Of The Struggle Between Faith And Unbelief In The Gracious Soul.

Adapted From A Sermon By

Philip Doddridge

“I believe; help my unbelief!”

(Mark 9:24 ESV)

Our text this morning is the desperate, honest cry of a father in Mark 9:24:

“I believe; help my unbelief!”Few sentences in all of Scripture so perfectly capture the inward warfare of every true child of God.

Today we open a window into that struggle, drawing from a sermon once preached by the faithful Philip Doddridge, entitled

“The Struggle Between Faith and Unbelief in the Gracious Soul.” Come, then, and let us look together into our own hearts, and, better still, into the heart of Christ toward His doubting yet believing people.

The words are part of a very moving story, one which we all well know. A poor affectionate father brought to the disciples of Christ a child possessed with an exceedingly fierce devil. The disciples had been used to work cures of this kind. God permitted this evil spirit to oppose them and to maintain its ground against them. He did this to humble them, to exercise the faith of the parent, and to display the superior power of Christ.

This was a dreadful stroke to the poor father. He saw that when others were cured, his dear child was still under the power of the enemy. The enemy raged more fiercely for this ineffectual opposition. At length Christ appears. He finds the child in actual convulsions, tearing and foaming. The father weeps and trembles. He tells of the sad case of his son. The son had been thus tormented even from his very infancy. Then he adds, "If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." He means that if this be not a case beyond your power, use your power here.

He probably conceived of Christ only as a great prophet. He did not know but that there might be some case which exceeded even this extraordinary power which God had communicated to him. Our Lord answers, "If you can! All things are possible for one who believes." He means that if your son is not cured, the reason will not be any incapacity in me, but some remainder of unbelief in you.

The thought that it was possible that his own fault might prevent the cure of his child struck the parent to the heart. The text tells us that the father of the child cried out with tears in his eyes and with great earnestness. Lord, my soul is in great turmoil and confusion. I think of who you are. I think of what you have done in other instances. I think of what you now tell me. I do believe. Yet I can hardly tell you so before a cloud comes over my mind. As I look upon this poor spectacle of horror and misery, I begin to doubt again. Help, therefore, my unbelief. Do this either by controlling the evil spirit or by your secret and powerful operation on my heart. Strengthen this little spark of faith. It may otherwise be put out by these floods of sorrow and suspicion and temptation.

This is sometimes the situation of many Christians when they try to act in faith on the promises of the gospel and cast their cares on the Lord. Therefore, in considering this subject, we will,

I. List some situations when the Christian may especially find reason to cry out for help against unbelief.

II. Show what encouragement the Christian has to turn to Christ for this purpose.

III. Show in what ways we may humbly hope to have our prayers answered and our unbelief overcome. May this be one of those ways, our careful attention to what will now be said, that we may every one of us find our faith strengthened and the rest of our unbelief conquered.

I. Let us consider some situations in which the Christian may especially find reason to cry out for help with the rest of his unbelief. Now faith is a firm belief in the truth of the divine promises. It is a resting on them and accepting them. It is such a strong belief that the promises are the word of God and will be kept that it makes them seem real. It encourages and strengthens the soul in the middle of danger and fears and sorrows.

But it is too clear that a person may understand the divine authority in the promises and have a general sense of the truthfulness of God and yet have no active faith. There is a strange conflict in the human mind. It is one thing to believe with the understanding and another to believe with the heart. Faith is sometimes in the soul like Christ in the ship asleep. Then the storm rages and the soul expects to be destroyed. Sometimes it rises as if with divine authority and calms the wind and the sea and then there is a great calm.

We will consider only a few examples in which the Christian often finds his faith ready to fail him. To most people they may be like these. When the Christian looks at the number and guilt and seriousness of his sins, he may find it hard to believe the promises of pardon. When he sees the prospect of coming trouble, he may find it hard to believe the promises of support and rescue. When he feels the weight of outward or inward pain or perhaps both, he may find it hard to believe such events fit with God’s covenant love or can be used for his greater good. When he thinks about the glories of the heavenly world as described in the word of God, he may find it very hard to believe that such a promise will ever be kept for him.

1. When the Christian looks at the number, guilt, and seriousness of his sins, he may find it hard to believe the promises of pardon. This is the great promise of his covenant, that he will be merciful to our iniquities, and our sins he will remember no more.{Hebrews 8:12} He has therefore spoken it in the strongest terms. He has declared that though our sins be as scarlet, he will make them as white as snow, and though they be as red as crimson, he will make them like as wool.{Isaiah 1:18}

And sometimes the soul is ready to say, “Lord, I can believe that you will forgive any sins but mine. Surely I am the chief of sinners. I have fallen back into sin so often. I have sinned against so many mercies. I have sinned against so many vows. Surely the honor of your law will require you to punish me. Surely if I belonged to your people, if I had received your pardon and your sanctifying grace, there would not remain so much pollution in my nature. There would not remain so many irregularities in my life. Lord, I do believe that there is mercy enough in your nature. There is merit enough in the blood of Christ to pardon even these. But my fears return. I must cry out in this matter, Lord, help my unbelief.”

2. In the prospect of coming trouble the Christian finds it hard to believe the promises of support and rescue. They are great. "He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day."{Psalm 91:4, 5} "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you."{Isaiah 43:2} "Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness."{Psalm 37:3} "His place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks; his bread will be given him; his water will be sure;"{Isaiah 33:16} and, on the whole, whatever your exercises are, as your day is, so shall your strength be. These are precious statements. One would think that they would make the fearful soul as bold as a lion.

But when the cloud gathers and the storm rises, how many are the fears and distresses of the Christian's mind! "I will not have patience to bear this affliction. I will not have resignation and submission of mind to give up these cherished enjoyments. When God takes away this dear friend, I will mourn and droop. I will hardly know how to enjoy God or myself. I will hardly know how to pursue the duties of life with any vigor and cheerfulness. If God calls me to such a fiery trial, I will make shipwreck of faith and of a good conscience. If he calls me out to such a hard duty, I will not have the courage to undertake it or the resolution to go through it." Thus does the Christian often upsets himself. He feels more distress in the distant possibility of a trial than he does when actually called to face it.

3. The Christian under the weight of earthly and spiritual pain finds it hard to believe that it will work for his good. It is a well-known promise of the covenant of grace. No promise is mentioned more often. All things shall work together for good. And the Christian says, “Lord, I can believe it in general. I can in general believe that punishments which are not joyful now but painful will produce the peaceful fruits of righteousness for those who are trained by them.

I believe that light troubles which last only a moment will produce a far greater and eternal weight of glory. But Lord, when I come to specific cases, Lord, help my own unbelief. Can it be a sign of your love to me? Can it be good for me that I should fail in such a matter? Perhaps the support of my family depends so much on it. Can it be good that I should be thrown from one place and from one job to another?

Can it be for my good that I should meet with unkindness? It may be from those relatives who ought to be my protection from all the unkindness of others. Can it be good that I should lose those godly friends that were my daily joy? They stirred me up in your way. With them I have taken the sweetest advice together. I walked to the house of God in company. Can it be for my good that my shade should dry up even when the sun is beating hottest on my aching head?

Can it be good that my staff should be pulled out of my hands before half my journey is finished? Can it be good for me that I should be cut off from the blessings of your house? Can it be good that I should be cut off from my own the duties? It may be that I am shut in for weeks or months together to my room or to a bed. I am a useless weight on a family where I have perhaps been a blessing.”

And the Christian will say, “Oh that this were all! Yes Lord, with the light of your face, with the sense of your love, I could bear this and more. But can it be good for my soul that you should hide your face from me? Can it be good that you should treat me as your enemy? Can it be good that I should go back and forth from one service to another seeking you in vain? Can it be good that I should go to private prayer and there be silent and held back in my spirit before you? Can it be good that I rise from my knees more upset and more troubled than when I tried to pray?

Can it be good for me that I should come to the gathering of your saints as it seems to me only to misuse your services? Can it be good that I should hear and read your word only to provide material for blame and complaint and fear? Can it be good that I should sit down to your table sometimes with a secret fear that I am a Judas at your meal? Can it be good that I am making myself guilty of the body and blood of the Lord? While eating of his bread I lift up my heels against him.

Can these dark fears be for my benefit? Can you be the God of Israel and Savior to me when you are thus hiding yourself from me or writing bitter things against me? Are these the corrections of a father? Are they not rather the blows of an enemy? Lord, help my unbelief!”

4. The Christian may find it hard to believe the promises of future glory as his own when he thinks about the greatness of it and his own complete unworthiness. Christ speaks very kindly to his people as if it were on purpose to stop this doubt. Fear not, says he, little flock weak as you are, unworthy as you take yourselves to be, "it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."{Luke 12:32} “True” will the Christian say “it was your good pleasure to give it to your apostles and your servants in those days. You have thousands in our own whom I can call and say yes these are intended for a kingdom. They look like the heirs of it. But Lord do you intend it for me? If it were merely a promise of being laid in the grave during God’s anger I could perhaps believe that. If it were merely the enjoyment of such a world as this or the short enjoyment of heaven itself it might seem less unbelievable. But to be completely and eternally happy. To have the crown publicly set on my head. This not to be worn for one victorious day but to be worn forever. Surely this is not for me. How can I expect it that such a sinful worm as I am should be taken to be a companion with angels in the joy and glory of your heavenly presence and to sit down with Christ on his throne?

No when I hear of these things I am ready to exclaim like the Shunammite in 2 Kings, do not lie to your servant:{2 Kings 4:16} do not raise a useless and flattering hope to sink me so much the deeper in disappointment and sorrow. Lord what shall I say? It is you who have raised these hopes. Do you fool me? Far be that wicked doubt from my soul. When I look on your word. When I look on the merits and righteousness of your Son. I think that there is room for the expectation. But Lord when I look on myself it seems almost unbelievable. The promise appears too great and too good to be true. On the whole I cry out with tears Lord I believe help my unbelief!"

II. Let us now look at what encouragements the Christian has to turn to Christ in this way and ask him to help his unbelief. We will consider only these two. The Lord Jesus Christ is able to do it. He is under strong obligations to do it.

1. The Lord Jesus Christ is able to do it. He is just as able to heal the weaknesses of the mind as he was to cure the sicknesses of the body. It is he who first creates faith in us by his free Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s full power remains completely available to him. From his fullness we all receive grace upon grace. We may therefore come to him and say, Lord, if you are willing, you can do this. If you are willing, mountains of opposition and discouragement and difficulty will spread out like a plain before the poorest of your servants.

2. Christ is under strong obligations to do it. He is bound by the tenderness of his own nature. He can have compassion on the ignorant and on the weak. Having himself suffered and been tempted, he knows our weakness. He knows how strongly visible things can affect us and sometimes discourage our spirits. You know how he cared for Peter and prayed for him: "I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail."{Luke 22:32} He is also bound by his office as the Shepherd of his people and as the Savior of his body. He is in some measure bound by his honor as well. He has begun this good work of faith in the soul. He will not abandon the work of his own hands. The more our faith is strengthened and increased, the more he will be glorified by us. These are all matters that could fill a much longer message. But we move now to the end,

III. To look briefly at how we may humbly hope to have these prayers heard and our unbelief helped and removed. Here the advice offered is such as this. Spend much time with the promises of Christ and with his unchanging grace and faithfulness. Think often about how those promises have already been kept in your own life and in the lives of others. Pray earnestly for the strengthening and life-giving Spirit. Attend those services which he has appointed for this very purpose.

1. If you desire that your unbelief may be helped, spend much time with the promises. The New Testament is full of them. Through the kindness of God to the people of the Old Testament, many bright and shining rays break through the shadows of the Old Testament as well. Worship God for these promises. Study them carefully. Work to understand them. Consider which ones are unconditional and absolute. Consider which ones are conditional and depend on certain circumstances. Do this so that you do not expect too much in areas that are not clearly promised. Do this so that disappointment in one matter does not cause you to doubt the promises that are completely certain.

Remember that the exact amount of earthly blessings and present comfort is not fixed in the promises. Remember that a very great amount of darkness and present pain is fully consistent with everything God has promised in his word. Yet the promises of pardon and peace, of strength and salvation, of a glorious resurrection, and a blessed eternal life are the good news of the gospel.

Remember that proper provision is made for many different situations and needs in life. Therefore read the promises with careful attention. Gather them together. Think deeply about them. Try to see what power and life are in them. Use them against your own unbelieving heart. Bring them to God in prayer. "Why are you cast down, O my soul?"{Psalm 42:5} What amazingly rich and precious promises these are! Has God spoken, and shall he not do it? Can you trust a weak, lying, mortal person, and yet refuse to trust God? Will you not trust the Lord Jesus Christ? Can you think so poorly of him that you imagine he will fool you and raise your hopes for nothing? O my soul, it is not possible. It cannot be so. His grace led him to make these promises. His faithfulness will cause him to keep them. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but his words shall never pass away.{Matthew 24:35} Which leads to the following,

2. Think much about the unchanging grace and faithfulness of Christ. Remember that all the promises are made and established in him: "all the promises of God find their Yes in him."{2 Corinthians 1:20} And is he not the same yesterday, today, and forever? If Christ on earth had given me a promise, could I have trusted him? Lord, I could without doubt have trusted you. I could have traveled over lands and seas on your word alone. I could have gone helpless and friendless to the ends of the earth on the strength of your promise that I would be safe and do well. And shall I not trust you now? Are you less able or less faithful? Is the Lord whom I serve so forgetful that he sometimes overlooks his promise? Is he so busy that he cannot attend to the particular needs of his people?

Would anyone say of him what Elijah said of Baal: Perhaps he is on a journey or he talks with others or perhaps he sleeps and must be awakened? These are dishonorable and wicked thoughts. Would you, O my unbelieving heart, suggest them? And if not, what would you suggest instead? When Christ has called himself the good Shepherd and declared that he will give his sheep eternal life and that nothing shall separate them from his love, do you suspect that he will not keep his word?

3. If you desire that Christ may strengthen your faith, then often think about your own experiences and about those of your fellow Christians. The ways God has worked in life and in grace provide a beautiful explanation of the promises in his word. Think about what you have been through and what you have felt. "I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High."{Psalm 77:10} Remember all his wonderful acts in the past. Must you not admit that you would have given up unless you had believed? Has God not forgiven many of your earlier sins and given you a joyful sense of being forgiven? Has he not provided for you when you were in need? Has he not comforted you in your sorrows? Has he not held you up in troubles that you thought would surely crush you?

Indeed, every Christian ought to see the promises as sealed and proved by this experience. It shows great ungratefulness if you forget your faithful and tested friend. And please think also about the experience of others. Think how God has sometimes stepped in for even the lowliest of his people in such a clear and striking way that everyone who knows the details has to say, this is the finger of God. When you remember how he has rescued in the past and how he still rescues now, you will trust that he will yet rescue again.

4. If you expect that Christ will help your unbelief, you must pray earnestly for the Spirit. It is the work and office of the Spirit to create faith in the soul and to increase it. The Christian defeats his spiritual enemies on his knees. How often do we see that David’s faith clearly grew stronger while he was writing a psalm. He begins with the deepest complaints and ends with praise. How often have we ourselves met the comforting Savior in this very duty. Therefore cry to him with great earnestness and persistence. Cry out with tears, Lord, help my unbelief.

5. You have reason to hope that Christ will help your unbelief in attending ordinances. The preaching of the word brings the promises together, and in this respect "faith comes from hearing."{Romans 10:17} In the Lord's Supper the covenant comprehends all these promises as sealed, and there very frequently God lets in a word of comfort and a ray of light upon the humble expecting soul. Attend then, therefore, with a cheerful expectation that God will meet you, and bless you in them; and if there be a struggle raised within or without, to prevent your attendance on such ordinances, turn the difficulties and objections into an argument, and assure yourselves that your spiritual enemies oppose them, because they fear that the consequences of them should be too happy to your souls.