The Faith to Doubt

Photo by Advan Shumiski

“If doubt appears, it should not be considered as the negation of faith, but as an element which was always and will always be present in the act of faith. . . . serious doubt is confirmation of faith. It indicates the seriousness of the concern, its unconditional character” (Paul Tillich, Dynamics of Faith, 22).

Paul Tillich was a leading theologian of the 20th century. In his book, Dynamics of Faith, he makes a profound observation regarding the relationship of “faith” and “doubt.” Typically, faith and doubt are understood as completely incompatible with one another—that is, doubt is the absence of faith. However, Tillich argues to the contrary that doubt is the companion of faith.

Note that the “doubt” in view here is not the sort condemned by Jesus (Matthew 14:31; 21:21–22) and James (James 1:6–8), in which persons fail to respond faithfully to that which they are otherwise convinced is true. Rather, this kind of doubt consists of genuine questions regarding the truthfulness and thus legitimacy of one’s faith.   

By “faith” Tillich is referring to a person’s most basic concern in life—what is supremely important to her or him and therefore provides fundamental direction and purpose for all else. Because of the gravity of what is at stake, the act of faith is incredibly risky. What happens if the very thing that gives meaning to one’s life proves to be a failure?

As such, doubt is a perfectly normal response to authentic faith. Only a superficial kind, which is inconsequential to real life and thus not really an “ultimate concern,” can allow people to remain aloof to and be easily unaffected by the possibility that they may have misplaced their faith, aligning themselves with falsehood.

While superficial faith claims abound, all people invariably possess an ultimate concern of some variety. And everyone given to enough contemplation will generally experience some degree of doubt, questioning whether his or her faith is the right one to have.

And it is certainly not uncommon for the experience of doubt to lead a person to withdraw his or her faith—to redirect their ultimate concern from one thing to another. If this person’s faith was misplaced after all, then the abandonment of it would surely represent a good thing. It is equally possible, though, that doubt might cause some people to withdraw their faith prematurely or unwisely, and that would clearly be a bad thing.

So we might ask: how do we use doubt as a constructive tool that may rid ourselves of faulty allegiances, yet deepen our understanding and commitment to that which is true?

For Christians, it is critical we first embrace the reality that if God and God’s redemptive work through Jesus Christ is indeed true, then it will withstand critical reflection. Accordingly, we should recognize that doubt itself is nothing to be feared. God is not threatened by our questioning but rather welcomes it.

Knowing that God entertains our questions as an expression of his unconditional love and faithfulness allows us space to probe without estranging ourselves from him. In this way, our doubts can paradoxically function as an expression of our faithfulness that pleases God and thereby work to grow our relationship with him.

The author of Hebrews, I believe, suggests as much. A better translation of Hebrews 11:6 says that “without faithfulness it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he is (faithful) and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Would not the pursuit of truth be considered among the most faithful acts a person can do by the God of truth and the epitome of what it means to seek him?