Mercy For Those Who Doubt

This verse stuck with me the other night.

"Be merciful to those who doubt" Jude 1:22 NIV

The main point of the book of Jude is for believers to “contend for the faith,” and the verse above comes toward the end of the letter, in a section about how we should contend for the faith.

When someone has doubts, we should show compassion for them, not judgment or condemnation.

But what struck me the other night wasn’t just that we ourselves should be merciful to those who doubt. My mind went to why God would say that.

If God wants us to be merciful to people who doubt, then He Himself must be merciful to people who doubt.

One of the responsibilities of believers is to represent God's character to others, and one purpose of the Bible is to teach us how to do just that.

So if God asks us to be merciful, it’s because mercy reflects His character.

Throughout the Bible, we learn that God is merciful. But many times, people wonder if they can admit they have doubts.

Is God going to punish me for having doubts? Is it okay to ask difficult questions? Can I truly wrestle with faith, or does that disqualify me somehow?

Many times, we may view God as harsh or angry, but Jude shows us that God is merciful even when we have doubts.

That’s encouraging for me, and I hope it is for you too.

If you have doubts, and I think it’s safe to say almost everyone has doubts at times, remember who God is. He’s merciful. That’s part of His character, even when we doubt.

And because of this, we can approach Him in our doubts. We can be honest with Him. We can share our questions, concerns, hurts, and frustrations with Him.

If we are struggling with unbelief, we can join the man in Mark 9:24 in saying, “Help my unbelief!”

And when we do, we can expect to be met with mercy, not judgment.

Don’t give up if you’re doubting. Remember God’s mercy, and let that draw you near to Him.