“Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (I Peter 1:8).

As is true of all Christians who have not had the privilege of seeing the living Christ while He was on this earth, we have not had that incredible experience. Yet we love Him and know that He is the Christ, the Son of God, and the Savior of all who place their faith and trust in Him. There was a multitude of those who became believers and followers of Christ because they had the experience of hearing the gospel from His own lips, and many of whom saw Him raise the dead and heal the sick and blind. They believed because they had seen. Christ, however, reserved a special place for those who believed but had never seen.

The origin of the saying, “a doubting Thomas,” familiar to Christians, is found in John 20:24–29. On one of the occasions when Christ appeared to His disciples after the resurrection, Thomas was not present, and when they told Thomas that they had seen the Lord, he told them he would not believe that Christ had actually appeared unto them unless he could, for himself, see Christ with the wounds in His side and in His hands and feet. The next time Christ appeared to His disciples, Thomas was present, and Christ invited him to see His wounds. That was not necessary, as Thomas, at the sight of the risen Christ, declared: “My Lord and my God.” Christ replied, “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (v.29).

And thus, we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, “Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls” (I Peter 1:9). DTG