These days, it’s considered cool for a Christian to be a questioner, a doubter, and a skeptic. We’re not going to accept the canned faith of our parents! We’re not going to accept anything at face value! We’re going to ask all the hard questions. Our parents simply accepted what they were told from the pulpit. Not us. We’re courageous in the face of doubt. We’re going to question everything from sexuality to evolution to conservative politics to gay rights to abortion to the inerrancy of the Bible. We’ve got new information, and this information changes everything!

You get my point.

And don’t get me wrong: there is an appropriate time and place to ask hard questions. Every Christian needs to honestly wrestle through the various issues that they face.

But I think it’s important to remember that in scripture, God doesn’t give any special honor to the questioner. God isn’t impressed by the skeptic. He doesn’t think it’s particularly courageous to constantly question his word. In fact, God actively honors faith and actively resists unbelief and skepticism.

Rather, God is impressed by the man or woman who wholeheartedly embraces the word of God, even when the circumstances seem to contradict God’s word.

• When the bleeding woman touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, he said to her, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well” (Matthew 9:22).

• When the centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant from afar, Jesus responded by saying, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith” (Luke 7:9)

• When Abraham saw Sarah getting older and older, he didn’t waver in his faith in God’s promise of a son: “No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised” (Romans 4:20).

God doesn’t take kindly to constant doubt, questioning, and skepticism. God delights in the man who totally embraces the Bible, with no wavering or hesitation. Who trusts the promises of God without constantly questioning. Who resists cynicism and skepticism and constant doubt.

Let’s ask questions. But let’s ask them while maintaining the constant attitude of faith.

This article first appeared on Stephen Altrogge’s website, The Blazing Center, and is used with his permission.