QUEST: Questions & Faith

In contemporary culture, doubt and cynicism is often valued more than the idea of faith.  I believe that in response to this cultural value, the church has inadvertently discouraged questioning of any form in many cases.  People that have questions are often not taken seriously or are even discouraged from having questions at all.  The Christian culture often tells these individuals that they do not have enough faith or that their questions (of apologetics, church history, God’s character, etc) are actually an attack against God.  “Do you believe God is good?  Yes?  Then, you’re question doesn’t matter,” is the general attitude.

First, I want to affirm that questioning is good, especially concerning teachings.  In Matthew 16:6 Jesus says, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”  He is telling them to be on guard about false teaching or bad doctrine.  Also, 1 John 4:1 reads, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”  In today as well, we must test all teachings with our intellect, the spirit, and (most importantly!) God’s word.  We don’t want to sway from one opinion to the next with whatever rhetoric we hear.  Like it says in Ephesians 4, we want to reach maturity in the fullness of Christ.  Verse 14 reads, “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.”  God wants us to submit to sound teaching, based on his very own principles and desires.  Everything else is chaff to be burned up. 

Clearly, the Bible teaches us to question teachings and spirits.  Furthermore, I want to go so far as to say that God wants us to wrestle with all questions of faith, as well. In Genesis 32:22-32, Jacob wrestles with God physically and he is blessed for it.  Verses 28-30 read:

 “Then the man said, ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.’

Jacob said, ‘Please tell me your name.’

But he replied, ‘Why do you ask my name?’ Then he blessed him there.

So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.’”

Is God teaching us to physically wrestle with him?  No, probably not.  However, he is teaching us to wrestle.  Israel, as he is now named, gives birth to a nation who also wrestles with God, because to be in deep relationship is to wrestle.  Consider any relationship in which you never “wrestled” through anything.  How deep was that relationship really?  The more intimate we are with one another, the more there is conflict or questions which need to be worked through.  God desires us to be in relationship with him, so of course he desires us to struggle with him and push through for even deeper love.

There are so many more examples through scripture.  David asks God difficult questions all of the time, and he was a man after God’s own heart, the apple of God’s eye (Psalm 17).  Some of his questions are questions we still have today, but God is big enough to stand against such questions.  He isn’t scared of them.  I believe he loves them as an honest communication with him.  For example, David asks, “O Lord—how long?” (Psalm 6:3) or “Why do You hide in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1). I think God loves this because, despite his questions, David still loves God and longs for him.  This is beautiful and good.

Job and Habakkuk had lots of questions.  God responded to clarify, and it was not out of anger but out of love, because he wanted his children to have the answers to the questions and to transform their minds. 

Many of the prophets questioned why God was doing what we was doing how he was doing it.  In fact, God loves when his people see injustice and intercede on others’ behalf.  He actually tells us to stand for humanity’s peace.  Ezekiel 22:30 says, “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.”  How much more does God will that we question why the world is the way it is?  Yes, those questions CAN be directed towards God like David in Psalm 10:1—God can withstand it.  He is merciful and good.  He was human once, too, and saw the world the way it was and was crushed by the weight of it.  In Matthew 9:36, Jesus says, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’”  So Jesus sees the world in pain, is pained, and then explains that we need to pray.  This is so powerful.  We see pain, we are in pain, we question, we doubt, we struggle.  I think that this loving, compassionate Jesus is okay with that, because we are just harassed, helpless, lost sheep.  However, he still stands beside us and encourages us to pray, to seek even deeper relationship with him.

Questions that do not destroy faith but that build up faith are not only good but essential for further depth in a genuine walk with God.  How comforting to know that questioning is not evil and should not be discouraged.  Instead, questions cause growth.