¶ Student's Unexpected Doubt
A political science major at a major university was having coffee with a campus pastor . The pastor knew that the student was wrestling with doubt about the existence of God and said to him John , you know , all of us wonder at some point if it's all real or not .
For example , there are quite a few stories in the Bible that are just hard to believe Jonah and the whale and all that . John smiled and said no , that's not my problem . What I wonder about is how God could care about me . I've done some really bad things and have had some really bad things done to me . I just can't understand the concept of forgiveness .
There you have it .
¶ Different Types of Doubt
Doubts about the faith come from all directions . While one person cannot bring herself to believe in miracles , another cannot forgive himself for the wrong things he's done and can't fathom how God could Thomas Jefferson actually cut out the miraculous sections of the Bible . He couldn't believe in what some would call the God of the Bible .
Francis Crick , the co-discoverer of DNA , thought that Christianity was just a collection of mythical stories . And what about those who want to see the proof
¶ God's Love vs. Our Objections
? They like evidence and feel a need to make an intellectual case for our faith . The New Testament writer , luke was like that . He wrote in Acts and the Gospel of Luke about the importance of eyewitness sightings of Jesus and his miracles .
Lots of people debate whether evolution and religion are compatible or not , and this is a big stumbling block to believe for many . We all believe something , but our minds can struggle at times to grasp the big stuff , the infinite universe , while others who doubt . The struggle is more internal .
They're so grieved by their own sin they can't accept that God could love them . Maybe the most famous
¶ Prayer and Acceptance
verse in the Bible is John 3.16 , which says , for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life . However , few quote the next verse , which says it isn't God's wish to condemn you .
Instead , he loves you and wants to give you assurance that life is more than struggle and molecules . Whether you're looking for evidence to believe the Bible or you just need to know that God loves you , try not to focus too much on your objections . Own them , but just tell God , as a child would , that you're struggling to understand it all .
Will you pray with me , father ? Your grace saves us from a life of struggle with sin and we are accepted by you . Thank you for putting up with our up and down faith In Jesus' name amen .