“And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
(John 20:28-29)
Few passages in the Bible are as strong as Thomas’s recorded exclamation in affirming, clearly, categorically, and definitively, the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. The fact that Bible-carrying cultists can still deny this essential doctrine is itself a testimony to the persuasive power of the spirit of the age. Paul predicted that “in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1). Strange to say, the wave of Christ-denying cultists in our time is serving to illustrate the veracity of the Bible’s claims. This is not good news for the cultist, however, for “whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God.” The beloved disciple who issued that warning was quick to add that, “he that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son” (2 John 1:9). Surely this includes Thomas, the one-time skeptic turned great confessor of the faith. The “doubting Thomas” refused to believe the testimony of 10 men who claimed to have seen the Lord alive from the dead (John 20:24-25). I can sympathize with Thomas here; what these men were claiming was quite extraordinary and nothing anyone was expecting or prepared for. I also find some reason to admire him in his skepticism. Today, masses of people are swayed this way and that by popular claims and opinions. They seem to lack the power to rationally evaluate the truth claims that confront them and they allow themselves to be cared along placidly by the spirit of the age. Thomas refused to be pushed around in this way. He had his chosen methods of investigation and standards of demonstration firmly and inflexibly in mind. It is important to note that Thomas, unlike most of Christianity’s detractors, was an honest skeptic. When his chosen standards of demonstration were met, he humbly acknowledged the fact and bent the knee to the King of kings and Lord of lords. Absolutely overwhelmed, he exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34) and we may be very sure that Thomas’s heart and mind were at last set right in the eyes of the Lord. I think it is important to contemplate the twin titles Thomas recognized Jesus to be holding. As God, Jesus was entitled to the same honor and worship as the Father. Christ Himself declared that “all men should honor the Son, even as they honour the Father” (John 5:23). In recognizing Christ as Lord, Thomas saw Him as possessing the supreme right to be believed and obeyed. Blessed as Thomas was for this, we who follow his example—yet without seeing the Lord as he did—are promised even greater blessings than he.
God bless and encourage you today,
pastor john
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