Do Not Doubt but Believe: The Faith of Thomas

Introduction

Jason Procopio begins with a confession that might unsettle you: every Sunday, when he preaches, there's at least one moment where he says something even he finds hard to believe. Does that make him a hypocrite? No. That's exactly the question this text raises. In John 20:19-31, the risen Jesus meets disciples locked away in fear, then a Thomas who sets his own conditions for faith. And Jesus, without mocking him, gives Thomas what he asks for, only to then say this unsettling line: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." This message invites you to step out of the locked room of doubt and discover that faith is not less proof, it's a step.

Sermon Outline

1. Jesus comes into our fears and gives his peace (v. 19-20)

• The disciples have just been through the worst weekend of their lives. Jesus was arrested, tried, crucified, buried. They fled out of fear, and they carry immense guilt and deep confusion: why did Jesus let this happen to him?
• Mary Magdalene has just announced that she saw Jesus alive. Peter and John saw the empty tomb but not Jesus himself. The disciples know the religious leaders will suspect a stolen body, and they'll be the first suspects. They are terrified, doors locked.
• That's when Jesus comes. Doors closed, he stands among them. It's frightening. And his first word is: "Peace be with you."
• He shows them his hands and his side, it really is him. And he repeats: "Peace be with you." Twice, in two different contexts: peace goes beyond mere comfort. The cross secured peace with God; the resurrection communicates it to the disciples.

2. Saved for a mission: the breath of the Risen One (v. 21-23)

• "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." The disciples don't receive peace only for themselves. They are saved for a mission.
• Jesus breathes on them. This is a picture of what will soon happen in Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit will come upon them with power to lead the church and make disciples of all nations.
• When Jesus speaks of the disciples "forgiving sins," he's speaking of their role as apostles: explaining to the church what is acceptable for a child of God under the new covenant. Their writings and teachings, found in the New Testament, are still authoritative for us today.
• This breath echoes Genesis 2, when God forms man from the dust and breathes life into him. Through his resurrection, God's people become a new creation, a new humanity, free, no longer enslaved to sin.

3. Thomas and the conditions we place on our faith (v. 24-25)

• Thomas, called the Twin, was not there. The others tell him they have seen the Lord. His reply: "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe."
• Thomas has a bad reputation, we even say "doubting Thomas" in English. But doubt is one of the most universal states of humanity. Everyone struggles with doubt in one way or another.
• What's surprising isn't that he doubts. It's that he sets conditions on his faith. He isn't just asking for proof of the resurrection, he has the testimony of several people he knows well. He says: "Before I believe, I'll need this, this, and this."
• We do this all the time. And it reveals what we truly want. Often what we're looking for isn't proof, it's control. We don't want to take a leap if we can't control the landing.

4. Jesus gives Thomas what he asks for : and asks him a better question (v. 26-29)

• Eight days later, Jesus comes again. Doors locked. He stands among them, says "Peace be with you," and turns to Thomas: "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe."
• Jesus doesn't mock Thomas's stubbornness. He gives him what he wanted. As Gavin Ortlund puts it: this moment proves Thomas is not Judas. His doubt was not a betrayal, it was human, expected, perfectly normal.
• Thomas responds with the highest confession in all the Gospels: "My Lord and my God." Not just my Lord, my God. He believes Jesus is the Messiah, he believes Jesus is God.
• Then Jesus says this unsettling line: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." He isn't saying it's bad that Thomas believes because he saw. But he is saying that those who believe without having seen are just as blessed, truly blessed.

5. Why believe without seeing: the wisdom of Pascal (v. 29)

• Hebrews 11:1 says it: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." If you must see to believe, that's not faith, it's a conclusion drawn from evidence.
• Blaise Pascal, in his Pensées, offers a helpful answer. Nature alone leaves us straddling two states: it shows us enough to see the marks of a Creator, but not enough to fully know him. Pascal writes: "If I saw nothing that indicated a divinity, I would settle on denial. If I saw everywhere the marks of a Creator, I would rest in peace in faith. But seeing too much to deny and too little to be assured, I am in a pitiable state."
• Pascal adds: "If there were no obscurity, man would not sense his corruption. If there were no light, man would not hope for a remedy." It is good for us that God is hidden in part and revealed in part, otherwise we would forget that we did not find the answers by ourselves.
• Finally, this last quote from Pascal: "God wishes to move the will rather than the mind. Perfect clarity would help the mind and harm the will." God does not want forced submission. He invites us, draws us, calls us to make the decision to believe, and he gives us everything we need to believe, but not necessarily everything we want in order to believe.

6. Everything you need in order to believe (v. 30-31)

• The disciples had no head start over us. They had a different experience, but not a better one. We have everything we need.
• John spells out the purpose of his Gospel: "Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."
• Notice what John does not say: "so that you might reflect on it," "so that you might develop better habits," "so that you might have less anxiety." No: so that you might believe and have life.
• Faith in Christ is both a gift from God and a command. God causes us to be born again. But the Bible also gives the repeated command to believe, to actively engage our will to trust what God has revealed in his word.

Key Takeaways

• The peace of Jesus is not mere emotional comfort. It was secured at the cross, communicated through the resurrection, and it permanently settles the sin that separated you from God.
• Doubt is human, expected, normal. Jesus does not shame Thomas for his doubt, he confronts him and invites him to believe. Your doubt is not a betrayal.
• When we set conditions on our faith, what we're often really looking for isn't proof but control. We don't want to jump if we can't control the fall.
• God has deliberately left some questions unanswered. This is intentional: to keep us humble, and to leave our will free to choose him.
• You already have everything you need to believe. The written word is there for that. Believing without having seen does not put you below the disciples, Jesus says you are blessed.

Personal Application

1. Are you still shut behind a locked door, afraid of what will happen if you open it? Jesus offers you the peace he secured at the cross. "Peace be with you."
2. Are you stuck in doubt, circling the same unanswered questions? Jesus tells you very simply: "Do not disbelieve, but believe."
3. Are you comfortable in your Christian life but still inactive? Jesus sends you into his mission to make disciples of all nations, and he gives you everything you need to accomplish it.
4. Do you already believe with firm assurance? Excellent. Jesus calls you to an even deeper life, day after day in his name.
5. Are you still negotiating the terms of your faith with Jesus? Recognize that it isn't a negotiation. You will not receive unlimited proof or total control over the terms of your Christian life. You receive a risen Savior, a call to believe, a mission, and the promise of life.

Scriptures Referenced

• John 20:19-31 (main text)
• Genesis 2:7 (God breathes life into man)
• Acts 2 (the Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples with power)
• Hebrews 11:1 (faith, the assurance of things not seen)
• John 3 (being born again)

Further reading

• Bible Verses on Leadership: 25 Biblical Texts
• 25 Bible Verses About Wisdom and Decision-Making
• Bible Verses on Service: 25 Texts for the Church

Frequently Asked Questions

Does doubting make me a bad Christian?

No. Doubt is one of the most universal states of humanity, and of the Bible. Everyone struggles with doubt in one way or another. What Jesus does with Thomas shows exactly how God welcomes people who doubt: he does not mock, he does not shame. He gives Thomas what he asks for, then calls him to believe. As Gavin Ortlund puts it, this moment proves Thomas is not Judas. His doubt was not a betrayal, it was human. The difference between honest doubt and disguised refusal is what we do with our questions: do we keep seeking, or do we set conditions so we never have to decide? Doubt that seeks is a path toward faith. Doubt that sets conditions beyond what is reasonable is really a refusal.

Why does Jesus say that those who have not seen and yet believed are blessed? Does that mean Thomas was a bad disciple?

No, Jesus does not condemn Thomas's faith. He is not saying it is bad to believe because you have seen. What he is saying is that it is just as good for those who did not have that same proof. If we believe without having seen, we are blessed, truly blessed. One of the best explanations comes from Pascal: God has intentionally left himself "hidden in part and revealed in part", otherwise we would be tempted to forget that the answers do not come from ourselves. And above all, God wants to move our will more than our mind. Perfect clarity would force our submission; the call to believe preserves our choice. Believing without seeing is not believing into a void, it is trusting what God has revealed, by engaging one's will.

What do I do if I still have a lot of unanswered questions?

You can decide to trust what you already know, even if you don't know everything. This is exactly what Jason describes about himself: he doesn't know everything he would like to know, but he knows enough to believe he can trust God. Don't confuse "having all the answers" with "having enough to believe." Keep asking your questions, keep seeking, but don't put your life on hold waiting for every box to be checked. Faith is a step. And it is an extraordinary experience to discover afterward that God truly is worthy of the trust you placed in him: once you've taken the step, you find you haven't fallen, he has held you up. Do not disbelieve, but believe.