Overview
We don't like to admit it, but every Christian doubts aspects of their faith from time to time. We are especially prone to doubt when our world is rocked by unexpected events that throw us off balance. It could be the sudden death of a loved one, a terminal diagnosis, a natural disaster, or a deadly terrorist plot. These cataclysmic events cause us to stop our incessant activity and question our place in life, our choices, and why certain things happen in the world. And though the events that prompt doubt are not welcome, the questioning that results can be a positive turn in our lives.
When we look to the Bible, there is perhaps no better example of how doubting can strengthen one's faith than Jesus' own disciple, Thomas. For many who read the accounts of Thomas in the Gospels, he is merely a skeptic who was weak in his faith. But as we shall see in this study, "Doubting Thomas," as he has been dubbed, may have much to teach us about finding truth on the path of questioning our faith.
Table of Contents
SCRIPTURE: John 11, 14, and 20
LEADER'S GUIDE
• A Man's World: Sample Questions
—What types of life situations are most likely to prompt a questioning of what we believe, and why? Why do you think doubt in regard to one's faith is difficult to talk about?
• A Man's Word: Sample Questions
—If you doubted some aspect of your faith, who would be the one person you would like to be able to admit this to, and why? What is the difference between doubt that can be resolved and doubt that will never be resolved?
• A Man's Work: Sample Questions
—Why is taking risks synonymous with the pursuit of truth? What risks are you willing to take to pursue God in order to understand him more clearly?
ARTICLE FROM:
The profile on page 1239 of the Men of Integrity Devotional Bible (Tyndale, 2002)
Total number of pages in study: 7
