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What are we to do?

by Jeff Estep

Giving proof to the Doubting Thomases

"Now Thomas (called 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 it.’

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: 24-9 (NIV)

Thus, a skeptic was made into a believer. We can learn several things from the story about "Doubting Thomas". First we see the awesome realization of truth in an unbeliever. Second, we learn from Jesus’s words, "blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Many people are blessed with the ability to have blind faith. Thomas was not one of those people. He was a skeptic, and as such he demanded proof. And it is in Jesus’s response to skepticism that we can learn a third lesson:

Rather than allowing Thomas to remain in unbelief, Jesus gave Thomas the proof he needed.

Too often Christians carry the attitude that if an unbeliever doesn’t understand Christianity, it is because the unbeliever "just doesn’t have faith". Blind faith is seen as the only mode by which someone can decide to put their trust in Jesus, and "either you have it or you don’t." True, it is a Christian’s faith alone that reserves him or her a seat at the wedding supper of the Lamb, but does the Bible really teach that the only way a person can come to believe in Jesus is by saying, "I believe in Jesus" while still unconvinced? The answer is a resounding NO!

Although Jesus blesses those that "have not seen yet have believed", in John 20 he also exemplifies how we should respond to people who simply cannot believe without proof. He supplied the evidence needed for Thomas to make the decision to believe.

There are a great number of unbelievers out there who are desperately searching for answers to the problems of this world. Many have tried Christianity but gave it up because they remained unconvinced of the truth of Jesus Christ. Most Sunday School lessons and church sermons are taught under the assumption that the listeners already firmly believe in the Gospel. This must be very frustrating to those who are still searching for evidence.

As Christians, we are to spread the Good News of Jesus to an unbelieving world. The greatest way to do this is through our testimony. Basically, we are to tell what we know.

A Simple Testimony

John 9 gives us a good example of a man telling what he knew. It is the story of the blind man healed by Jesus. When questioned by the Pharisees as to whether Jesus was a sinner, the man who had been blind gave the simplest, most truthful, most honest answer imaginable:

"Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"John 9:25 (NIV)

Like the blind man, we are all called to tell what we know. Our testimony can lead many people to receive Christ as Lord and Savior. However, many others are still not convinced by personal testimony. Their unbelief runs on a different level. These are the people that say, "Prove it."

Like I mentioned earlier, Thomas told the disciples to prove it, and Jesus supplied the evidence. If we are to follow Jesus’s example, we are to supply the evidence that He is the Son of God. This is not to say that we are to shove evidence down the throats of unbelievers and expect them to turn. Indeed, I have found it extremely frustrating when a non-Christian fails to accept the evidence of the truth. We are not called to prove the Gospel but to live it. While these statements may seem contradictory, let me explain.

Let’s say a geologist finds evidence that there is a volcano hidden under the city of Chicago, and this volcano is about to erupt. The geologist has the ethical duty to inform the proper authorities so that the city can be evacuated before the volcano goes kablooie. If the geologist neglects this duty, he will be held responsible for the deaths caused by the blast. If, however, he warns the authorities in due time and the authorities ignore the warning, the geologist will not be held responsible, because he fulfilled his duty. The same is true of our witness.

Warning from Ezekiel

"Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself." Ezekiel 3: 18-19

Ezekiel is another good example of a man who was called to tell what he knew. As a prophet, Ezekiel knew the consequences of the sin of Israel, and he was made a watchman over the house of Israel. What God basically said to Ezekiel was this, "Okay, here’s the deal. If you tell the people what you know, everything will be just peachy. If you don’t tell the people what I am making known to you, things are gonna get kinda rough between you and me."

We Christians have the same role as Ezekiel had. True, most of us don’t go around telling people they’re gonna die, but we have the same duty to share the information that God has made known to us, or we will be held accountable for the blood of those that perish in sin. While this realization may seem a bit scary, it doesn’t have to be. All we have to do is tell what we know. It is up to those who hear us to decide if they want to listen.

So What About Giving Evidence?

So we have established two things: we are to provide unbelievers with evidence they seek, and we are to tell what we know. But what if we don’t have the evidence that unbelievers need? The answer is simple. We do have the evidence that unbelievers need. God hasn't forced us to remain in blind faith. He has graced us with the scientific, historical, and testimonial evidence to prove that Jesus is indeed Lord. It is up to us to find this evidence, and take it to the unbelieving world! Then, Christ will open the hearts of non-Christians so that they will be saved through faith in the Son of God! So let's do it! Let's change the world!