Is it okay to have doubts?

Many people assume a good Christian never wonders whether any of it is true. The Bible shows something different, and so does most Christians' experience. Doubt is common and it doesn't disqualify you. This guide is for anyone who has questions and isn't sure they're allowed to ask.

Doubt is in the Bible

Some of the most respected people in Scripture struggled. The Psalms, the prayer book of the Bible, are full of people who are confused and angry and honest with God. One psalmist asks why God seems so far away. These prayers are in the Bible on purpose.

¹For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? ²How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart every day? How long shall my enemy triumph over me? ³Behold, and answer me, LORD, my God. Give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death; ⁴lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him;” lest my adversaries rejoice when I fall. ⁵But I trust in your loving kindness. My heart rejoices in your salvation. ⁶I will sing to the LORD, because he has been good to me.

The prayer starts in complaint and ends in trust, and the complaint is left in. God can handle your honesty.

Then there is Thomas, one of Jesus' twelve closest followers. When the others told him they had seen Jesus alive after the crucifixion, he refused to believe until he could see for himself, and he has been called "Doubting Thomas" ever since. Jesus didn't turn him away. He met him, showed him his wounds, and invited him closer.

²⁴But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, wasn’t with them when Jesus came. ²⁵The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” ²⁶After eight days, again his disciples were inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors being locked, and stood in the middle, and said, “Peace be to you.” ²⁷Then he said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see my hands. Reach here your hand, and put it into my side. Don’t be unbelieving, but believing.” ²⁸Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Jesus took Thomas's doubt seriously enough to answer it.

Different kinds of doubt

It helps to know which kind you have.

Some doubt is intellectual: how can I trust the Bible, what about science, why is there suffering? These questions have thoughtful answers that Christians have worked on for centuries, and you don't need every answer to keep going.

Some doubt is emotional. You prayed and nothing happened, or you feel nothing. Sometimes that turns out to be pain or loneliness or exhaustion, and it needs care more than argument.

Some doubt comes from being hurt. If a church or a Christian treated you badly, God can start to seem untrustworthy. That deserves gentleness, and our guide on being hurt by a church speaks to it.

And some doubt is about yourself. Am I really forgiven? Could God accept someone like me? The Christian answer is yes, and it rests on what Jesus has done. It doesn't depend on how well you're doing.

How to ask

A few habits make doubts useful.

Write them down. A vague cloud of uncertainty is hard to work with, and a list of specific questions is manageable.

Bring them to God. You can pray something like, "God, if you are there, help me see." Many people say this was where their faith began.

Ask a person. A thoughtful Christian friend, a pastor or a volunteer here can talk it through, and a good listener won't be threatened by your question. You can ask us anything and a real person will write back.

Keep reading the Gospels slowly. Many questions look different once you hear Jesus in his own words. If you're not sure where to begin, try John.

Give it time. Some questions get answered quickly and others stay open for years, and neither means you've failed.

Where to look

If you want to think harder about the big questions, there are good books by both former skeptics and lifelong believers. A church near you may run a group for people who are exploring or questioning, where no one expects you to pretend. You can look for a church that welcomes newcomers.

A word of hope

One father in the Gospel of Mark came to Jesus for help with his son and told him honestly where he stood. Jesus didn't turn him away.

²³Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” ²⁴Immediately the father of the child cried out with tears, “I believe. Help my unbelief!”

For most people faith looks less like a wall of certainty and more like a direction, a step of trust taken with questions still open. If you're willing to keep asking, you're not far from the door.