I Will Not Believe...Until

“But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were saying to him, We have seen the Lord! But he said to them, Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." (John 20:24-25)

Such is the condition of most of humanity, maybe all, including those of us who call ourselves Christians and piously claim salvation as our exclusive possession, condemning everyone else. If we are honest, we would admit that not until we see the resurrected Jesus will our hope become sight, and only then will we, like Thomas, without any doubt whatsoever….believe!

“After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, Peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas, Reach here with your finger, and see my hands; and reach here your hand and put it into my side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing. Thomas answered and said to Him, My Lord and my God! Jesus said to him, Because you have seen me, have you believed.” (John 20:26-29)

The truth is, that none of the disciples of Jesus believed in him before they saw that Jesus had been resurrected. They had all abandoned him when he was arrested...

“Then all the disciples left Him and fled.” (Matthew 26:56)

Later, Peter, the leader of the disciples…

“…began to curse and swear, I do not know the man” (Matthew 26:74)

So what is my point? 

Well simply that Christianity is in great error when they assume that God will not save all mankind due to unbelief.  All mankind, just like Thomas, Peter and the other disciples, will encounter the risen Christ Jesus face to face, and will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord…

“For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that EVERY TONGUE WILL CONFESS that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

That is the gospel, that is what we are to share, and any institution that does not teach that does not comprehend the love of God and is simply following the tradition of men and are wrong...

"It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. Prescribe and teach these things."  (1 Timothy 4:9-11)

One can join every church in town, be baptized in the Jordan River, tithe, witness, teach, preach, and visit every orphan in the world...but all will have some doubt...until they see Jesus in person, risen from the dead, just like the Jewish desciples and our apostle Paul...

"For I delivered to you, as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve....and last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared to me also..." (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)