Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
In 1970, the Liberian tanker Arrow ran aground off Nova Scotia, broke into two and sunk.
The oil it was carrying floated to shore, polluting up to 125 miles of shoreline.
Its Greek captain admitted that he did see an echo on his radar, but he “dismissed it as spurious.”
“This was my mistake,” he confessed.
But the damage was done.
Context of the Text:
In his Gospel, John has traced the development of unbelief, which culminated in Jesus’ enemies crucifying Him.
Conversely, John also traced the disciples’ development of faith, which was now climaxed in Thomas.
The disciples were affirming Jesus’ resurrection to Thomas (told in v. 25 is elegon, an imperf.
tense which indicates their continual activity).
But he remained unconvinced.
He wanted bodily proof of Jesus’ risen state.
The reappearance of Jesus a week later provided the opportunity Thomas wanted.
Again … Jesus miraculously entered a room with locked doors (cf.
v. 19).
He asked Thomas to touch Him (cf.
“showed” in v. 20) and to stop doubting and believe.
This was a forthright challenge to a personal commitment.
Blum, E. A. (1985).
John.
In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.),
The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol.
2, pp.
343–344).
Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
I believe that is what the Lord wants to get down into our Spirits today: doubt and disbelief can cause us to hesitate and keep us from “doing His Will”.
An old proverb said: “He who hesitates is lost”, suggesting that delay or vacillation may have unfortunate or disastrous consequences.
This text is positioned to persuade us, like Thomas, to “Stop doubting and Believe”.
Put another way it says to us to change our “Hesitation” to “Determination”.
You can’t have faith without questions
This is true for the simple reason that God has chosen to keep many secrets.
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children” (Deuteronomy 29:29).
There are certain things God has revealed: That’s what makes faith possible.
There are certain things God has kept secret: That’s what makes faith necessary.
Paul says, “Now I know in part…” (1 Corinthians 13:12).
We know in part, and that is why we walk by faith and not by sight.
Faith lives with unanswered questions.
You cannot live in this world without asking, “Why?”
We live with the mysteries of evil and suffering.
Just as it’s part of Christian faith to say we know what God has revealed, it is part of Christian humility to say we do not know what God has kept secret.
When massive suffering comes close to home as it did on September 11, 2001, the world will say to us, “How do you explain this?” as if faith depended on having all the answers.
But if you had all the answers, then you would have no need of faith.
The day will come when “we will know fully, even as we are fully known.”
But on that day faith will no longer be necessary.
Faith will be turned to sight, and we will behold him!
Until then, we will have faith with questions, and that will be a normal experience of the Christian life.
You can only doubt what you already believe
Doubt is not the absence of faith; doubt is the questioning of faith.
You can only doubt what you already believe.
When a Christian doubts, he fears God may not exist.
The Christian believes there is a God, and when he doubts, he questions what he believes.
When an atheist doubts, he fears God may exist.
The atheist believes there is no god and so, by definition, a doubting atheist would be someone who was questioning his unbelief!
Doubt presupposes some kind of faith.
That is what doubt is, and it is one of the most common struggles in the Christian life.
Can’t you see that in Thomas?
After walking with Jesus for 3 years he came:to trust him, to hang upon his every word.
Look at him when Jesus was going to Bethany to raise Lazarus, Thomas was the one who said “let’s go die with Him”.
See Jn 11:16
It was Thomas who was trying to get clarity when Jesus talked about going away; he said “Lord, we know not where you are going, how do we know the way?” (John 14:5).
Doubt and unbelief are different
It’s important to grasp the difference between doubt and unbelief.
Doubt is questioning what you believe.
Unbelief is a determined refusal to believe.
Doubt is a struggle faced by the believer.
Unbelief is a condition of the unbeliever.
Unbelief involves spiritual blindness and a determined resistance to God.
Of persecuting believers, Paul said, “I acted in ignorance and unbelief.”
I could not understand the truth, (ignorance), and I was deeply resistant to the truth (unbelief).
That was his condition, and the only cure for it was what happened on the Damascus Road when he was wonderfully converted.
He discovered that Jesus is Lord, and the whole disposition of his soul was changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
He moved from a position of unbelief to a position of faith.
There may be some people who feel their problem is doubt, when actually the real problem is their unbelief.
The issue is not that they doubt their faith, but that they do not have a faith to doubt.
They need to believe the things that God has revealed, and act upon them:
God has sent his Son into the world.
The Son of God loved you and gave himself for you.
He is risen from the dead and ascended into heaven.
You are more wicked than you ever thought possible, and at the same time…You are more loved than you ever imagined.
God calls on you to repent from a self-centered life, and he offers you mercy, pardon, and forgiveness through his Son, Jesus.
He offers his power and presence by the Holy Spirit, so that you’re able to pursue life on his plan.
Paul moved from unbelief to faith as God worked a miracle in his life.
Maybe that’s precisely what needs to happen for you.
God will give you that same gift if you will ask him.
[This article is adapted from the message “Defective Memory” by Colin S. Smith from the series Faith with Questions: Dealing with the Darkness of Doubt.]
This article originally appeared on UnlockingTheBible.org.
Used with permission.
CAN DOUBT BECOME UNBELIEF?
According to Alister McGarth the answer to this question is yes.
Unbelief thus comes about through several possible routes.
First, through an unrealistic attitude to faith.
If you believe that you can, or need to, know everything with absolute certainty, your faith will be in difficulties very soon.
But faith isn’t like that!
Faith is about being willing to live, trusting in the existence and promises of God, knowing that one day, that existence and those promises will be totally vindicated.
But for the moment, we walk by faith, not by sight.
Second, unbelief may come through a morbid preoccupation with doubt, by which you become so obsessed with your own mental states and feelings that God is shut out of your life.
Give Him some breaks!
Look outward, not inward!
Look to the promises of God; savor them; accept them.
Stop allowing your doubts to dominate your life.
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