Doubt Cannot Be Your Foundation For Truth
One of the disconcerting principles I see creeping in today is the idea that doubt serves as a good foundation for generating worldview conclusions. By doubt, I do not mean simple questions as to what the Bible does or does not say. When approaching a text of Scripture, we are absolutely correct to seek to interpret the passage rightly, seeking to ensure we are not inserting our ideas on top of the text. It is good for Christians to work through foundational issues learning how to defend the faith. Undoubtedly, many individuals will have questions about various aspects of Christianity even after they are saved. A believer is not zapped with infinite understanding at their salvation, nor are they immediately given complete knowledge once a grey hair is found. It takes time, study, and effort, by God’s grace, to understand the teaching of the Word progressively throughout the Christian life.
What I am wanting to discuss is the idea that doubt can provide a stable foundation for someone to build a worldview. Many young individuals seem to go through a process of professing to be conservative Christians, then they begin to have questions and think the only way they can find truth is to start from the launching pad of doubting everything. I will contend that method is the wrong approach. The only stable source for truth is Christ, for in Him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). Christ has specifically revealed Himself in the Bible, making it our ultimate authority, providing the foundation for the entirety of our life and thought. Therefore, when we are seeking to answer questions the only stable foundation upon which to begin and continue that process is the Word of God.
Attempting The Irrational
Some believe we should question everything, in making that claim, they are truly attempting to do the illogical. Should we question that we should question everything? But, that would mean that we should question, whether we should question, whether we should question everything! I digress, believing I have made my point. This position reduces to an infinite loop of absurdity, you must have the appropriate starting place upon which to find the truth which will answer your questions. I believe you will find my claim here not to be overly controversial if you will chew on it for a couple of seconds with me. Many, if not most, in our secular society would assert we should use the investigative skills of logic and reason to develop a system of beliefs. Putting it plainly, they want you to stand on the foundation of rational thought in order to determine what to believe. Others will say something along the lines of they simply want to go where the evidence leads them. Basically, their interpretation of the evidence is the foundation for what they believe.
I am in no way against rational thought, nor am I against evidence. Personally, I strive to be as logical as possible, seeing as God Himself is orderly and coherent. I also believe everything God has created is evidence for the Christian faith. However, saying we should use our pure logic and our pure reason as the foundation upon which to base our beliefs presupposes more foundational assertions. Those presuppositions are, at minimum, twofold, consisting of both the autonomy and reliability of the thought process of human beings. It promotes autonomy in the sense of setting up man as the judge by which the claims of God are to be examined. The reliability of human beings for determining the facts of the matter is also being set forth. Remember, evidence will always be interpreted in light of underlying beliefs. Evolutionists and creationists look at the same evidence, but come to radically different conclusions because they are committed to two completely different ultimate authorities. Both see fossils around the earth, both have the same evidence, both reach different determinations about what the fossils points towards for a model of origins. A creationist holds to God’s Word, while an evolutionist rejects the supernatural, thereby affirming humanity is left to itself for determining what is true as opposed to what is false. As with the concept of questioning everything, the idea that certainty stems from pure logic or interpretation of evidence does not hold up. Logical thought is based upon more elementary presuppositions, and your interpretation of evidence will be governed by your foundational beliefs. It is irrational to believe that either of these can serve as the foundation for a worldview. Reason serves a ministerial role to your primary commitments, evidence will be interpreted in light of those commitments, thereby showing neither can provide a foundation by themselves.
Finding Truth
Those who are seeking to question every aspect of the world in order to form a belief system, claim to have a goal in mind. In reality, they believe they are seeking after the truth. However, they are using the secular world’s method in the process, and will only find a counterfeit in the end. Paul made this fascinating claim in 1 Corinthians 1:20-24:
“Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” -1 Corinthians 1:20-24
Understanding truth, obtaining wisdom, finding knowledge, these high qualities do not come from the world, they come from Christ! Therefore, the answer of biblical Christianity is that if you want to know truth, come to Christ. There is no other stable foundation for understanding reality than the Lord Jesus Christ. He has specifically revealed Himself in the Scripture making it our ultimate authority. Wisdom does not come from endlessly questioning everything, it comes from submitting to Christ seeking the treasures of wisdom and knowledge found in Him. If you are going to know the truth, you must stand on the only firm foundation of truth, or else you will sink in the falsehoods of the world.
What action should those with serious worldview questions take? They should realize there is no consistent and rational foundation for truth, morality, logic, wisdom, or knowledge outside of Christ. At which point, they must bow before Him as Lord repenting of their sins, placing faith in the resurrected Christ. They seek the answers to their questions from the infallible and sufficient source of knowledge, Scripture. Striving to find the answers based upon the stability of Christ is the manner by which a cohesive worldview is built. It is the only way to both understand and provide a foundation for truth. Simply put, if you are to know the truth about reality, you must come to the One who is truth!
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