Do You Believe?

“Seeing is believing.” Have you ever made this statement? The declaration seems like a reasonable deduction; when you see something with your own eyes, it is a little hard to deny. After Jesus conquered the grave and appeared to His disciples the first time, Thomas was not with them to see Jesus for himself. When the others tried to tell him that it was true, “Jesus is alive!” Thomas said, “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 20:25). Scripture tells us that a week after Thomas makes this statement, Jesus makes a return visit to his disciples and this time, Thomas is with them. The passage depicting the incident is almost amusing, were it not so profound.

As the disciples are all gathered, inside a locked house, Jesus appears, saying “Peace be with you” (26). If Jesus miraculously walking through locked doors is not enough to convince Thomas that He is alive, Jesus invites him to touch His hands and side as Thomas said it would be the only way he would believe. But, Thomas, I am certain was overcome by Jesus’s presence and simply said, “My Lord and my God” (27).

Switching gears, a bit, allow me please to ask you a question. Do you believe that God created the earth in six days and rested on the seventh or do you think this Scripture in Genesis is merely symbolic? This past week, a dear friend, who is not a Christian said he has read where a lot of Christians believe this to be “just a nice story, rather than factual.” I could not help wondering if those same Christians, to which my friend was referring, and to which he believes are more rational, believe that Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven as Scripture relates?

Dear Friend, if one cannot believe that God can create the world in six days, then how is it possible to believe God has power over the grave? I pray that if you are a Christian and find yourself in the camp that doubts the Creation Story, then, like Thomas, ask God to show you how it is possible because the Bible is either all truth or no truth at all. Humans are finite and God is infinite. I am glad there are mysteries concerning God that are just too vast for human understanding because not being able to solve every mystery also means God is Mightier than we could ever imagine!