Believe without Seeing
ICS Daily Devotions
John 20:25,29 (NKJV) The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”… Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Thomas and the disciples witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion and death. Therefore, Thomas’ mind and rationale could not accept the resurrection of Jesus even though the other disciples had told him that they had seen Jesus. Thomas demanded what most of us would have too: the physical evidence of the nail-pierced hand and the side where the spear went through. He would not believe it unless he saw the physical evidence with his own eyes. Thomas was having doubt and unbelief because Jesus had already told the disciples He would rise again after three days. Similarly, we can listen to the teaching and preaching of the Word yet not believe.
Faith is not based on reality. If we only believe after seeing, faith is optional. Instead, faith is established in the heart, though the mind will need some time to align with the Word. However, the mind can also be an obstacle. Our minds might agree with what God has spoken to us, but when a crisis hits, we struggle to believe because what we see and feel through our senses causes our minds to doubt, just like Thomas’ unwillingness to believe without seeing. This is where we are often tempted to give up, get disappointed, or become disillusioned. Therefore, we must understand that faith is believing in our hearts, apart from our senses, because it is established on the Word.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV) For we walk by faith, not by sight.
Many believers give up at this stage because they are too easily affected by what they see, hear, or experience rather than standing on the promise and being patient. Our faith can be shaken when we see and hear news contrary to what we believe, but we must choose not to quit if we are convinced that we have heard from the Lord; we must fight the fight of faith between what we have heard from the Lord and what we experience daily by focusing on Jesus.
Doubt is a dream thief. It convinces us to examine the circumstances and forgo our faith in God. Peter would have reached Jesus by walking on water if he had not looked at the wind and waves (Matthew 14:30). Instead, like Thomas, he trusted the reality, figures, and circumstances more than God’s word of promise. Jesus said that the man who believes without seeing is blessed. That kind of faith pleases God.
Sermon Series: Faith cannot coexist with Doubt
