Doubts Don’t Make You a Bad Christian

Doubt is a universal experience that can often lead to disillusionment, deconstruction, and people leaving the church. However, sources assert that doubts don’t make you a bad Christian; they make you human. Instead of being viewed as a sign of failure, doubt is born out of the desire to believe and is actually a natural part of any growing faith.

This summary, based on conversations between Lysa TerKeurst and Pastor Craig Groeschel, explores the origin of doubt, common forms of questioning, and practical, compassionate ways to navigate and grow through uncertainty, both personally and when helping loved ones.

The Origin and Nature of Doubt

Doubt, pain, and suffering are interwoven with the origin of human free will and the brokenness introduced by sin.

• Free Will and Sin: God created humans with free will so they could choose to love Him. This choice also presented the opportunity to choose sin, wrong, and hate. When sin entered the world, brokenness, pain, hurt, and death followed.
• Doubt as a Byproduct: Doubt is a byproduct of sin and a broken fellowship with God. Because humanity does not know God intimately due to the barrier of sin, we have the capacity for doubt.
• Doubt as Desire: Doubt is not necessarily proof of a lack of faith; it is often born out of great faith and a hunger for a deeper faith. Never having a doubt might mean you never truly had faith.

Common Seasons and Forms of Doubt

Doubt presents itself in various ways throughout a believer’s life, affecting both intellectual understanding and experiential trust.

• Existential and Transactional Doubt: As a child, one might try to make deals with God, viewing Him transactionally, challenging Him to meet requirements to prove Himself.
• Salvation and Personal Goodness: Later struggles can involve doubting one’s salvation—questioning whether Jesus’ grace is truly enough to cover sins if one cannot seem to be “good enough”.
• Intellectual and Theological Doubt: Doubts can arise in academic settings, such as seminary, when encountering educated people who do not believe certain things about the Bible.
• Experiential Doubt (Unanswered Prayer): Pastor Groeschel confessed that after 30+ years of ministry, he still struggles with doubting God will answer his prayers for healing, despite not doubting God’s power to heal, because he has prayed faithfully for so many people who were not healed. Experiential doubts include questions like, “I prayed and God didn’t answer my prayer,” or, “Why don’t I feel the presence of God?”.
• Deconstruction: Younger generations, especially when moving to college, sometimes begin deconstructing their faith, which can lead to getting hurt or mad at the church. This involves questioning fundamental things taught in childhood as their “more logical mind kind of steps in”.

The Church’s Response to Doubt: Compassion Over Condemnation

Jesus consistently modeled how to treat people wrestling with doubt, demonstrating kindness and making space for their questions.

• Dignify Doubt: The church and home should be the two safest places to ask hard questions. Instead of shaming or judging, we should dignify doubt.
• Look to Jesus’ Example: When Peter started to sink while walking on water, Jesus reached down, pulled him out, and asked, “Why’d you doubt?”. This question should be heard not as shaming, but as loving encouragement—”Come on, there’s more, I’m here for you”.
• The Incomplete Faith: Many believers have an incomplete or partial faith, like the father who said, “I do believe, help me in my unbelief”. Jesus was kind to him, walking him through his questions, strengthening his faith, and healing his son.
• Help Them Own Their Faith: Parents or mentors should recognize that a child must ask real questions to make faith their own rather than relying solely on the parent’s faith. The goal is to help them grow through doubts, not push them away.

Guiding Conversations: Curious, Not Furious

When walking with someone who is struggling, the priority should be to respond with curiosity, not fury.

• Ask Questions and Listen: Instead of giving immediate advice, ask questions and hear where they are coming from. Sometimes, we don’t have all the answers—such as why God allowed a tragedy—and we need to be comfortable saying, “His ways are higher than our ways”.
• Hurt with Them: Often, people don’t need answers; they need comfort. The correct response is to acknowledge the pain, apologize for the situation, and literally just say, “I know this is heartbreaking, and I’m sorry. I’m going to hurt with you”.
• Do Not Rush Forgiveness: When dealing with deep hurt, rushing to tell the person they must forgive is cruel because they are still too raw. Forgiveness can be a slow process.
• Promise Presence: Commit to walking through the journey with them for the next few years, promising, “We’re not going to leave you”. This commitment allows God the space to do a slow, healing work.