Matthew 11:1-5 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples… I. That there is No SIN IN DOUBTING. Some doubts are sinful, when born of irrational prejudices, or bred of unregulated life. But doubt, of its own nature, cannot be sinful. Must be hesitation till evidence be sufficient. II. But FAITH IS BETTER THAN DOUBT. We are never encouraged in Scripture in cultivating an inner habit of intellectual or moral scepticism. Doubt is only a means to faith. III. There may exist honest doubt, NOTWITHSTANDING DILIGENT EFFORTS MADE TO REMOVE IT. 1. In any attempt to subdue scepticism, regard should be had to the proximate cause of it, or to the real cause of it. Much perplexity has a physical cause. The gospel for the body: rest, change, ocean, may remove this. Doubt has intellectual cause; not to be forced down by acts of will, but by prayer for more light. There are doubts which have a moral origin. Let conscience speak and remove them. 2. That nearly all doubts concerning Christ or Christian truth, ought to be brought in some way before Christ Himself, and given as it were into His own hand for solution. Christ's reply to the Baptist was clear, prompt, convincing. It is an argumentative reply; fresh evidence is presented. Christ's work is always open to examination, and testifies to His Messiahship; if it does not then do not believe. (A. Raleigh, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. |
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