb for his unbelief but he repented. “The Spirit of the Lord will be in the instruction, and doubts existing in many minds will be swept away. The testimonies themselves will be the key that will explain the messages given, as scripture is explained by scripture.” –Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 42
Optimism can face real obstacles
Regarding the twelve spies that went to spy out the Promised Land we can read that they “came back with a mixed report. Oh, they all agree that the Land is magnificent. They bring back a cluster of grapes so huge that it must be suspended on a pole carried by two men. On the other hand, ten of the spies report that the Land cannot possibly be conquered. They claim that Canaan is populated by giants. The cities, they say, are so well fortified that the walls reach up to the heavens. The Israelites, hearing the report of their leaders, dispatched as spies, are disheartened. They sulk in their tents. They refuse to enter the Land promised to them. They lose their nerve and begin to doubt God’s leading. They no longer believe that God will assure their safe passage into the Promised Land.
“God reacts swiftly to the people’s crisis of faith. God announces a new plan: The Children of Israel will wander forty years. Those who fail to trust God, an entire generation, will die in the wilderness. Only their children will enter the Land of Israel, redeeming the ancient promise. Some rabbinical commentators argue that Joshua and Caleb are blessed because they tell the truth about the Land, while the other spies lie. A closer reading of the Torah itself, though, suggests a different scenario. Neither Caleb nor Joshua ever denies the presence of gigantic enemies in the Land. Neither do they insist that the cities’ fortifications can easily be breached or scaled. Instead, Joshua and Caleb insist that, whatever the challenges that lie ahead, they can be met successfully, with God’s help. God, who has redeemed Israel from slavery with ten plagues and a parting of the Sea can surely also overcome the people of the Land and their city walls, no matter how tall.” –Optimism in the Face of Real Obstacles, Rabbi Barri Block. Their doubt cost them the Promised Land.
“We shall have trials of faith, but they will only tend to increase our spiritual sinew and muscle; for we shall have to exercise faith, and put forth our trembling hand to lay hold upon a ‘Thus saith the Lord.’ But in this way we shall bring honor and glory to God. The doubts and fears against which we have been called to struggle are the precious trials of our faith, God’s workmen that work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Again and again we must raise our eyes to Him who has been lifted up upon the cross. ‘Look and live,’ were the words that were echoed throughout the encampment of Israel when the brazen serpent was erected. This required an act of faith on the part of the suffering victims who had been bitten by the fiery serpents, but they were assured that if they did look, they should live. We also are to look and live.” –The Signs of the Times, April 18, 1895
My prayer for you is that you to trust in Him through every challenge you face in life. The Lord does not mind if you ask for understanding as long as you ask in faith, not doubting His leading. He will never fail nor forsake His children. One day in heaven, you will thank Him for how He led you through your sojourn on this earth. Why not begin by thanking Him today? Amen.
Victor Shumbusho,
D R Congo Union