“Don’t be a doubting Thomas!“

This is a term that is quickly fading within our post-Christian Western society. Once upon a time, it was a common saying. Depending on your age, you may remember it. Maybe you’ve never heard it before and wonder what it means and where it came from?

To find out, we turn to the Bible. The New Testament book of John to be specific. In chapter 20, there’s a unique focus on a certain disciple by the name of Thomas.

“Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’” (John 20:24-25)

“A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’ Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”” (John 20:26-29)

Belief in the Resurrected Jesus

There are so many people in this world, including many historians and great scholars, that openly accept that Jesus Christ was a real person. A man who walked the earth, ministering to people, and then was crucified by the Roman Empire, a little more than 2000 years ago.

The resurrection, however, is always downplayed. And yet, the resurrection is the key to true belief and faith in Jesus Christ. Belief in the resurrected Jesus changes everything; moving our faith from a historic figure to a miraculous being, from prophet to Messiah!

It’s crazy to realize that one of Jesus’ disciples was His first skeptic! Thomas would be the first of millions of people who need (and at times, demand) evidence before their hearts soften.

Thomas was the first person to doubt.

Even though he had lived and served with these fellow disciples, which must have offered some element of trust. Even though he was taught by Jesus himself and had already witnessed many miracles, he still doubted. For whatever reason, his mind struggle to comprehend that His Christ had truly returned from the dead.

Let’s be honest, all of us struggle with doubt on some level. Perhaps this is why Jesus calls us to have faith like a child? In that innocence, we seek God without needing proof at every turn. Unfortunately, as we grow into adulthood, faith gets harder. We have to see it for ourselves! Our fallen human nature causes us to question everything, no matter how much God has provided in His creation and in our daily lives.

How does this faith struggle play out?

The short answer is, in a couple of ways. The first is displayed in a constant striving to see more and experience more. Even when God shows up, they want the next moment, the next miracle. They feel frustrated if the Holy Spirit isn’t felt with enough intensity. They hunger and thirst for emotional highs and charismatic escapades, which might take place but sometimes they just don’t.

If this sound familiar, your struggle with doubt can be eased by making a choice to rest on simple belief and trust. If this is your struggle, understand and accept that God is there in the quiet and calm as well. Strive to be satisfied with belonging in Him, and you might even find Him speaking in the patience and silence of your mind.

Doubt can also show up in another way.

Doubt can mask itself in manufactured faith. This second form of doubt appears by making every simple work of God seem more elaborate than it is. This person convinces themselves into an emotional high. It often appears in Christian rhetoric to explain certain situations. For example, the person may commonly claim that God spoke to them, when in fact, that never actually happened.

Don’t get me wrong, it would be really exciting to have God audibly (perhaps in that recognizable James Earl Jones voice) speak to us from a cloud or a mountain. Scripture tells us He’s done it in the past, so if God wanted to, He absolutely could. It just doesn’t often happen like that. If you find yourself constantly stating, “God spoke to me” to excite or excel the message or moment, ask yourself why?

Instead, be satisfied that the Holy Spirit often impresses something on our minds or reveals a message to us through a piece of Scripture. It might even be directly applicable to our current struggle. We can’t let our doubt morph that amazing moment into a white lie regardless of how accepted it is in Christian circles. This kind of embellishment won’t help our faith. Nor will it help our Gospel mission, in sharing our faith with others.

Lean into authenticity and vulnerability.

Simple faith is often the most believable. Lean into an authentic trust in Jesus. Stop chasing miracles and emotional moments. Find contentment in the small thought that the Holy Spirit brought you, without feeling the need to exaggerate it. Don’t let your doubt push you away from an authentic faith that lasts through the highs and the lows.

Match your authenticity with vulnerability. Be okay with times of doubt. Be patient and wait for God to show up in those valleys. And you don’t have to keep it to yourself. You don’t even need to keep within Christian circles!

One of the best ways to give witness is to show our imperfection, that Christians struggle like everyone else. Sure, there are some truths to which we cling, but to deny that those truths never come into question in our minds would be dishonest. Instead, be vulnerable and share the doubt, and the process of remaining faithful, or perhaps the times when you have come back to faith.

Let’s collectively make a decision.

Let’s choose to believe. Let’s believe not based on super-natural displays or even logical debate. Let’s just believe based on our faith that Jesus said it. Let’s believe that someone close to Him wrote it down for us to read.

Let’s tell ourselves, “Don’t be a Doubting-Thomas!“