Westerville Christian Church
Four People Who Doubted God And The Lessons They Teach
Greg Bondurant, Lead Pastor
Locations & Times
Westerville Christian Church
471 E College Ave, Westerville, OH 43081, USA
Sunday 9:30 AM
Sunday 11:00 AM
Thomas – You can ask for evidence to back up your faith.
Four People Who Doubted God And The Lessons They Teach Us
April 14, 2024
David Bondurant, Community Pastor
April 14, 2024
David Bondurant, Community Pastor
Here’s the verse that created the label. Let’s start to look at this man a little closer.
Thomas the Disciple.
Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18, and Luke 6:15 list Thomas as a chosen and asked disciples of Jesus who was part of the original 12. He believed in Jesus enough to stop his life and follow Jesus.
Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18, and Luke 6:15 list Thomas as a chosen and asked disciples of Jesus who was part of the original 12. He believed in Jesus enough to stop his life and follow Jesus.
Thomas the Bold.
John 11:1-16: Jesus knew that his friend, Lazarus, was not sleeping but had passed. He had to go to Judea to “wake” Lazarus up—another opportunity to show his authority. The religious leaders made a trip like this dangerous, but Thomas's boldness can’t be glossed over. If Jesus dies, then we can die with him. As the other disciples debated the cost, Thomas counted it, and he was with Jesus 100%.
John 11:1-16: Jesus knew that his friend, Lazarus, was not sleeping but had passed. He had to go to Judea to “wake” Lazarus up—another opportunity to show his authority. The religious leaders made a trip like this dangerous, but Thomas's boldness can’t be glossed over. If Jesus dies, then we can die with him. As the other disciples debated the cost, Thomas counted it, and he was with Jesus 100%.
So, before we look deeper at his doubt, have you ever considered the key reasons why you and I can have doubts about God?
1. Intellectual Questions
Some people doubt God because they have intellectual questions or doubts about the existence of God.
Some people doubt God because they have intellectual questions or doubts about the existence of God.
2. Suffering and Evil
The presence of suffering, evil, and injustice in the world can lead people to doubt the existence or goodness of God.
The presence of suffering, evil, and injustice in the world can lead people to doubt the existence or goodness of God.
3. Personal Experiences
Negative personal experiences, such as trauma, loss, or disappointment, can cause people to doubt God's existence or goodness.
Negative personal experiences, such as trauma, loss, or disappointment, can cause people to doubt God's existence or goodness.
4. Cultural Influences
Cultural factors, such as secularism, atheism, or societal skepticism, can shape people's attitudes and beliefs about God.
Cultural factors, such as secularism, atheism, or societal skepticism, can shape people's attitudes and beliefs about God.
5. Spiritual Struggles
Spiritual struggles, such as feeling distant from God, experiencing doubt or spiritual dryness, or struggling with sin or temptation, can lead people to question their faith or doubt God's presence.
Spiritual struggles, such as feeling distant from God, experiencing doubt or spiritual dryness, or struggling with sin or temptation, can lead people to question their faith or doubt God's presence.
Doubting Thomas
When the other disciples told him, Thomas famously stated that he would not believe unless he saw and touched the wounds of Jesus.
When the other disciples told him, Thomas famously stated that he would not believe unless he saw and touched the wounds of Jesus.
Missing Thomas
Let’s go a step further with Thomas. Why was he not with the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them in the Upper Room?
Let’s go a step further with Thomas. Why was he not with the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them in the Upper Room?
Thomas’s encounter with Jesus was a week later. Thomas seemed to be by himself, isolated, maybe sad, angry, or confused. He saw Jesus die and be buried in a tomb.
Thomas needed evidence of the physical Jesus that called him to be a disciple in the first place to call him again—this time to cancel his doubt.
LIGHT BULB MOMENT
The moment doubt turned to back to faith and commitment.
The moment doubt turned to back to faith and commitment.
If you find yourself in seasons of doubt or skepticism, it’s okay to pursue that alone for a short time. We all need time to process things, like doubts ourselves. Please take Thomas and the disciples as an example. Do not stay in isolation; we should come back to a community of other believers and people to help us all process what we are going through.