‘Doubting Thomas’ Or Brave Thomas? John 20:24-28

Text: “Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus (or Twin), unto his fellow disciples, Let us also go, (to Judaea), that we may die with Him.“

John 11:16.

Good morning, twin-natured Christian! When you and I were born naturally, we had only one true nature, the natural fallen sin-prone nature we received from our naturally sinful parents.

“And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years (after his fall into sin by disobedience), and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth.” (Genesis 5:3)

“Behold (look!), I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5)

However, in God’s perfect will and timing, He quickened us "…Who were dead in trespasses and sins…"; we heard His Word; received faith as a free gift of God’s grace (unmerited favour); and were Spiritually regenerated, born again, into God’s Family. Praise God for His matchless grace!

Now we have TWO NATURES - the old incurably sinful nature, and the new incurably righteous nature born from Above. We are TWIN-NATURED, ‘…a peculiar people…’ indeed.

“And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins…even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace are ye saved;). (Ephesians 2:1-5)

“But ye (born again) are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an Holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him Who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. Which in times past were not a people, but are now the people of God; which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10)

The disciple Thomas has been derogatorily labelled throughout the years as ‘Doubting Thomas’ - due to the doubt he manifested in John’s Gospel account, featured as our Bible Reading above. But Thomas was more than this, Thomas, like ourselves, had a better, Spiritually quickened, nature too!  A nature, born from Above, that was courageous and selfless indeed.

The apostle Thomas has been labelled ‘Doubting Thomas’ down through the centuries due to the doubt he manifested before the other disciples who were actually cowering in the upper room, during the forty days that followed the Lord’s Crucifixion.

Thomas was not present with the others when the Resurrected Christ first appeared unto them - and he forthrightly expressed his disbelief in such a miraculous happening.

Is Thomas any different from you and I? Do not we also doubt the power of God to change circumstances in our lives daily? Of course we do! And. The rest of the disciples have not been derogatorily labelled as ‘Frightened Andrew’, or ‘Terrified Philip’, or ‘Scaredy-cat Peter’!

These early followers of Jesus were all just like you and me - ‘disgustingly normal Christians’. “…there is no difference…all have come short…” of God’s perfect Standard. The Lord Jesus is the only absolutely perfect Person.

Each follower of Jesus, as we have noted previously, still possessed an old human nature, as well as the new, Spirit-born, nature regenerated by God. Thus, they were all naturally frightened - after all, they, too, were now living under a Jewish and Roman ’death-threat’! You and I would be frightened too!

Yet, just look at the courage Thomas manifested in our text for today. When The Lord Jesus said, “…Let us go unto him (Lazarus, in dangerous Judaea).” Thomas, without hesitation, “…said unto his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with Him.” (John 11:16) Wow! Now, that’s courage!

No, dear Christian friend, Thomas had at least two sides to him, as you and I latter-day followers of Christ have also.  At times we can show great doubt and fear and anxieties. However, at other times we can also show tremendous courage, resilience, and fortitude - as we seek to live close to the Lord God and walk in His light.  Is this not an observable fact?

“The Lord is my light and my Salvation: whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid. When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise up against me, in this will I be confident.” (Psalm 27:1-3)

Let us consider this other, less well known, side of the disciple Thomas, and with Scriptural wisdom gained - let us treat each other in a fairer, more just and equal manner. The Lord loves unity in His twin-natured followers.

Thought: Which nature will YOU and I manifest today - old or new?