Look. I get it. A whale swallowed up Jonah. The devil got cast out of heaven like lightning. The journey it took to get 27 books of the New Testament. How were some books included, while others got excluded? If you’re like most people, you’ve probably questioned things like these. Is that wrong? Let’s take a look.
Questioning typically suggests some degree of belief. For instance, if I told you a spaceship is parked in your attic, I doubt you’d go look to see or ask what color it is. If, on the other hand, I told you a man named Jesus walked the earth 2000 years ago, and as intriguing as it sounds, you can hear Him speak to you today, you’d likely be interested in hearing more. If I added that communicating with Him is a two-way street, your interest might be doubly piqued. The Lord has this to say to you: “If you are willing to listen to Him: In my distress, I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from His sanctuary; my cry reached His ears.” – Psalm 18:6
What if we continued with an example of Thomas the disciple who blew right through questioning Jesus’ resurrection to outright disbelief? Jesus overcoming the grave, according to his reckoning, was a total farce! When the disciples joyfully exclaimed, “We have seen the Lord!” he refused to believe them, saying, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe!” Jn. 20:25
Did Christ become furious with Thomas? What if I told you the same Jesus who will speak to you today (if only you let Him) responded like this: “Peace be with you. Reach here with your finger, and see My hands, and reach here your hand and put it into My side, and do not be unbelieving, but believing.
Although you and I refer to him as “Doubting Thomas,” I believe Jesus views him differently. The Lord speaks to you and me through Isaiah the Prophet. When we admit our wrongs and seek forgiveness, God extends a promise: “I will not remember your sins.” In my simple way of seeing things, that verse is to sin what Fast Orange soap is to mechanics: Fast Orange washes the dirt away and deep scrubs to get the grit and grime out: Cleansed totally! We may define Thomas according to his slips, but the Lord does not. If I had to guess, Thomas—the first person willing to die for Jesus would be a designation closer to the mark.
There is one caveat, though. A HUGE chasm exists between “I believe, Lord, help my unbelief” versus trying to force God into the dock to answer us on demand. God in the Dock was C. S. Lewis’s way of saying putting God on trial. We can compare and contrast the difference by looking at Abraham and Sarah in the Book of Genesis. God swore to give them a son in their old age. Both burst out laughing at the thought, but only Sarah got reprimanded. Why?
Abraham laughed and said to himself, ‘Will a son be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?’ Gen. 17:17
Sarah laughed and said to herself, ‘After I am worn out, and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?’ Gen. 18:12
The text lends itself to Abraham laughing from a place of joy, in the same way you may react after opening a tremendous gift: “Really! Are you serious? You bought this gift for me!” On the other hand, Sarah’s laugh resembled more of a sneer, possibly a “That’s ridiculous and absurd.” Whereas Sarah was closer to God in the Dock, Abraham was more comparable to “I believe Lord, help my unbelief.”
What is Christian Deconstruction
“Deconstruction” is the heading most recently applied to questioning, doubting, and ultimately rejecting aspects of the Christian faith. To openly investigate the nuances of belief, even changing one’s convictions, is a biblical concept. In practice, though, “deconstruction” usually acts as a polite cover for “demolition.”
Rather than allowing room for sincere doubt and questions, some Christian communities reject anything more than superficial curiosity. Unfortunately, some churches carelessly label those with doubts as outright unbelievers or troublemakers. This lends weight to those falsely claiming that valid answers are only found outside the church. Those errors also feed the false narrative driving much of the modern deconstruction movement.
If you were to approach a parent and ask them to please help you understand why something is so, isn’t that far more effective, not to mention appropriate, than demanding they give an account? I cannot stress strongly enough that God is patient and longsuffering towards us, but it goes much better when we don’t put that notion to the test.
People like me are happy to speak to your arguments, called Apologetics in Christian circles. But a preferable route would be to dig and uncover God’s thoughts yourself. “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” – Jer. 29:13 As a point of interest, an outfit called the Bereans did just that. Rather than being looked down upon for questioning, “are these things so,” they were highly commended, not rebuked, for fact-checking Saint Paul’s teachings.
I’ll conclude with an article I read the other day addressing deconstruction. On the one hand, the author acknowledged it is an apologetic issue: “People want to know where the Bible comes from or why is there evil and suffering in the world. But nine times out of ten, I’m discovering that what’s fueling doubt and deconstruction often is a soul that’s weary, disillusioned, or struggling.” Whichever best describes you, hang on! A time is near when weariness, disillusionment, struggle, and doubt will all disappear.
“There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them all; and they will reign forever and ever.” And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” – Rev. 22:3-6
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