Doubt, Think, or Believe

Rene Descartes was a famous mathematician and philosopher of the 1600s. He was a rationalists, a man who believed he could only believe something that he could experience with the five senses. As a mathematician, he knew that two plus two is always precisely four. As a philosopher, how could he prove he existed, let alone with as much certainty as could prove the sum of adding a pair of twos? 

 

This caused Descartes to become filled with doubt, even about his own existence. But alas, doubt was a good thing for him, for it proved he was rational. Only a thinking person can doubt. Descarte concluded dubito, ergo cogito— I doubt, therefore I think. More importantly, he realized cogito, ergo sum—I think, therefore I am. It was his doubt that helped him conclude he existed. That seems like a miserable life to me, only knowing we live because we doubt. 

 

Is there a better way? Anselm, the Archbishop of Canterbury until his death in 1109, was a philosopher that Descarte should have studied. Instead of cogito, ergo sum, Anselm said, credo ut intelligam—I believe in order to understand. Belief is of great importance, and what one believes is even greater. We now live in a humanistic world with almost no beliefs. Everything is in flux, so much so that some call themselves “gender fluid,” a man one day, and a woman the next. Absolute truth is a relic of the past. I contend that if we would believe, then we would understand. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free (John 8:32).” Far from wondering whether or not we even exist (and what our gender may be), we can be set free simply by embracing God’s truth.

 

We all may have some doubts on occasions, and I am all for thinking. But I would put a premium on believing. When we develop convictions about God’s Words—things we would be willing to die for—then we will certainly know what to live for. Some today, including many inside the church, will call it arrogant to claim we know the truth, but Jesus didn’t hide the truth from us; He gave us the Holy Spirit, who He said would “lead us into truth (John 16:13).” He even gave us a book called Revelation, which means “to reveal,” not conceal. This whole notion that we cannot know truth is absurd. 

 

God does not want us to doubt, but to believe. That is why the creeds are important (creed comes from the Latin credo, “I believe”). Do you know what you believe, or are you a person of doubt? I would encourage you, whether you call yourself a believer or not, to study the church creeds, to study doctrine, and most importantly, to study the Bible. Develop a belief system that you can articulate to others. There is no reason to doubt; if you really want to understand, then simply believe.     

Reasonable Doubt

 A defendant was on trial for murder. Although there was strong circumstantial evidence indicating his guilt, no corpse had ever been located. It is hard to prove a crime has taken place when there isn’t a body, so the defendant’s lawyer was hoping to use reasonable doubt to get his client acquitted. In the defense’s closing statement, the lawyer, knowing his client probably would be convicted, resorted to a trick. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have a surprise for you all,” the lawyer said as he looked at his watch.

“Within one minute, the person presumed dead in this case will walk into this courtroom.” He looked toward the courtroom door. The jurors, somewhat stunned, all looked on eagerly. The lawyer looked at the door, then down at his watch, and repeated this several times until a minute passed. Nothing happened. Finally the lawyer said, “Actually, I made up the previous statement; but you all looked on with anticipation. Therefore, I put to you that you have a reasonable doubt in this case as to whether anyone was killed, and I insist that you return a verdict of not guilty.”

The jury, clearly confused, retired to deliberate. Only a few minutes later, the jury returned and pronounced a verdict of guilty. “But how?” inquired the lawyer. “You must have had some doubt; I saw all of you stare at the door.” The jury foreman replied, “Oh, we looked, but your client didn’t.”

There is plenty of doubt in the world today, especially about the things of God. There are also people who do not struggle with doubt because they know the truth. The defendant in that story knew the truth, although it was not good truth. For you and I as believers, we know the truth that can set people free from their doubts, free from their struggles, and free from their sin. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free (John 8:32).” 

We probably all know someone who has reasonable doubts about the things of God; after all, we are bombarded with messages about evolution, and there are a host of other religions, each offering the way to some kind of better life.  Doubting Thomas said he wouldn’t believe Jesus rose from the dead until he could see Jesus for himself, but Jesus said we are blessed when we believe in Him without seeing Him physically (John 20:29). We know the truth; in fact, Jesus is the truth, the life, and the way that leads to the Father. We need to embrace this truth and carry it to the doubters around us.