By Ashlea Massie

The early church knew what salvation entailed: believing in Christ, asking forgiveness of their sins, repenting, being baptized. And although they knew this in their head, they began to doubt when fellow believers claimed otherwise. They began to doubt if what they had known to be true was suddenly a lie. Had they been deceived?

Seeds of Doubt

Maybe you’ve felt the same way before. You firmly believed a particular truth from the Scriptures, and then all of a sudden someone you trust very well or look up to as a godly example says otherwise. You doubt your view of the Bible, because you feel you aren’t as qualified, and so you think, Well, maybe I am wrong. I was so sure . . . but he would know more than I do. And then the seeds of doubt begin to form within your heart. You wonder if you were wrong all along.

How do we reconcile a time of testing? What can we do to know what’s true?

No More Worries

Peter appealed to reasoning. He exhorted the believers to remember that God sent the Holy Spirit, the mark of a true believer, to the Gentiles who were converted under him. Peter testified that he saw it with his own eyes, and the rest of them knew it. He implied that obviously things had changed if God would accept someone who wasn’t circumcised. 

It’s the same way with us. We can question what we hear others say and search Scripture to affirm the truth. Is there evidence for what we believe to be true? Where is the evidence for those who claim otherwise? Does the message come only from people’s lips or from the Bible? We don’t have to wonder and worry because God’s Word and his Holy Spirit will guide us into truth. 

Ashlea Massie teaches high school students and is pursuing an M.A. in literature. She also enjoys freelance writing and blogging (everupward-excelsior.blogspot.com).