Embracing Doubt: The Journey to Authentic Faith

Devotional

Day 1: Honest Inquiry and Healthy Skepticism in Faith

Honest inquiry and healthy skepticism are not enemies of faith but essential companions on the journey toward genuine belief. When faced with claims that challenge our understanding, it is not wrong to ask questions or seek evidence; in fact, God welcomes our doubts and questions, knowing that honest searching can lead us closer to the truth. Like Thomas, who refused to accept the resurrection without firsthand experience, we are invited to bring our uncertainties before God, trusting that He is big enough to handle our doubts and guide us toward deeper faith. [05:24]

John 20:24-29 (ESV)
Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Reflection: What is one question or doubt about your faith that you have been hesitant to voice? How might you bring it honestly before God this week, trusting Him to meet you in your seeking?

Day 2: The Wesleyan Quadrilateral—Testing Truth with Reason, Scripture, Tradition, and Experience

Discerning truth, especially in matters of faith, requires a balanced approach that considers reason, scripture, tradition, and personal experience. Each of these four “legs” offers a unique perspective: reason helps us think critically, scripture grounds us in God’s revealed word, tradition connects us to the wisdom of those who have gone before, and experience allows us to encounter God personally. When these elements are in tension, as they were for Thomas, it is through honest engagement with all four that we can move toward a mature and resilient faith. [08:22]

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Reflection: Which of the four “legs” of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral do you tend to rely on most, and which do you neglect? How can you intentionally incorporate all four as you seek to discern truth this week?

Day 3: Navigating the Misinformation Age with Holy Skepticism

In an era overflowing with information and misinformation, it is vital to cultivate a holy skepticism—testing sources, seeking multiple witnesses, and pausing to pray for discernment. Not everything we read, hear, or even see is true, and the rapid spread of falsehoods can lead to confusion and anxiety. By applying practical tests and seeking God’s guidance, we can become wise truth-seekers who are not easily swayed by deception or clickbait, but who stand firm in what is real and trustworthy. [13:40]

Proverbs 18:13 (ESV)
If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.

Reflection: The next time you encounter a news story or social media post that sparks a strong emotional reaction, will you pause and pray, “Lord, help me discern if this is true,” before sharing or responding?

Day 4: God Welcomes Our Questions and Doubts

God is not threatened by our doubts or honest questions; rather, He invites us to bring them to Him, knowing that genuine inquiry can strengthen our faith. Just as Jesus did not rebuke Thomas for his skepticism but met him with compassion and evidence, God meets us in our uncertainty and leads us toward deeper trust. Our questions are not a sign of weak faith, but of a faith that seeks understanding and is willing to grow. [16:55]

James 1:5 (ESV)
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Reflection: What is one area of your spiritual life where you feel uncertain or doubtful? How can you bring this to God in prayer, trusting that He welcomes your honest seeking?

Day 5: Courageous Truth-Seeking in a Noisy World

Being a courageous truth-seeker means continually asking, seeking, and knocking, even when it is easier to accept comfortable falsehoods or remain in our echo chambers. Jesus promises that those who seek will find, and those who knock will have the door opened; this requires persistence, humility, and a willingness to be challenged. In a world where truth is often obscured, may you have the courage to pursue what is real, trusting that God honors your honest search and will guide you into freedom. [19:40]

Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV)
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

Reflection: Where in your life do you need to be more courageous in seeking the truth, even if it means questioning long-held assumptions or stepping outside your comfort zone?

Sermon Summary

Growing up, I learned early on that not everything people say is true—sometimes, even in a simple card game, deception is part of the play. This lesson in skepticism has stayed with me, and it’s one that resonates deeply with the story of Thomas, often called “Doubting Thomas.” Thomas wasn’t content to accept the word of others about Jesus’ resurrection; he needed to see and experience it for himself. Far from being a flaw, Thomas’s insistence on honest inquiry and firsthand experience is a model for mature faith. He didn’t reject belief—he simply refused to settle for secondhand certainty.

Thomas’s journey shows us that faith and doubt are not enemies. In fact, honest questions and a healthy skepticism are essential for a faith that is robust and enduring. The Wesleyan Quadrilateral—reason, scripture, tradition, and experience—offers a framework for discerning truth, both in matters of faith and in the flood of information we face today. Thomas’s experience with the risen Christ ultimately trumped his doubts, not because he ignored reason or tradition, but because he encountered the living truth.

We live in an age not just of information, but of misinformation. With deepfakes, scams, and endless streams of questionable content, discernment is more important than ever. Like Thomas, we are called to test what we hear and see, to ask questions, and to seek truth with courage and humility. This means applying practical tools: testing the source, seeking multiple witnesses, engaging holy skepticism, and pausing to pray for discernment. God is not threatened by our questions; rather, God welcomes our honest seeking.

As we navigate a world where truth is often obscured, may we be courageous in our inquiry, honest in our doubts, and persistent in our search for what is real. Jesus promised that those who seek will find, and that the truth will set us free. Let us be seekers of truth, trusting that God is big enough for our questions and faithful to reveal what we need to know.

Key Takeaways

1. Honest doubt is not a weakness but a vital part of authentic faith. Like Thomas, refusing to accept easy answers and insisting on personal experience can lead to a deeper, more resilient trust in God. Mature faith is not afraid of questions, but welcomes them as a path to greater understanding. [05:24]
2. The Wesleyan Quadrilateral—reason, scripture, tradition, and experience—provides a balanced approach to discerning truth. When these four elements are in conversation, they help us navigate both spiritual questions and the complexities of daily life, especially in a world overflowing with conflicting information. [06:53]
3. In the age of misinformation, discernment is a spiritual discipline. Testing the source, seeking corroboration, practicing holy skepticism, and pausing to pray for guidance are practical ways to avoid being misled and to remain anchored in truth. [13:00]
4. God is not threatened by our questions or our doubts. The Creator who formed the universe is more than able to handle our honest inquiry, and in fact, invites us to bring our uncertainties into the light. Faith that has been tested by doubt is often stronger and more genuine. [17:30]
5. Seeking truth is an ongoing journey that requires courage, humility, and persistence. Jesus’ promise that those who seek will find is an invitation to continual exploration, trusting that God will meet us in our searching and lead us into freedom through truth. [20:10]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:58] - Childhood Lessons in Skepticism
[03:11] - The Story of Thomas Begins
[05:24] - Honest Doubt and Mature Faith
[06:53] - The Wesleyan Quadrilateral Explained
[08:22] - Thomas’s Experience with the Risen Christ
[10:06] - Faith in the Information Age
[11:45] - Living in the Misinformation Age
[13:00] - Four Tools for Discernment
[15:30] - The Pause and Pray Method
[17:30] - God Welcomes Our Questions
[18:50] - Reframing Thomas: Honest and Courageous
[20:10] - The Ongoing Journey of Seeking Truth
[21:30] - Closing Blessing and Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

John 20:24-29 (ESV) — 24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.
25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”
28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 8:31-32 (ESV) — 31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Observation Questions

What was Thomas’s reaction when the other disciples told him they had seen the risen Jesus? (John 20:25)
According to the sermon, what four elements make up the Wesleyan Quadrilateral for discerning truth? [06:53]
How did Jesus respond to Thomas’s doubts when he finally appeared to him? (John 20:27-29)
What practical tools did the sermon suggest for practicing discernment in the age of misinformation? [13:00]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Thomas insisted on seeing and touching Jesus’ wounds before he would believe? What does this say about the relationship between faith and doubt? (John 20:25) [05:24]
The sermon suggests that honest doubt is not a weakness but a vital part of authentic faith. How might doubt actually strengthen someone’s faith rather than weaken it? [05:24]
The Wesleyan Quadrilateral includes reason, scripture, tradition, and experience. How might these four work together to help someone discern what is true, especially when faced with conflicting information? [06:53]
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” What do you think he meant by this, and how does it apply to us today? (John 20:29)

Application Questions

The sermon described living in an “age of misinformation.” Can you think of a recent time when you encountered information (online, in conversation, etc.) that turned out to be false? How did you respond, and what could you have done differently? [11:45]
The pastor shared a prayer: “Lord, help me discern if this is true.” How could making this a regular prayer change the way you interact with news, social media, or even church teachings? [15:30]
Thomas wanted a personal experience with Jesus before he believed. Are there areas in your faith where you feel like you’re relying on secondhand information? What would it look like for you to seek a more personal encounter with God? [05:24]
The sermon encouraged “holy skepticism.” How can you practice healthy skepticism without becoming cynical or closed off to new ideas or God’s work? [13:00]
The Wesleyan Quadrilateral suggests using reason, scripture, tradition, and experience together. Which of these do you tend to rely on most? Which one do you find most challenging, and why? [06:53]
Jesus welcomed Thomas’s questions and didn’t shame him for doubting. How does this change the way you think about your own doubts or the doubts of others? [17:30]
Jesus promised that “the truth will set you free.” Is there a specific area in your life where you are seeking truth right now? How can the group pray for you as you continue to seek, ask, and knock? (John 8:32; [20:10])

Sermon Clips

Doubt. I doubt it. What role does doubt play in faith? I think it plays a huge role. And no one epitomizes doubt more than the guy who's gone down in history with this terrible nickname. And you know who I'm talking about. Ready? Say it with me. Doubting Thomas. You are awake and I'm here for it. Good job doubting Thomas. Now, I don't think Thomas has gotten a good rap through history. I'm a Thomas fan. You might even say I'm a Thomas apologist. [00:02:31]

He wasn't going to believe something so ridiculous, so outlandish, unless he could experience it for himself firsthand. And I want to suggest that any kind of honest inquiry like Thomas was interested in having, I am interested in exploring this more. If I see this, then I will believe, but not until this kind of honest inquiry, this healthy skepticism, to me is requisite for any kind of mature faith. [00:05:48]

It's not bad to doubt. It's not wrong to question. In fact, I want to suggest that if your faith is going to grow, it's going to come alongside some amount of doubt somewhere. [00:06:24]

So first of all, Thomas engages his reason. He engages his reason, the first leg of the stool. His reason said, this does not align with what I know of physics, that people can rise from the dead. This doesn't just happen. This is unreasonable. And so he said, unless I put my fingers in his hands and my hand in his side, I will not believe. His reason, it did not align with reason. [00:07:39]

And so as he's reflecting on his scriptures, the Old Testament, there's nothing in scripture that aligns with being told that Jesus has risen from the dead. And so reason, it doesn't make sense with scripture, it doesn't align. What about tradition, the third leg of the stool? Well, we don't know exactly what tradition was, but there is no evidence that there was any kind of strong tradition about Jesus or the Messiah rising from the dead. There's no strong evidence that any kind of tradition supported that. [00:08:39]

And Jesus walks right up to Thomas, and Jesus held out his hands and said, Thomas, Thomas, touch my hands. Thomas, put your hand in my side. Do not doubt, but believe. And what was Thomas's response? My Lord and my God. [00:09:43]

And that Thomas had with the risen Christ trumped his reason his understanding of Scripture and any kind of tradition he had he met the risen Lord and that was enough. [00:10:10]

We live in what sociologists anthropologists historians call the information age are you familiar with different epochs in human history we are in the information age we coming right off of the industrial age where our whole economy was built on on you know providing products you know manufacturing and industry coming off the industrial age our whole society has shifted to become this information age digitization the spread of information globally with the rise of computers and smartphones and and more information is available to us than at any other point in human history and that will continue to be the case every single day. [00:10:37]

And alongside this information overload our ancestors didn't have to deal with all of this information right this is new to us which is why we're so anxious all the time and with this information all of this information that we could access at any moment there is probably an equal amount of misinformation. [00:11:28]

I want to suggest we're no longer in the information age we are in the misinformation age and we're gonna have to get smarter we're gonna have to be like Thomas and become a little more skeptical not believing everything we read or hear or even see with our own eyes. [00:12:09]

We need to be a little more like Thomas a little skeptical testing things that don't align with reason scripture tradition experience. [00:13:22]

Number one way that we can be a little more like Thomas we need to start applying the source test test the source do we know the source do we trust the source is this an anonymous source is this source skeptical now where did this originate is this just being something that's being passed around the internet and we don't even know what the source is if we don't even know the source we probably shouldn't pass it along as truth we've got to test the source. [00:14:03]

The second is the multiple witnesses rule if you read a news story and it seems like it doesn't compute with your reason then see if other news agencies are picking it up if it's a one -off I wouldn't be too quick to believe it as true. [00:14:37]

Engage your holy skepticism your holy skepticism if it seems too outlandish if it sparks an immediate emotional response outrage or fear anger you need to step back from that anything that's written or delivered to be what's called clickbait you know this phrase clickbait oh that's outlandish I want to click on that if it does that then chances are it's probably not fully true or maybe not true at all. [00:15:17]

Take the what I call the pause and pray method the pause and pray and I think this this is a prayer I'm going to teach you that we should be engaging all the time as we're looking at information coming at us from so many different sources Lord help me discern if this is true. [00:15:57]

Honest inquiry and healthy skepticism these are not enemies of a genuine faith in fact these bolster a genuine faith when we're testing what's true and what's not then we're getting ever closer to what is true and Jesus said you will know the truth and what the truth will set you free. [00:16:48]

Jesus thinking back to the story of Thomas Jesus didn't rebuke Thomas for his inquiry he says do not doubt but believe he didn't say why in the world would you not believe what your friends told you he simply showed him his hands and revealed his side and said do not doubt but believe Thomas. [00:17:28]

God is not upset with us when we put our faith through the litmus test or into the fires of inquiry God who created our DNA who formed the cosmos who established love and relationship with humans and one another at God who created this whole cosmos is big enough to handle our questions and our doubt God is not threatened by your honest inquiry. [00:17:57]

So Thomas I'd like to give Thomas a new name what do you think let's call him honest Thomas or seeking Thomas or even courageous Thomas Thomas because he was willing to say it does not compute and I need to see it for myself and we should all be a little bit more like Thomas. [00:18:33]

So as we kind of go into our week and into our next month and our next year and thinking about how artificial intelligence is going to make it ever more difficult for us to discern the truth we contested against reason and scripture and tradition and our own experience and we can claim this prayer let's say it one more time Lord help me discern if this is true. [00:19:03]

As we enter our life with this kind of openness to truth and this kind of skepticism to falsehood then we can be more certain that we are leaning against the truth and moving away from the falsehoods even those that resonate with what we love in our own echo chambers. [00:19:28]

So my friends may you be courageous in your truth seeking may you be honest in your inquiry and may you continue to ask continue to seek continue to knock and Jesus says those who seek shall find to those who knock the door will be opened to them and may it be so Amen [00:19:51]

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