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No one is beyond doubt in their walk of faith.
Even the most mature believers encounter moments of uncertainty. Doubt is not a sign of spiritual failure, nor is it evidence that one is outside the grace of God. Rather, it is a natural aspect of the human encounter with the divine. Since we are justified by faith, we might be tempted to think that we must not really be saved at those moment when we wrestle with doubt.
Yet struggling with doubt does not disqualify us from belief. It does not render us “bad Christians” or cast doubt upon our salvation. Doubt and faith are not enemies; they exist in a dynamic tension that is essential to a living, reflective, and thoughtful faith.
The reformer and theologian John Calvin articulated this tension clearly: it is possible “to hold things for certain and doubt them at the same time.” At first glance, this may seem paradoxical, but it is not. The opposite of certainty is not doubt—it is disbelief. Doubt is an intellectual and emotional grappling, a sincere wrestling with what is not yet fully comprehended. Disbelief, by contrast, is a willful rejection, a refusal to assent to what is known or revealed. One is a path toward deeper understanding; the other is a departure from it.
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| John Calvin (July 10, 1509 – May 27, 1564) |
Calvin also observed that the Christian life is, in many ways, a continual struggle with doubt. Even those who are deeply grounded in their faith must confront the moments when questions arise, when God seems distant, or when the promises of Scripture feel heavy with mystery. This struggle is not weakness; it is a hallmark of an engaged, thinking, and responsive faith.
When doubt arises, it is vital to resist the temptation to conclude, “I must not be a believer.” Doubt does not equal disbelief. It is not a verdict on your spiritual status but an invitation to deeper reflection, prayer, and trust. The Christian life is not the eradication of questions, but the cultivation of trust in the midst of them—an active holding of truth even when clarity feels elusive.
In this way, doubt can serve a profound purpose: it forces us to examine the foundations of our faith, to wrestle with meaning, and to learn dependence upon God in ways that certainty alone cannot. Far from being a threat, doubt—when met with humility and perseverance—can be a conduit to a richer, more resilient belief.