9 Minutes
Let’s interject a truth requiring reasoning to gather the higher certainty for us. The evidence of things not seen does not infer being blind to the disclosures of God. In fact, the evidence of the Lord's work and resurrection was necessary to produce eyewitnesses. Moses saw the truths of God and worded what was seen and heard. John was shown things shortly to come and bare record of the word of God. He saw and heard things that are booked for our hearing. Walk through each inspiration given by God. You will be forever desirous of knowing the depth and the height of truth if you have faith. Without their sight, we would have none of their testimony; and without their testimony, there would be no faith. Do not ignore the evidence of God. It is by proving truth that our faith is established.
Revelation 22:8 I John1:1-4
Romans 10:14-17
Wherein then did Thomas say “I will not believe”...it was not that he refused to believe without evidence, but that he refused to believe the evidence already available to him; the testimony of those who saw. Thomas doubted, and even refused to accept the witness of his fellow-apostles. But doubting is not the opposite of believing; doubting is an essential part of the process of believing, of coming to faith. Doubt is not the opposite of faith, unbelief is. The expression of doubt encourages us to find answers and answers of truth strengthen faith. And then the Word reasoned with him and at length he was brought into clear, strong faith. Unbelief is not hopeless. Ofttimes it may be but a process in the development of faith. "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief". There are different ways of believing.
Mark 16:14
The word of God is of such truth that it is more than sight and hearing. We will find ourselves in an acceptable way when we come together with God. It is reasoning with God whereby we are made able to come to the whole of truth. Honest questioning, sincere reasoning, intensifies the faith to grow strong. Let’s do what builds our faith. Let’s hear the word of God.
Luke 24:9
Not only were the disciples told the truth, but others also. Luke 24:13-15
What did they do “together”? Luke 24:16
Where was their sight? Listen to their uncertain reasonings. Luke 24:17-24
Now hear the soundness of expounding what the word of God says...and how the scriptures open our eyes to “see” Jesus. Luke 24:25-35 Luke 24:36-53
Jesus identifies the source of their anguish and gives the disciples conversable satisfaction with his discourse. He removed the disquiet that was among them as they thought they were seeing a spirit. Jesus told them of his arrest, crucifixion, and burial, and how he would rise again. But his appearing to them after his resurrection...and in human form without blood. This was a wholly new concept. They understood not that the sinful flesh had to be crucified.
Mark 9:30-32
He was in his providence preparing them for seeing him at the sea of Tiberias. John 21:1-7
How so often we give advantage to Satan when we fail to reason with truth. It was providential of their unbelief that Jesus gave them proof of his resurrection, both for the silencing of their fears by convincing them that he was not a spirit, and for the strengthening of their faith in that doctrine which they were to preach to the world by giving them full satisfaction concerning his resurrection. The insight he gave them into the word of God, which they had heard and read, wrought in them such clearing. Jesus enlightened the intellectual faculties with divine light. We cannot learn above our bibles in this world; but we need to be learning still more and more out of our bibles, and to grow more ready and mighty in the scriptures having right thoughts ofChrist. We are to hold in our hearts one we have not seen in the flesh. We are included in these words, only if we follow up our faith with good labors. The true believer practices what he believes. Faith is the gaze of the heart at God. It is the inward eye of the soul meeting the all-seeing eye of God. Our gaze of faith sets our mind to love, obey and worship God. It involves the whole person. Faith opens our spiritual eye that as we know Christ, we see God, and as we know God we see Christ. The Holy Spirit enables us by faith to set our inward spiritual gaze upon Christ and we grow to new levels of spiritual life. In the vast darkness of this world, God places the stars in heaven as glimmers of light, words of God in our mind that encourage us. We are to learn from the providences of God in relation to the testimonies of those He chose to call. We are to have a faith that is satisfied with what God provides and is therefore not yearning for visions, miracles, esoteric experiences, or various form of success as evidence of God’s favor. This is why we learn of the good report of those whom we are to make perfect. We have not seen Christ in the flesh, yet our faith is to suffer no loss in that we have the testimony of the faithful...we have the testimony of Jesus. And it is by reasoning in the Word of God that unbelief is conquered. Thomas’s experience prompts us to understand that our faith is a deep personal conviction and it is entrenched in our own unique experience with God and yet, we can also obtain faith in our learning from others when the content of the message is reasoned with the word of God. It is interesting to note that hearing is just as important as seeing when it comes to faith. And this hearing is the inner working of the promised Paraclete, the Holy Spirit. Acquiescence with any statement relies upon exposure to truth as is found in the word. Perceiving is a process of the senses and believing is a conviction of confidence in the truth. Once found, greater faith involves the willingness to testify of that truth.
We are blessed. We learn and grow in our faith through struggling with an aspect of it and coming through that time with a greater understanding, a sense of having become closer to God through the process. We are given true and substantial comfort from the scriptures when we engage with others to reason through doubt, through unbelief. We live in an interesting time and place when it comes to issues of faith and unbelief. We must groan in spirit. There is no shadow to our hope. Christ is always our divine refuge.
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