Faith and doubts aren’t contradictory, but complementary. Without doubts there would be no faith.
Some beliefs only involve mental assent. No one denies, for example, that two plus two equals four. No faith is involved here. But some of the most important things in life involve much more than mental assent. They require faith in the face of doubt.
Our lives aren’t defined by self-evident facts that only require mental assent. Facts merely require submission to the obvious. Our lives are defined by actions of faith in the face of questions and risk. Essential questions like “What is right?”, “Where should I take a stand?”, “Is love real?” all involve commitment and risk.
Just as our lives are defined by faith, the character of our faith is defined by our view of God.
God created Adam and Eve with the ability to choose between good and evil. But the choice between good and evil involved much more than mere mental assent to obvious fact. God’s command not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil wasn’t a statement of self-evident fact, but one of value. The Serpent didn’t procure their disobedience by exposing them to self-evident fact, but by attacking their faith in their Creator.
Belief in God would be easier if it only required confidence in the obvious and undeniable. But belief in God requires faith, and faith can only be exercised when it is activated by doubt.
