The Wednesday Word ~ 27 August, 2025 A.D.
The Thomas Confession
John 20:28; “And Thomas answered and said unto Him, “My Lord and my God.”
Poor old Thomas! He is forever known as the doubter. Although Thomas did not remain in doubt about the resurrection of Jesus, ‘Doubting Thomas’ is the name by which he is remembered. Perhaps it reflects on how little mercy there is in the church for those who fall.
However, in my opinion, there’s a strong case for remembering Thomas, not as ‘Doubting Thomas’, but as ‘Believing Thomas’ for here, in this verse, he gives a clear and grand confession of his faith. Here, he declares Jesus to be both Lord and God ---a declaration which has both strengthened and enriched the faith of believers throughout the generations!
Some misled people have tried to argue that Thomas wasn’t actually making a confession of faith but was calling out in surprised astonishment. Well imagine that! Apart from charging Thomas with profanity, they expose their desperate and barren thinking to full view. Thomas, far from swearing, made a grand confession of faith as he declared the words, “My Lord and my God.” What he literally said was, “Jesus, you are the Lord of me and the God of me.”
Was Thomas mistaken about the identity of Jesus? Let’s ask Jesus. Let’s see how He responds to this confession. Surely, if Jesus is merely a good man and not God, He will rebuke His erring disciple. After all, no good and upright man would allow himself to be called God! So how did Jesus respond?
Here’s what happened. Jesus said unto him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed (John 20:29).
In other words, Christ declares Thomas to be a true believer. That’s hardly a rebuke! True believers, we, therefore, conclude, stand firm on the Deity of Christ.
Matthew Henry writes, “We must believe His deity-that He is God; not a man-made God, but God made man. The Author and Head of our holy religion has the wisdom, power, sovereignty, and un-changeableness of God, which was necessary, because He was to be not only the founder of it, but the foundation of it for its constant support, and the fountain of life for its supply’. -Matthew Henry Commentaries
It is essential, therefore, as followers of Christ that we take a stand for who He is. It is not enough to glibly say, “O I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but He’s not God.” If that is your position you cannot be considered a Christian. You can be a church member, a deacon, or Sunday school teacher, but you are not a Christian. You have rejected the Christ of Heaven.
Everyone who names the name of Christ must settle this question of Christ’s Deity for himself. The Devil has tried for years to undermine belief in our Master’s Deity, and it becomes all who name the name of Christ to defy the Father of Lies and to refute his falsehoods.
In conclusion, notice how Thomas made his great confession publicly. Henry again comments, ‘He made an open profession of this, before those that had been the witnesses of his unbelieving doubts. He says it to Christ, and, to complete the sense, we must read it, ‘Thou art my Lord and my God’; or, speaking to his brethren, ‘This is my Lord and my God’. Do we accept Christ as our Lord God? We must go to Him, and tell Him so, ---and tell others so”
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