Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)
“When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.”
That small comment above, which the gospel writer Matthew added to this account, is incredibly comforting to me.
Wait, what? Doubt is . . . comforting?
Let me clarify.
Doubt in itself isn’t comforting to me.
That the eleven disciples doubted—the apostles who had been with Jesus for three years, seen him perform incredible miracles, witnessed his resurrection from the dead—that is comforting to me. Because if those eleven men who were eyewitnesses to the works of our Savior Jesus still had doubts, even after everything they had heard and seen, that puts my moments of doubt into perspective.
As sinful humans, we all experience doubt in some way throughout our lives. And the devil likes to prey on those doubts, attempting to drive a wedge between God and us. What if the Bible isn’t true? What if God doesn’t really love me? What if my sins aren’t actually forgiven? What if . . . what if . . . what if . . .
Doubt can send us spiraling into a tailspin, and we might even wonder, “If I doubt, does that mean I won’t be saved? Does that mean my faith isn’t strong enough?”
Dear Christian, by no means are the spiraling thoughts above true. Our moments of doubt do not disqualify us from salvation. The strength of our faith isn’t why we’re going to heaven when Christ returns or calls us home.
We’re saved by God’s grace through Spirit-worked faith in our hearts. And this faith isn’t in ourselves and what we do or don’t do. It’s firmly founded exclusively in Jesus and what he has done for us. His perfect life, free of doubt and full of unwavering belief in God, is ours.
The same Jesus whom the eleven disciples worshiped, even as some of them doubted, is the Jesus we worship and call our Lord and Savior. We look to him and him alone for our salvation. We listen to his Word and the promises he makes there, assuring us that he loves us, forgives us, and calls us his own.
Fix your attention on Jesus’ words to his disciples in this account: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
What if I doubt? What if you doubt?
Look to our Savior Jesus and what he has done for us. Listen to his Word and be strengthened by his means of grace through Word and sacrament. And know that in our moments of doubt and conviction, he is with us—always.
“How do I know that I’m actually saved? I know what Jesus did for me, but do I really know it from the depths of my heart? How much belief is enough?”
I Know That I Know tackles these common questions about faith with God’s Word and points you to your Savior Jesus and what he has done for you.
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Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House and a 2023 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree. He enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation with his family.
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