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).
Most of us can conclude that not all doubts are bad. If we were considering something where we did not have all of the facts, we would want to hold off on accepting it, until we are sure. We hear the mantra in the different Christian denominations today, “Don’t be afraid – just believe.” (Mark 5:36) Some feel that faith is merely believing and doubting nothing at all. This is very naïve, dangerous, and deceptive. Yes, it is true that certain Bible verses can be used to suggest that all we need to do is, ‘just believe,’ like “Love … believes all things,” at 1 Corinthians 13:7. Even the demons believe, and yet they shudder. (Jam. 2:19) A genuine Christian, who has a love of Christ in their heart, should believe those who have proved trustworthy over the years. However, God’s Word also warns against ‘believing every word.’ (Pro. 14:15) Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matt 7:15) Does this not suggest there will be some who appear as innocent as sheep, but really are false prophets to the point of being ravenous wolves?
The apostle John warns Christians against believing things blindly. He wrote, “Beloved ones, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1) John Stott notes, “Neither Christian believing nor Christian loving is to be indiscriminate. In particular, Christian faith is not to be mistaken for credulity [i.e., gullibility]. True faith examines its object before reposing confidence in it.” (Stott 2009, p. 156) Daniel L. Akin writes, “His [John’s] warning is clear: behind every statement is a spirit, a pneuma, but not every spirit is the Spirit of God.” (Akin 2001, p. 170) This spirit, i.e., statement or teaching, may seem as though it has come from God; then, in fact, it has come from a deceiver, and to be generous, someone who is simply mistaken or misinformed. We need to have some doubt, or let us say a level of cautiousness, which will serve as a protection, as the apostle John wrote, “Many deceivers have gone out into the world.” – 2 John 7.
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