Growing up in the church, it is so hard to ask questions sometimes - How do we know the Bible is true? Can we take everything it says as legit? Where's the proof?
As a church kid, I have always felt so guilty asking this. How could I question the God who gave His life for me? Does that make me a horrible person? An unforgivable Christian? I feel like Thomas. John 20 talks about him starting in verse 24.
"Now Thomas... one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
I feel like I need the proof, I need to put my finger where the nails are and my hand in His side in order to believe it. I have suppressed this need for evidence for a long time. But the doubts have resurfaced as of late, and its time I deal with them, especially since I am in ministry, and I am devoting my education and life to this God. So I better get it figured out.
If you have ever had any doubts like I have, don't be afraid to share it with me because I am going to be spending some serious time figuring out answers to a lot of questions. Maybe soon my faith will be solid.
Brittany,
ReplyDeleteAs a person that is always studying and trying to further educate myself by pushing the boundaries of my own personal thinking, I can offer you a bit of condolence regarding your feelings of seeking a solid answer when it comes to your faith:
I do sometimes, and have done in the past, the EXACT same thing you are talking about here.
Is there a way to know everything, to have all your questions answered? No. Is there an easy answer? I haven't found one. In short, you are not alone in thinking of these things.
When I start thinking these ways, I open to Hebrews 11. For me, it doesn't take reading the whole book; there is one verse that usually sets me back on track.
"By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going." - Hebrews 11:8 (NASB)
If we could know where we were going, we would not value the journey half as much as we would if we did it all from the beginning without knowing where we might be at the end of the road.
Think of it this way;
On his very first day of college at the age of 15, do you think MLK had any idea he'd lead the american civil rights movement?
Did Abe Lincoln consider himself to be the next great american president as he studied law by candlelight in his boyhood home, a log cabin in the backwoods of Kentucky and Illinois?
Did Thomas Jefferson spend his spare time (when he was traveling on horseback through the hill country of Virginia working as a land surveyor) thinking about the Declaration of Independence he'd one day write?
While none of these people probably ever considered these things, they were all very solidly based in their beliefs. I am sure that at one time or another, they had the same thoughts that you and I have both had. There is something within the human spirit that draws us to the almighty God. In its entirety, we believe because we must. There is no explanation available. The only example we have is the Bible, and follow it we must.
I'm not sure if any of this helps you. I hope that it does; it sometimes helps me. I apologize for rambling, but you know me...once I get on a roll... LOL :P