Doubting Thomas, admirable or negative example of faith?

[David from New Bern]

When the Biblical narrative mentions Thomas he is always asking question that no one else would ask. But, he is forever labeled as doubting Thomas because he wouldn't accept 2nd hand information. Is Thomas right for demanding firsthand revelation? Should he be admired for this insistance?

Edited April 16, 2006 by David from New Bern

[Dad Ernie]

When the Biblical narrative mentions Thomas he is always asking question that no one else would ask. But, he is forever labeled as doubting Thomas because he wouldn't accept 2nd hand information. Is Thomas right for demanding firsthand revelation? Should he be admired for this insistance?

Greetings David from New Bern,

Consider:

John 20:27-29 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Matthew 8:10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Does that help?

Blessings,

Dad Ernie

[Giaour]

John MacArthur has a great study on Thomas. Along with the rest of the disciples.

http://www.biblebb.com/files/MAC/2274.htm

[Fiosh]

When the Biblical narrative mentions Thomas he is always asking question that no one else would ask. But, he is forever labeled as doubting Thomas because he wouldn't accept 2nd hand information. Is Thomas right for demanding firsthand revelation? Should he be admired for this insistance?

Your first statement is not quite accurate as a simple search of the Concordance will show. Thomas only asks one question as far as I can tell:

Jhn 14:5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?

Jesus did not rebuke him, but answered with perhaps the most profound statement in the Bible:

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life"

It is Thomas that shows blind faith in, and unwavering love of, Jesus when he says, " (Jhn 11:16) " Let us also go, that we may die with him."

Thomas was the only Apostle that did not have the benefit of first hand knowledge of Jesus. They also only believed because they had seen. But it was Thomas who, seeing Jesus, immediately understood and responded, "My Lord, and my God!"

Should he be admired for his insistence for first hand information? That's almost a non-question.

Of course not. Jesus follows with , "Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed".

Is he to be admired for sticking with Jesus even when he did not exactly understand Him? For simply trusting in His love?

Most certainly yes!

May the peace of the risen Christ be yours, David.

Fiosh

[David from New Bern]

When the Biblical narrative mentions Thomas he is always asking question that no one else would ask. But, he is forever labeled as doubting Thomas because he wouldn't accept 2nd hand information. Is Thomas right for demanding firsthand revelation? Should he be admired for this insistance?

Your first statement is not quite accurate as a simple search of the Concordance will show. Thomas only asks one question as far as I can tell:

Jhn 14:5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?

Jesus did not rebuke him, but answered with perhaps the most profound statement in the Bible:

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life"

It is Thomas that shows blind faith in, and unwavering love of, Jesus when he says, " (Jhn 11:16) " Let us also go, that we may die with him."

Thomas was the only Apostle that did not have the benefit of first hand knowledge of Jesus. They also only believed because they had seen. But it was Thomas who, seeing Jesus, immediately understood and responded, "My Lord, and my God!"

Should he be admired for his insistance for first hand information? That's almost a non-question.

Of course not. Jesus follows with , "Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed".

Is he to be admired for sticking with Jesus even when he did not exactly understand Him? For simply trusting in His love?

Most certainly yes!

May the peace of the risen Christ be yours, David.

Fiosh

Fiosh...Thanks for your response the word "always" was an over sell of the question. I didn't mean to mislead. I was considering his unbelief after the resurrection to be a questioning attitude. Like your answer and thanks for helping me with my preciseness.

[buckthesystem]

I have always admired Thomas the apostle for his insistence on first-hand knowledge and proof. It is good to "just have faith", but I find that I cannot.

People have said to me "it is obvious that the creator exists, look at all the evidence". And a good friend of mine who has been a Christian for a lot longer than I have says "it is easy and so wonderful, just believe" and when my son says to me "why should I believe in Jesus as our saviour" I say to him "just look, it is written there", but I can see how that would mean very little to my son.

Some people have a "personal experience with God", they see him or hear him. I have seen what he does, but I have never been able to see him or hear him. Things have happened to me that I attribute personally to Jesus, I tell myself (and others) that God provided a house for me, a job, a husband, kids, food - everything I have really. I have seen the transformation he made in my mother - she went from being basically a scatterbrained, self absorbed person to a true believer who put everybody elses' needs above her own in everything. She turned into a person who genuinely loved everybody no matter what they were or what they had done and she would never stop giving to those who "didn't have" or doing things for those who couldn't "do for themselves".

Like Thomas I would like to be able to see the resurrected Christ and prove to myself that he was dead and now he is not. Maybe seeing what my mother was was my "proof" such as Thomas had.

I like to think I could have faith, but I have got to be honest and admit that "evidence" makes faith a lot easier to have.

Sorry to ramble on about my personal take of the situation, but I believe that is the point of discussing something academically - so that we can relate it to our personal lives.

[Smalcald]

Evidence is good, but I think the bible is clear, we have all of the evidence we are going to get as far as belief in Christ goes.

Also though, Thomas believed because He was led to believe by the Holy Spirit, in the same way we are, not because he was a good person or was a doubting person, or even because he was satisfied with the evidence. Thomas had a role to play, and that role was as an eyewitness to the physical resurrection of the Lord, as a way to strengthen our faith today. He felt those wounds, they are not "spirit" wounds they are raw real wounds, Christ was raised physically from the dead, Christ was raised from a dead corpse, a dead human corpse, and this is very important for our faith, thus Thomas helps us tell that part of this glorious story. We needed someone to stand in testament feeling those wounds with their own hands, Jesus did not rise as a ghost or a spirit, He rose as a human body raised up from a dead human body.

If Christ appeared today, no more people would be convinced that He is their Lord and Savior than already are convinced of that fact.

[Marnie]

I think the way Jesus treated Thomas gives us all hope. G-d does not get rid of us because we have doubts from time to time. I maintain that doubt is the beginning of faith.

[Smalcald]

I think the way Jesus treated Thomas gives us all hope. G-d does not get rid of us because we have doubts from time to time. I maintain that doubt is the beginning of faith.

I agree.