There are many good reasons to doubt the existence of God. There are many good reasons to not believe.

Sometimes unspeakable violence occurs. A tsunami, earthquake, or flood wipes out thousands of lives. Planes are flown into buildings. Even when you believe in Jesus with all your heart, there can be moments when you throw up your hands and say, “Lord, this isn’t right. Why would you allow this to happen? What are you doing?”

Maybe you’ve wondered: Am I allowed to become a Christian if I feel that way? Am I even a Christian if I feel that way?

Maybe you can’t seem to shake your doubts, and the last thing you want to be is a hypocrite.

There’s good news for the doubter today.

You aren’t alone.

Doubt Is Not a Sin

Some people grew up in churches where the unspoken motto seemed to be, “Stop asking questions and just believe.”

But there is nothing inherently sinful about doubt.

Doubt first shows up in the Garden of Eden: “Did God really say…?” But when did Adam and Eve sin? When they doubted, or when they ate the fruit?

Doubt is amoral. There’s no doubt it can be dangerous, but to doubt is to be human.

The Bible is filled with people who loved God and also, at times, doubted.

There’s Thomas. After Jesus’ death, the other disciples told him they had seen Jesus alive. Thomas responded:

“I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands…” — John 20:25

That might be one of the most rational answers in human history. Thomas had watched Jesus be executed by professional Roman executioners three days earlier. Dead people don’t normally come back three days later.

Maybe we should call him Normal Thomas.

But Thomas wasn’t alone.

Moses doubted. After seeing God split the Red Sea, Moses still questioned how God could possibly provide enough meat for the people of Israel. God responded:

“Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!” — Numbers 11:23

You might be a longtime follower of Jesus. You might have witnessed Him do great things in your life. But one day you might wake up with doubts.

It’s okay.

Don’t freak out.

You’re not necessarily having a crisis of faith. You are being a normal human being. If Moses doubted, we might too.

Then there’s David.

David wrote Psalm 23:

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I shall fear no evil for thou art with me.”

That’s confidence.

But David also wrote:

“Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.” — Psalm 22:2

Which is it, David?

Both.

Some days are Psalm 23 days, and your faith is solid and strong.

But some days are Psalm 22 days, and you’ll wonder where God went…if He was ever real at all.

Some days start out as Psalm 23 days and end as Psalm 22 days.

Maybe you are in a Psalm 22 season right now. Hang in there, friend. The Lord is your shepherd. He is with you, and you can endure it.

No one is immune from suffering.

And no one is immune from doubt.

Doubt Can Lead Us Toward Truth

There can also be something good about doubt.

If you pursue your doubts, they will lead you to Jesus, not away from Him.

A doubt is an invitation to pursue truth. And Jesus declared that He is the way, the truth, and the life.

Jesus never scolds anyone for asking honest questions.

John the Baptist asked them.

At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, John looked across the Jordan River and declared, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!”

Later, John was sitting in prison. All signs indicated he wasn’t getting out alive.

So John sent his friends to Jesus with a question:

“Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” — Matthew 11:3

In effect, John was saying, “Jesus, I was one of the first people to believe in you. But as I sit in this jail, wondering if I’m getting out alive, I have to wonder…did I make the right call?”

Jesus didn’t chastise John.

Instead, He answered:

“Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” — Matthew 11:4–5

John wasn’t afraid to ask questions.

We shouldn’t be either.

Don’t run from your doubts—pursue them.

Ask questions. Pursue truth.

Don’t Let Doubt Stop You

There is, however, a danger to doubt.

James writes:

“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” — James 1:6

The danger of doubt is that doubt has a way of stopping us in our faith journey.

We can say, “Well, I have my doubts,” and simply stop there.

But unless we are actually pursuing those doubts, perhaps we don’t have a doubt as much as we have an excuse not to make a decision.

The danger of doubt is inaction.

James says don’t let doubt keep you from moving forward. Don’t use doubt as an excuse to sit on the fence forever.

God has always operated on faith.

Even in the Garden of Eden, God wanted His people to think highly enough of Him to believe Him.

And nothing about faith has changed since.

Jesus wants you to think highly enough of Him to believe Him when, while hanging on a tree, He announced:

“It is finished.”

He wants you to believe that what He accomplished on the cross is enough to remove the mountain of sin that stood between us and being able to walk with God like friends.

Jesus wants us to think highly enough of Him to believe that what He did on the cross was enough.

Maybe today is the day you are ready to surrender your life to Christ.

Tell Him.

Tell Him you are ready to place your faith in Him.

Drag your doubts with you.

And if you’re still wrestling, begin with one of the shortest and most honest prayers in Scripture:

“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” — Mark 9:24

Faith With Doubt

There’s one more surprising picture of doubt in the Bible.

Matthew 28 records what we call the Great Commission:

“I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations…”

Go and change the world.

It’s an inspiring way to end Matthew’s Gospel.

But immediately before those words, Matthew writes:

“When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!” — Matthew 28:17

Wait…what?

After everything they had seen, some of them still doubted.

And Jesus still sent them.

He didn’t tell them to sit down until every question disappeared. He told them to go.

Taking their doubts with them, the disciples left and turned the world upside down for Jesus.

Doubt does not need to be fatal.

Doubt does not need to deter us from moving forward in our faith.

Because it’s not faith or doubt. It’s faith with doubt.

So bring your doubts with you…

and go change the world for good.

Message recap adapted from the September 13, 2026, message by Pastor Phil Human.