Doubt is different than unbelief

This fact blew my mind, and it was a treat to hear it from CJ Mahaney this morning.

What is the difference? Unbelief is complete defiance and rejection of the fundamental relationship between someone and their savior, Jesus, whereas doubt is uncertainty in God’s purposes or promises. It is sinful and serious, but not a betrayal of the faith.

Thus, Jude 22-23 calls us to reach out to those brothers and sisters hurting and doubting God’s goodness, instead of reproaching them outright. CJ Mahaney put on quite a spectacle when delivering the gospel, emphatically exhorting how recieving mercy leads us to be merciful. Very reformed.

So the question becomes “How can I help?” instead of “How could you??” Listed below are some different forms of doubt surfacing as a result of externals (from Os Guinness’ God in the Dark):

• Doubt from ingratitude
• Doubt from a faulty view of God
• Doubt from weak foundations
• Doubt from lack of commitment
• Doubt from a lack of growth
• Doubt from unruly emotions
• Doubt from hidden conflicts

I’ve recently been struggling with doubt when I look at my lack of growth and passion this semester, which I owe to the fact of certain project-intensive classes. However, this is of course a heart issue. Now I remember the Lord loves (v.1) and keeps (v.24) me…and I no longer have to hide my doubts from the community, but rather, desperately seek prayer for them.

Charles Spurgeon had a quote saying that doubt testifies to the presence of belief, akin to when Driscoll comforted his audience when talking about election and affirming that “if you’re worried whether you’re elect or not, that probably means you’re part of the elect.” I’m not sure if these guys are depicting God’s grace rightfully or not, but I’ll give God the benefit of the doubt.