Why asking questions about Jesus is the best way to grow your faith

If you grew up in church, you may have been introduced to the idea of having a faith that is bigger than your doubts. You may have even heard the verse in Mark 9 that says, “Lord, help my unbelief” as a way to encourage having faith bigger than your questions. In some other churches, the phrase “Just believe” or “You just have to have faith” may have been a staple.

These phrases and verses all have the best of intentions. However, in some cases, they are taken out of context and used to discourage questions about God and Jesus. And that becomes dangerous. Not being able to ask the hard questions about God sets you up for a house-of-cards faith: one rough season in life, one bad outcome, one pointed critique, and BAM — your faith tumbles. 

Here’s the truth: God wants you to ask the hard questions. He is an intellectual being who created us with intellect. He is not afraid of questions. And He is not afraid of doubts. 

If Christian beliefs hold us, then God is the Creator of the universe. He is an absolute truth. So, the more you ask the hard questions and pursue truth, the closer you will get to God. 

Abandon what you cannot examine

This is a good rule of thumb for just about anything in life, but even more so for your belief system. If you are going to align your entire life with a system of values and beliefs, you’d better be able to flip that belief system inside out and upside down and have it still hold up. 

Jesus uses a parable about the cost of building your house on sand versus building it on rocks. In the parable, the storms of life come, and the house built upon the sand is destroyed, but the house built on the rocks withstands the storm. 

Within context, Jesus uses the parable to describe the importance of building the foundation of your life on the Rock (Jesus Himself) as opposed to building on things of the world that can be washed away in an instant. However, this parable also stands true for Christians who do not build an intellectual faith. Faith built on facts and truth can withstand the storms of life. Faith built on blind belief will crumble when the winds blow. 

Root yourself in truth

In Matthew 13, Jesus tells a parable about a farmer scattering seeds across the soil:

Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop — a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” — Matthew 13:3-8 (NIV)

Fast-forward a few verses to when Jesus had to explain that same parable to His disciples (something that happened quite often):

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” — Matthew 13:18-23 (NIV)

In this parable, the person who hears the Word and understands it is the one whose faith stands firm. Remember in grade school when you were learning something new, you would ask questions. Maybe you even heard that expression that teachers love, “The only dumb question is the one unasked.” Questions have always been encouraged when learning something new; the same principle is true for following Jesus. His disciples never simply listened to what Jesus said and accepted it. They always asked questions and asked for clarification. And we should, too. Questions root us in truth, which is the only thing that will help our faith withstand the seasons in life when what we experience doesn’t seem to line up with what we’ve been told to believe.

You can find Jesus in the midst of your questions

A terrible diagnosis does not change the fact that there are numerous pieces of historical evidence for a resurrected Jesus. Questions about Jonah and the big fish (it’s OK to think that’s a weird story) don’t change the fact that more than 500 eyewitnesses testified that they saw Jesus walking the streets after He was crucified. Pointed criticisms about Old Testament laws don’t change the fact that Jesus’ disciples chose to die for what they saw (not what they believed — people die for what they believe all the time). His disciples were tortured and killed for what they said they saw — a resurrected Jesus. 

You see, you can have questions and still believe that Jesus is who He said He is. You can pursue truth and Jesus at the same time. In fact, pursuing truth and asking the hard questions will often push you closer to Jesus. He is truth personified.

As Jesus said, the storms of life will come. But we get to choose the foundation on which we build our house. Let it be one of deep-rooted intellect.