When people go through trials, they sometimes begin to doubt the reality of God and even the most faithful are prone to having their belief shaken. Even men from the Bible have had their moments of doubt. But does doubting mean losing our salvation? Pastor Mark Altrogge believes this is not the case.
In a blog post on Crosswalk, the senior pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Indiana said that when the faithful are challenged by depression and problems, they are tempted to ask whether God truly exists.
The pastor cited John the Baptist from the Bible who bore witness to Jesus Christ as the son of God. However, when he was imprisoned by Herod, he too began to question if Jesus was indeed the Messiah.
"He was no longer sure if Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God who was to come. Had John lost his salvation? No! For he had believed and passed from death to life. He had believed and so received eternal life the moment he believed," he explained.
Altrogge advised the faithful not to get confused as its meaning is clear: when we believe in Jesus, we will have eternal life and even when doubt sets in, everlasting life is not lost. However, this does mean to say that its alright to continue to be mired in doubt for the entire time with no attempts to return.
"If you struggle with doubt, I would encourage you to pray. Ask Jesus to increase your faith. Ask Jesus to help you with your unbelief. He has been tempted in every way we are, yet never sinned. But he was surely tempted to doubt. He's anxious and eager to help us and he gives us faith and more faith," the pastor said.
An article on Institute in Basic Life Principles also cites passages from the Bible for Christians who encounter doubts and disappointments in their lives.
"Scripture teaches us that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). Yet when we encounter difficulties, we often wonder, Why? Searching for answers and learning to view "bad things" as "good things in disguise" are disciplines that God wants His children to develop as they mature spiritually. (See I Corinthians 2:14 and Romans 8:1–17.)," the post said.
It further explains that when we respond to the God's grace and believe in Christ, we are born again into the Kingdom of God and achieves Salvation as the Holy Spirit dwells in our spirit. It is in building a stronger relationship with God that we will find the truth and comfort.
