EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored ninety-two books. Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).
Matthew 14:31 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)
31 Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
We can draw comfort from the fact that even Jesus’ disciples at times gave way to doubt. (Matthew 14:30; Luke 24:36-39; John 20:24-25) Do not feel alone, the Bible itself describes a lack of faith as “the sin which so easily entangles us.” (Hebrews 12:1) The apostle Paul wrote: “not all have faith.” (2 Thessalonians 3:2) All have the capacity or the ability to possess this quality, faith. However, few buy out the time to acquire it. God will bless the efforts of those who take the time to have a strong personal Bible study program that is regular and consistent. He will bless those who invest time in studying Christian Apologetics, as well as Christian Evangelism because it helps us to explain our beliefs better. Moreover, we have many articles on FAITH (Trusting In), with the sub-categories Spiritual Growth and Spiritual Warfare.
If you are going to overcome the doubts that have plagued you, you will need to identify specifically what caused you to doubt in the first place. For example, think of Thomas, even though other disciples that had been with Thomas throughout Jesus ministry said that they had seen Jesus, Thomas still doubted that Jesus had been resurrected, even though Jesus had miraculously resurrected others. Remember, Thomas demanded that he be shown proof. What happened? Jesus did not say, “all you need to do is simply believe.” No, Jesus provided him with the evidence that was needed to strengthen his faith. – John 20:24-29.
By means of God’s Word and REASONABLE FAITH, it is the hope of this author that you will be provided the answers you need to remove your doubts. Another example of why people lose faith in God is because they know that he is perfectly righteous, just, loving, and all-powerful; so, why does he allow wars, violence, misery, suffering, old age, and death that afflict humankind? What does the Bible say about the so-called problem of evil? See the chapter Why Has God Permitted Suffering and Evil?
What is the benefit of taking the time to strengthen your faith or restore your faith? Those who allow doubt to overcome them are “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of teaching, by the trickery of men, by craftiness with regard to the scheming of deceit.” (Ephesians 4:14; 2 Peter 2:1) In contrast, those who take the time to find satisfying answers to their questions are able to “stand firm in the faith.” – 1 Corinthians 16:13.
Edward D. Andrews, author of REASONABLE FAITH Saving Those Who Doubt, Christian apologist and author of eighty-two books, would love to help you find the answers to questions that may have challenged your faith.
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