Variety: John 20v25

Unless I see the mark of his nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and put my hand in his side, I will not believe. (John 20.25)

While there are many who believe whose life has not been complicated by unbelief, there are also many others whose path to faith has passed through a great furnace of doubts

The fact is that doubts can be overcome provided three factors are present. 

Doubt must be honest doubt

Not all doubters have any desire to believe. Some doubters are simply sceptics who seek to protect themselves from Christian commitment through their scepticism. They are dishonest doubters in the sense that they not willing to doubt their doubts. 

But those who doubt sincerely, who long for certitude, will eventually emerge into the bright sunlight of full faith for “When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29.13).

Doubt must be prepared to face up to the evidence

Doubt that simply buries its head in the sand will get nobody anywhere. The honest doubter must be prepared to look into the story of Jesus by examining the Gospel narratives. As regards this evidence, Lord Darling, a former Lord Chief Justice of England, said: In its favour as a living truth there exists such evidence, positive and negative, factual and circumstantial, that no intelligent jury in the world could fail to bring in a verdict that the resurrection story is true.

Doubt must be exposed to the test of faith

Jesus said: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (John 20.29). Strange as it may sound, it is in believing that we see the risen Lord. Certainty only comes as we take the leap of faith. It is not until we jump that we truly know the reality of the risen Lord. As the Psalmist wrote: “O taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34.8). It has been said that “Christianity has never been tried and found wanting; it has often not been tried, yet found wanting”. We need to take the leap of faith if we would experience the truth of Jesus, the Crucified and Risen Lord.

Paul Beasley Murray