Struggling with Doubt

      There is a surprising story found in the gospels.  John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus, found himself in prison awaiting his execution.  In that prison he had a serious moment of doubt.  He sent some of his followers to Jesus to ask, “are you the expected one or should we look for someone else?” (Luke 7:19).  What?  The prophet whose primary job was to announce Jesus is Messiah is not sure! This is a shocking, even embarrassing story.  You see John had been confident but the pain of his circumstances and dashed expectations eroded his faith and certainty.
      Have you been there?  I have.  In college I struggled with doubt.  Wasn’t I a Christian primarily because I was taught the faith since childhood? I spent some time doing what I think is the best response to doubt.  I examined the evidence.  I compared Jesus to the founders of other faith systems—Muhammad, Buddha to name a few.  I found their lives to be broken and lacking the credibility to be worthy of being followed.  I found Jesus to be perfect, miraculous, challenging and inspiring.  I found Jesus to be compassionate and credible.  When Jesus responded to John’s messengers, in essence he said examine the evidence; he pointed to the miracles he was doing! (Luke 7:22).  After the resurrection when Jesus interacted with doubting Thomas, he effectively said the same thing, “touch the scars,” which is an invitation to examine the evidence.
      There are many apologetics books that explore the evidence for the Christian faith.  If you are doubting you might try books such as The Case for Christ or The Case for Easter by Lee Strobel, former atheist. Personally, the resurrection is what convinced me of the truth of Christianity.  That the resurrection fulfilled ancient prophecy is incredible.  When I saw in the gospels the cowardly apostles turned into fearless martyrs the resurrection is the best explanation.  I found it compelling when I saw James the half-brother of Jesus become his disciple because of the resurrection.  What would it take for you to believe that your half-brother was the Son of God?  A resurrection fits.  I was moved by the testimony of Saul, an enemy of the early church, meeting the Risen Christ and doing a spiritual u turn.  From enemy of the church to apostle is quite the transformation.  For these and other reasons I believe that Jesus predicted His own death and walked out of His own grave.  I want to follow the one who defeated death!
     Truth is never afraid of the light.  Deal with your doubts.  Investigate the evidence.  I think you will find faith in Jesus Christ is intellectually satisfying.  Blind faith is foolish, reasonable faith is worthwhile.  If you are struggling, I invite you to examine the evidence for the resurrection.  If Jesus is not raised, he is nothing but a liar. If He really walked out of His grave then you should accept Him as Lord.  
Pastor Derek Dickinson
Journey Christian Church