Can doubt disqualify you from God's gifts?

Ever wondered whether doubt will disqualify you from God’s gifts? Sometimes, people are tormented by the thought that if only they could generate enough faith, then God would be able to deal with the seemingly unbearable trials of life.

Yes, Satan often tortures Christians because of their doubts, tantalising them with the possibility that life could be different with an absence of doubt. As always, there is an element of truth in Satan’s accusations, for doubt can hamstring the work of God. For example, James writes, “[the one who doubts] ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord” (Jam. 1:7). And Satan loves to use this verse to oppress Christians.

But how can Satan use the very words of Scripture to deceive us? For a start, He tempts us to apply James 5-8 out of context. This passage relates to the specific case of asking God for the wisdom needed to “consider it pure joy” when one is ambushed by the diverse trials of life.

God promises to give us wisdom if we ask in faith and without doubt (v5). But we need to be very careful about substituting the word “wisdom” with, for example, “healing” in the last sentence. Does the Bible teach that we will always be healed if we ask in faith and without doubt? We would need to search elsewhere for the answer unless we are prepared to take this verse out of context. But surely the very fact that we will face diverse trials leaves room for having to endure illness without miraculous healing from God? Maybe the trial you are facing is not due to a lack of faith but for a test of your faith (see last week).

So Satan tempts us to take Scripture out of context. But he also muddies our understanding of doubt. James says that the doubting man “ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord” (v7). If we go by the word “anything”, it does seem that doubt disqualifies us from receiving wisdom along with a wide range of other things that God has to offer (including healing). But what kind of doubt does James have in mind?

James is not referring to just any kind of doubt. The force of the Greek describes a permanent state of doubt. But someone who lives in a permanent state of doubt is unlikely to be a Christian, for Christians are by definition believers. Further, the doubting man is described as being double-minded. Such a person can’t decide whether to trust God or not because his loyalties are divided. We must settle in our minds that God and His ways are dependable. If we hedge our bets by trying to get the best of both worlds, we will get the worst of each.

Further, according to verse 5, we must not doubt that God is generous. He will give you enough to get through your trial in a way that it works for your good – do you believe that? What is more, God gives without reproach. That is, He will not give you wisdom on the basis of your previous record. He knows that you have blown it in the past. But only His wisdom will prevent you from repeating past mistakes, so He gives generously knowing that you desperately need His help.

Does this mean, then, that even the slightest doubt will disqualify you from God’s gifts? I think not. We are all in the process of developing an unswerving trust in God. Sometimes we fall short of that ideal, yet in essence, we believe that He is good and able. Our default setting is belief, even though we may go through periods of doubt from time to time.

Therefore, the fact that God has denied you something does not necessarily mean that you are lacking in faith. And a few niggling doubts as you ask God for something will not disqualify you from receiving it. After all, God healed the son of a man who said, I believe that you can heal my son but help me in my unbelief (Mar 9:24).

Cheers for now - Ian