John 20:24-31April 26, 2020Pastor Tyler WilliamsAbide & Go! The Gospel of John, Part 2

Faith, Doubt, and Unbelief “Doubting” Thomas

“Believing” Thomas

Thomas’ ardent confession of faith exemplifies the type of believing faith that the Gospel was intended to evoke:

“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (20:30-31).

Thomas in John’s Gospel

Brave Thomas

Willing to die with Jesus: “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (11:16)

Honest Thomas

“Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (14:5)

Thomas’ Request

“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” (20:25).

Thomas just wanted the same opportunity that the other disciples had when Jesus appeared to them earlier (20:19-23).

Jesus’ Concession

One of the most exciting things about this story is the fact that Jesus did respond to Thomas’ request! (see 1Peter 5:7)

(As a church we need to foster an atmosphere of love and openness so that we can feel free to share our doubts and concerns with each other without a fear of rejection)

Thomas’ Confession

“My Lord and my God!” (20:28)

Deeply Theological: It makes explicit in the clearest terms the divinity of Jesus Christ.

Profoundly Personal: “My Lord and my God.”

Thomas’ Confession

“Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (20:29).

Not contrasting seeing and believing (it’s not a rebuke to Thomas; all the first disciples saw and believed).

Rather, it’s saying happy are those who, without having Thomas’ experience, share Thomas’ faith (compare 1Peter 1:8).

Our Confession

“But these are written that you may believe [or may continue to believe] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (20:31).

“May believe” (aorist tense); or

“May continue to believe” (perfect tense).

Our Confession

For those who do not yet know Jesus as Lord and Saviour, consider making Thomas’ confession your own

For us who already believe, Thomas’ confession is an encouragement to renew our own faith

Our Confession

The second verb (“by believing”) is in the present tense…

Believing is not a once-and-for-all action; but it is an ongoing activity in which we grow and deepen throughout our lives

Believing Faith & Doubt

Can’t reduce faith to mere intellectual assent to a set of propositions about God (James 2:19)

Nor can you equate it with philosophical certainty (1 Corinthians 13:12)

Authentic relationship: Intertwines trust, faithful obedience, loyalty, allegiance

Believing Faith & Doubt

Doubt is not the opposite of belief; unbelief is.

Doubt is not all negative:

“Doubt, then, can function either negatively as a term that stands in contrast to trust, faith, or wholeheartedness; or positively as a term to denote self-criticism, humility, and careful reflection” (Anthony Thiselton, Doubt, Faith & Certainty, 3).

Believing Faith & Doubt

Need for humility and a recognition of the limits of human knowledge

Doubt may provide a path to authentic belief (Thomas’ doubts led towards a more firmly founded faith)

“We doubt in order that we may believe” (William Hamilton); or “Faith seeking understanding” (Anselm)

Believing Faith & Doubt

“Doubt is probably a permanent feature of the Christian life. It’s like some kind of spiritual growing pain. Sometimes it recedes into the background; at others, it comes to the fore, making its presence felt with a vengeance” (Alister McGrath, Doubt: Handling it Honestly, 10).

Believing Faith & Doubt

“Institutions that assume true faith and correct thinking are two sides of the same coin are not safe places to express doubt. When belief and doubt are binary rather than a fused experience… the stakes are too high to be honest about doubt. The church is not a safe place voice confusion. Consequently, many independent thinking teens keep these doubts and disenchantments bottled up until college” (John Seel, The New Copernicans, 27-28)

Conclusion

Jesus invites us into authentic relationship, into believing personal faith in himself

He came to Thomas and met him where he was… and he will meet us where we are!

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (20:29)

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead.

The Apostles’ Creed

On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Questions for Discussion

1. How is your faith? Perhaps this “time of COVID” may be a time to take stock of our faith. Like any love relationship, our relationship with God needs regular attention. Evaluate how your habits are helping or hindering your walk with God. Is there anything you need to attend to?

2. Honest doubts can be an invitation to spiritual growth – are there some areas of your faith that you are struggling with? Do you have some questions? Doubts? If you do, it is also important that you address them.

Questions for Discussion

3. If you have questions about faith in Jesus, please talk to someone. The pastoral staff at Greenfield would welcome your call. There are no questions that are out of bounds!

4. There is a long intellectual tradition within Christianity that can help you address some of your questions. If you want any recommendations, please contact a member of the pastoral staff.

Resources for Further Study

If you are working through your faith and dealing with processing some doubts, I would recommend the following:

Alister McGrath, Doubt: Handling it Honestly (IVP, 1990). More pastoral and theological.

Anthony Thiselton, Doubt, Faith & Certainty (Eerdmans, 2017). Particularly good if you want a more philosophical perspective.

Gregory A. Boyd, Benefit of the Doubt (Baker, 2013). A pastoral perspective that is more controversial.

Peter Enns, The Sin of Certainty (Harper, 2016). A more pastoral perspective from a biblical scholar.