{"id":70241,"date":"2024-10-09T21:43:23","date_gmt":"2024-10-10T02:43:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=70241"},"modified":"2024-10-09T21:43:23","modified_gmt":"2024-10-10T02:43:23","slug":"do-i-not-have-enough-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-i-not-have-enough-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"Do I not have enough faith?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

Question:<\/h2>\n

Hello Mr. Hamilton,<\/p>\n

I have a question in one of your articles titled: Does true faith mean the command to be baptized does not save a person?<\/a> You said that: “A person who does not obey demonstrates by his actions that he doesn’t really believe.” I have OCD, and I end up doubting Jesus and the resurrection and doubting the Bible. Because of my doubts, I have put off getting baptized. Does that mean I don’t really believe? If it does, how do I truly believe? You have previously told me that I wasn’t an atheist or agnostic, and that truly meant a lot to me. I struggle because I feel like a fraud if I get baptized, like I’m just getting wet or going through the motions. I recently saw a video of people lining up to get baptized after Hurricane Helene, and whenever I see something like this, it makes me go when is that going to be me? Am I ready? Do I believe in the resurrection? But just like that article you sent me: “Does faith mean you never doubt?<\/a>” the girl stated that she wouldn’t be questioning it if she didn’t care.<\/p>\n

Do I do it knowing that I may always struggle with doubt?<\/p>\n

It makes me feel so alone, and sometimes scared because I think what would happen to me when I die?\u00a0My parents tell me they know I believe, but it’s hard when you question that about yourself.\u00a0Sometimes I wonder what is wrong with me. As much as I try, I never seem to get there. Is my brain broken?<\/p>\n\t

Answer:<\/h2>\n

Like other people with OCD, you are risk-averse. You want absolute certainty. However, life requires that you take reasonable risks. See\u00a0Reasonable Risks<\/a> for details. Are you ever going to be so positive about Jesus, the resurrection, or the Bible that you will never have any questions or doubts? That is unlikely. However, do you know of a better way to live your life?<\/p>\n

The person in “Does true faith mean the command to be baptized does not save a person?<\/a>” wanted to argue that faith allowed him to ignore what God said. I demonstrated that faith drives people to do what God said. Ignoring what God said shows a lack of trust in God.<\/p>\n

“By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked<\/em>” (I John 2:3-6).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Faith isn’t a feeling; it is a decision. Do you trust God with your life? Sure, there will be times when you are uncertain, or the choices feel difficult. But faith is the decision to do things God’s way, knowing that things will come out best in the long run. Yes, because of your OCD, you may be frequently plagued by doubts, but despite those moments, you can still decide to allow God to guide your life.<\/p>\n

If you are scared how your life will end up without God, that means you do have faith in the warnings of God. Trust the rest of what God said and obey Him.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: Hello Mr. Hamilton, I have a question in one of your articles titled: Does true faith mean the command to be baptized does not save a person? You said that: “A person who does not obey demonstrates by his actions that he doesn’t really believe.” I have OCD, and I end up doubting Jesus…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[52,49,54],"class_list":["post-70241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-baptism","tag-faith","tag-obedience"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2440,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-want-to-be-baptized-but-how-can-i-find-a-true-believer-to-do-it\/","url_meta":{"origin":70241,"position":0},"title":"I want to be baptized, but how can I find a true believer to do it?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I recently came across the fact that baptism is a necessary step for the forgiveness of sins. If this interpretation is true, it means that I've never met a Christian in my whole life. Most people I know who are or claim to be a Christian were baptized because\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":38938,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-i-realize-that-i-had-sins-after-baptism-does-that-mean-i-need-to-be-baptized-again\/","url_meta":{"origin":70241,"position":1},"title":"If I realize that I had sins after baptism, does that mean I need to be baptized again?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 21, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, After spending most of my teenage and early adult life in the Baptist Church, I came upon the\u00a0Interactive Bible Study by Ronald Boatwright, which talked about how to be biblically saved.\u00a0I was actually baptized for the correct reason a few weeks ago. However, I've been wondering if I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60317,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-i-need-to-get-baptized-again\/","url_meta":{"origin":70241,"position":2},"title":"Do I need to get baptized again?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 15, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I grew up in the church of Christ. I was first baptized around age 12. I later was baptized again because I became unsure if I did it for the correct reasons the first time. I thought I did it more out of fear of hell than belief\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":95804,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-a-person-be-rebaptized\/","url_meta":{"origin":70241,"position":3},"title":"Should a person be rebaptized?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Dear minister, If a Child is baptized without initial conviction, should this person be rebaptized if he is now convinced? God bless you. Answer: If a person has no conviction, then you are saying they had no faith. Baptism without faith is merely an immersion in water. It does\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1038,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-authority-is-there-for-re-baptism\/","url_meta":{"origin":70241,"position":4},"title":"What authority is there for re-baptism?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 16, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Where does the Bible authenticate re-baptizing anyone who believed in Jesus and was baptized in His name? Answer: I know of none. Baptism is an act that is done once. \"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":95595,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/baptism-faith-in-the-powerful-working-of-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":70241,"position":5},"title":"Baptism – Faith in the Powerful Working of God","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Edwin Crozier I honestly do not understand why there is so much debate surrounding baptism. To be clear, I get the doctrinal wranglings and how they have developed. I just don't understand how they hold sway in light of what the Bible clearly says about baptism. I'm not even\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70241\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}