There are human reasons for a basic feeling of insecurity. These do not have to have anything to do with faith and the Bible. But then there are also doctrinal reasons that cause people to be frightened, which leads to uncertainty. The search for God and the interest in the Bible can ultimately also mark the search for absolute reliability. This is legitimate, but involves the danger of losing oneself in the supposed “certainty” of certain teachings instead of trusting God. The supposed security masks a deep insecurity. This is something to talk about, especially when doctrinal arrogance seeks a following.

You can’t hide from an almighty God. Think about that for a moment. It doesn’t matter whether you believe or don’t believe – the idea of the difference between God and man can be grasped neutrally. God and man are different and God is a point of reference outside of one’s own perception and feeling. He is omnipotent, so the assessment goes, and at the same time He is inaudible and invisible.

How we see God, whether we recognize Him as such, and what feelings go along with this, happens between our ears. There, it may not always be about pious ideas, but about bare survival. Sometimes it’s about safety, security and what a person needs to live. Faith can mediate this, but sometimes it is just symptom relief. This should be clarified. In most cases, people themselves point out that they are fundamentally plagued by insecurity and that their faith has not freed them from this. Both the human and theological aspects of this must be taken seriously. Sometimes you have to deliberately not talk about the Bible so that you don’t repeat an unsuccessful life strategy. How do you initiate a reset of thinking and internalized values?

The search for security

Anyone who experiences imperfection, insecurity, pain and death as a human being naturally reaches out for better things. What is missing here in the experience is readily expected and hoped for in the future.

This is important: It is uncertainty that makes people strive for security. It is only the injustice we experience that gives us hope for a time of justice. In this way, the Bible is embedded in the current experience of this world. So the Bible speaks against this background of human experience and longs for a redemption from this experience and a redemption for a time of better character.

Logical, isn’t it? Biblical prophecy can be seen as a response to human experience. People experience injustice and they hear about a righteous God who will one day set everything right. It can also be seen as God’s response to the suffering in the world. This answer from God is not today, but in a future that is presented in an increasingly differentiated and comprehensive way throughout the Bible. The messianic kingdom appears to be an important intermediate stage (Dan 2:44). A comprehensive final stage is the ultimate reconciliation of the universe with God through the blood of the cross (Col 1:20).

That would be something like an outlook on security. I think that is legitimate and exactly what you find in the Bible. But if you look behind this and ask about the causes of a person’s insecurity, you can include various things in your considerations:

1. Insecure as a human being
   Many people are unsure. They are not aware of their worth, struggle with their appearance, their achievements, their ideas and perhaps even ask themselves whether they are “enough for God as a human being”. This insecurity is an insecurity about oneself. This has nothing to do with beliefs, but can lead to people seeking “security in faith” as a counterbalance, so to speak. This leads me to the question: What kind of image of humanity is needed in teachings and communities so that people can be healed through healthier and grace-filled ideas? Is this found in the Bible?
2. Unsafe due to certain teachings
   An expression such as “assurance of salvation” is typical of many free church communities. The expression thrives where there is uncertainty. Many are deeply unsettled by dubious doctrines (such as the doctrine of hell or some doctrines of predestination) and experience God as unpredictable and vengeful. How should you behave then? How can “uncertainty of salvation” be offset by “certainty of salvation”? Note here that a term like “assurance of salvation” is not a topic in the Bible. Rather, it is a phenomenon that emerges after and with the idea of a vengeful God and hell teachings. Many people are unsettled by teachings that are not mentioned anywhere in the Bible, but are located there.

Challenges

Whoever believes is not safe by that alone. Security should not be a goal of faith either. If you need security, you talk about yourself first. That is legitimate. Then there is another quite extreme and special constellation. These are people like myself who have put an extraordinary amount of time and effort into better understanding the Bible. They have dug deep into doctrine and foundations and do so out of a deep inner need. But is all that glitters gold?

Such depth in matters of faith sounds great. In a way, it is. However, we should be wary of this: Wanting to know everything about the Bible, wanting to explain everything, wanting to understand everything can only be an expression of insecurity. It can mark an attempt to solve it on one’s own, but under a pious cloak of biblical knowledge. That would be a trap. Those who believe authentically can ask themselves such questions and find out more about their own assumptions and needs. From my own experience, I can confirm that “a lot of Bible” is not necessarily “better” or more secure. Knowing the Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. The Scriptures are useful, as Paul describes (2 Timothy 3:16-17). How can we recognize the purpose of Scripture in these verses?

Discuss the considerations and learn from each other what the challenges are with your own beliefs and why security is very important for some people. How can we better counter uncertainty?