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Original airdate: Tuesday, September 10, 2019
*** SHOW NOTES (not a transcript) ***
Lead:
Can you doubt and believe at the same time?
Intro:
One of the more curious passages in the Bible is when Jesus commissions his disciples — and by extension, all Jesus followers — to go be Jesus’ hands and feet to the world. In that passage, it said, “Some doubted.” Here are some people who not only saw Jesus’ sinless life and His works, but they’re standing there with a dude they knew was dead. I just want to encourage you — if you have doubted, or maybe you’re still checking out this Jesus thing and still doubt, or maybe you love Jesus and you still doubt, that’s okay. We even read yesterday about a guy whose son was possessed who both acknowledge Jesus as God and said, “I believe, help my unbelief.” Check out the Think & Reflect segment after today’s Bible reading.
Hey, one big announcement — as of yesterday I now am an Amazon affiliate, so all those books I use…the citations in the blog will also have links where a few pennies of your purchase will support the ministry.
Today we see Jesus closing in on Jerusalem, but the one thing you might listen for today is this: How is it that you can know something about Scripture and yet still miss the central message?
Sponsor:
Just you if you happen to buy the book referenced below using this link.
Bible Reading (modified Bible Project plan):
Passage: Mark 11-12
Translation: NET (New English Translation)
Verses: 77
Words: ~1629
Think & Reflect:
Doubt. An attitude of uncertainty, directed toward a proposition or person. As the etymological connection with double makes clear, to be in doubt is to be of two minds, unsure of what to believe. René Descartes proposed adopting universal doubt as the proper method to obtain certainty in philosophy. Thinkers as diverse as Thomas Reid, David Hume and Søren Kierkegaard, on the other hand, have agreed that universal doubt is impossible (and would be incurable if it were possible). Though doubt is properly seen as opposed to faith or belief, it seems possible for a healthy, living faith (understood as trust) to coexist with some kinds of doubt, as in “I believe; help my unbelief” (Mk 9:24).(1)
Yesterday we saw that confidence has a lot to do with the object of our attention — when placed on others there’s a reason for doubt, but the same is true when we focus on ourselves. Regardless of all the Facebook memes who tell you to artificially try to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, I know that I doubt myself, and I think most people do. Here’s the gut check:
Doubt doesn’t mean that you don’t believe. Rationally, God is God, steady and unchanging. Faith isn’t blind, it is trust in that for which we have evidence. Remember when we talked about “seeing” a couple days ago? God has promised that He will help us see, but it’s not just with our own eyes. Like the Sadducees who “saw” all the words and kept the rules, but they missed the point. It’s okay if we aren’t 100% certain, but just like we trust that a plane can get off the ground and land safely again, we can also trust God to help us see. Just ask Him.
Wisdom segment:
Passage: Psalm 80
Translation: NET (New English Translation)
Verses: 19
Words: ~312
Love you!
-R
Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.
Sources and resources:
(1) C. Stephen Evans, Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 36. (Get this book and support our work: https://amzn.to/2PThm4Q)