Theo 104 Reflection Paper

Joshua Helms (L26498275)

THEO 104

Dr. Norm Mathers

8/12/2014

Reflection Paper 2

Introduction

Over the course of the semester, my knowledge of theology has grown from very little into something much larger. My curiosity for this class sparked a yearn for further education about theology. People do not seem interested about the topic but they should be because it makes you think about religion differently and to a Christian it can give perspective as well as further your walk with God. The two topics that have stuck out the most to me was Doubt and Character Development. Doubt and Character Development is a vital part of Christian’s faith as well as it is in their growth with God.

Doubt

Doubt is a creeping feeling that can overcome us when

we start to undermine our own feelings instead of turning to God for help. Roughly there are seven Greek translations in the Bible that appear to be doubt but the ones I will focus on are: to reason or argue, to suspend in air, and to waver (Marbaniang). These three definitions of doubt are extremely accurate because when we doubt, we do argue with God, our faith seems suspended in air, and the feeling of doubt wavers us down. There are many instances in the Bible where people start to doubt or have a moment of unbelief. Job doubted God at times but he had his faith restored in him and was granted two-fold of everything that was lost to him. Though Job is a great example, Peter doubted God and Jesus and it affected him. In the book of Matthew, Jesus asked Peter to step out into the water but Peter does not believe that is Jesus and Peter falls in. Peter cries for help and this happens “Jesus didn’t hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, “Faint-heart, what got into you?” (Matthew 14:31, The Message). In this instance, because of Peter’s doubt he fell into the water, almost drowning, because he did not think he could walk on water with the help of Jesus Christ. This shows with even the sliver of doubt, it can turn your faith into nothing. Everyone experiences some form of doubt in their lives, and it usually comes from fear. Proverbs 12:25 says “Worry weighs us down; a cheerful word picks us up.” (The Message) and this extremely true when it applies to helping out those who are feeling doubtful because of fear. I have experienced doubt and I still do, but whenever I feel doubtful I always let God take over the situation that causes my doubt and fear.
Character Development
Developing character does not happen instantly and is something that occurs over time.

We do not simply become awesome men and women of God instantly but through the buildup of character, we do. The theological definition of character development is as Elmer Towns states in Habits of the Heart “Character is result of your discipline. Where a spirituality results in inner power to do good, character results in your habits that make you do good.’ (Towns). Towns basically says that in order for our character to develop is due to our spiritual discipline and the habits that derive from it. Discipline is an important factor in life, specifically for Christians because we need to push ourselves positively towards God. If do not do this correctly, we would not have a very good character and it may not be God’s purpose for a negative character development. Galatians 5:22-23 says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (NIV) the fruits of the spirit do give us the basic needs of good character development. If we do accept the fruits of the spirit as part of our character development as Christians, we will be living the way of God. Character development through God also shows non-believers positivity about Christianity. As a child, I had severe attitude problems with my family because I was not building up my character the way that God wanted. I can relate to many stories of the Bible with character development but the one that strikes the most importance is in the Old Testament about Samson. God had given Samson the incredible power of strength and he could only have this strength if he did not disobey the three commands of drinking wine, women, and cutting his hair. Samson spiraled away from God’s path and eventually broke the three commands he was given about his strength. In the end, Samson was going to be killed but acknowledged what he had done

and God gave him back his powers to kill his captors but in the process Samson sacrificed himself. Character development showed that Samson went from a troublemaker into a mighty hero even though he perished. As Christians, we need to focus on the development of our character in order to show God through our actions.
Conclusion
At the beginning of this course, I knew nothing about the topic of theology but as it comes to a close, I see myself yearning for more theological knowledge. Doubt is a normal occurrence in a Christian’s faith but if we look towards God, that doubt is lifted away. The development of character is building up our lives towards God and showing him through the process of daily life. There are many topics in theology, but character development and doubt are important throughout the life of a Christian.

Works Cited
The Holy Bible, The Message Version
The Holy Bible. New International Version
Marbaniang, D. (2009). The Meaning of Doubt in the Bible. In Explorations of Faith. N.p.
Towns, E. (1994). Habits of the Heart. Lynchburg: Church Growth Institute.