London International church of Christ

May 2011

John 20:19-31
Malcolm Cox

THE ENVELOPE OF DOUBT

Earlier this month it was my privilege to preach on doubt at a joint church service of the West
and North-West sectors of the London International church of Christ. Afterwards I had many
requests for more information on the subject. Therefore I have set out below a summary of the
issues covered in the sermon.

Introduction
Doubt is part of life. Here are some sayings and thoughts about doubt I found: “Any belief worth
having must survive doubt”. “Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is one element of faith.” “Deep
doubts, deep wisdom; small doubts, little wisdom.” - Chinese Proverb. “Doubt makes the mountain
which faith can move.” - Persian proverb. “Twin fools: one doubts nothing, the other everything.” -
American proverb. “To believe with certainty, we must begin by doubting.” - Polish proverb. When
faced with a difficult decision we talk about “being plagued with doubt.”

The origin of the word ‘doubt’ is ‘two’. It is when we doubt between two things; we are drawn
towards two opposite feelings at the same time. As an illustration see the challenge Elijah gives the
Israelites - “Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If
the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing.” (1 Kings
18:21 NIV). Is doubt harmful (as in the above situation) or helpful? Some of the greatest believers in
the Bible were at the same time also the most serious doubters. See Abraham (Gen.17),
Moses (Exodus 3), Gideon (Judges 6), John the Baptist (Matthew 11), and Thomas (John 20). If even
Biblical heroes doubted, might it be that doubt is not always sinful?

There again, some doubt is helpful and some unhelpful. Some is motivated by a good heart and
some by a bad heart. The day will come when my daughter tells me she wants to get married. On
that day I will be ask her, “Are you sure?”. My question of doubt might be motivated by loving
concern (is he the right one), and it might be motivated by selfish concerns (how much will this cost
me?)!

We not only have our own internal doubts to consider, but also our response to the doubts of
others. In 1986 the Challenger space shuttle exploded in midair and seven people died. A technician
who had expressed his doubts about the wisdom of launching that day was right, but was not taken
seriously. “NASA managers had known that the design of the rocket boosters contained a potentially
catastrophic flaw in the O-rings since 1977, but they failed to address it properly. They also
disregarded warnings from engineers about the dangers of launching posed by the low temperatures
of that morning and had failed to adequately report these technical concerns to their superiors.”1

How should we respond to doubt in ourselves - and in others? Rather than dismiss all doubt as
‘sin’ (although some certainly is) I prefer the approach of Helmut Thielicke who called doubt: ‘an
envelope with a message inside it’. To find the message you need first to open the envelope.

Let us go on to open the envelope of doubt and find the message from God within it.

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster

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“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with
the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said,
“Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The
disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you!
As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and
said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do
not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when
Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to
them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were,
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though
the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with
you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your
hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My
Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have
believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not
recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John
20:19–31 NIV)

1. Jesus is Gentle. He deals with emotional doubt by means of grace. John 20:26.
Imagine I asked you your name and after you told me I then said, “I doubt that!”? You would be
very offended. Most of us are quickly offended when someone doubts us, but Jesus is not easily
offended! He is used to being doubted, but he wants to help. He will and can help because he
understands us - Heb 4:15-16, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with
our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was
without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help us in our time of need.” He helps us in our times of doubting weakness, not just
in our times of sin.

We don’t know why Thomas was absent. Perhaps he was a bit of a loner - processing his grief
and fear differently to the other disciples. We know that he was loyal but pessimistic by nature: John
11:16 - “Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may
die with him.” Whatever his reasons we see that the approach of Jesus indicates he will deal with
each of us on our own doubt-level. His first words were “Peace be with you!”. Why this? He knows
they are still troubled - and especially Thomas! He wants them (and us) to have his peace, Matt.
11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Philippians 4:4-8 teaches us how to find this peace: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again:
Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but
in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace
of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil
4:4-8.

We see a progression:

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a. Do not be anxious. Anxiety is a sign of doubt. We are called first to be honest about the state
of our heart.

b. Pray. Take it all to God in specific prayer. Share the load with your Creator.

c. God gives you His peace. Trust God that he will give you what you ask for.

d. Then we are strong enough to not be anxious or doubting. God does the guarding - we do
the praying!

When we experience this gentle help from God in dealing with our anxiety-doubting it inspires
us to gently help others with their doubts. See the following scriptures with my added emphasis via
the bold lettering:

2 Tim 2:25 - “Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant
them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.” Gal 6:1 - “Brothers, if someone is caught
in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be
tempted.” Jude 22 - “Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them;
to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.”

A personal story: back in 1989 I had been a Christian for five years, but I was doubting whether I
had really repented at the time of my conversion. I was plagued with the doubt that perhaps I was
not really a Christian. The reason for these doubts were many. After much anguished soul-searching I
took my heart in my hands and went to see Walter Evans. Instead of the rebuke I feared he invited
me to share with him all my fears and doubts. After a long conversation we agreed he would speak
to the men who were involved in my conversion and who had studied the Bible with me. He did so
and we had a second conversation. At the end of a long discussion it became clear to me that my
doubts were due to a mixture of discouragement, some personal defeats and some on-going sin in
my life. Walter was then able to give me the encouragement, spiritual perspective and challenge I
needed. From that day to this I have never again doubted the validity of my original conversion. All
this was only possible because Walter, like Jesus, treated me and my doubts with gentleness.

So we see that when we open the envelope of doubt we find that Jesus is gentle. But this is not
the end of the story. What else do we learn from the way Jesus deals with Thomas? What else is in
the envelope?

2. Jesus is Helpful. He deals with doubt of the mind by means of evidence. John 20:27.
Jesus provides the evidence needed for Thomas to trust him. Trust is the opposite of faith, not
certainty. When we got married my wife Penny and I said that we loved one another - and we
trusted each other. But we were not looking for 100% certainty in a scientific sense. Humans do not
function on that level when it comes to relationships, and a relationship with us is what God wants
and what we need.

The disciples were as helpful as they could be to Thomas. The implication of the passage is that
they went to find him, and they certainly told him the truth. I don’t think Thomas doubts that his
friends thought they saw something; he doubts only the nature of their experience. He needed more
evidence than just their words.

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Jesus knows that Thomas is not unwilling to believe. Thomas is ‘testing’ things in the right way, not
the wrong way. 1 Thess 5:21 says - “Test everything. Hold on to the good.” This kind of skepticism is
not to be frowned upon as long as it is accompanied by a willingness to be convinced by the available
evidence.

Thomas is not looking for excuses to not believe, nor looking for excuses to avoid something
difficult. He is not trying to be God’s intellectual equal as Job did, “Then the LORD answered Job out
of the storm. He said: “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace
yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. “Where were you when I laid the
earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand.” Job 38:1-4

Thomas needed something from God directly. Sometimes the evidence is already before us, but
we are not looking at it correctly. What evidence has God given you to help you believe? What about
the creation itself? Is it really more likely that this immense complexity is a product of chance - or that
the hand of a Creator is involved? How about all the kindnesses you have received in life? CS Lewis
made a comment to the effect that people cite all the evil in the world as ‘evidence’ that God does
not exist, but no one seems to question where all the joy comes from? If there is a problem of pain
there is also a problem of joy.

If you are doubting God’s existence, or the truth of his teachings, then my suggestion would be to
take the ‘taste test’. This is a four-stage process to dispel doubt.

Stage 1 - Commit to tasting. “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes
refuge in him.” (Psalm 34:8 NIV). Give God a chance to reveal Himself by opening yourself to His
teaching and direction. When we put something in our mouths to taste it we are deciding to trust the
cook! Unless we take the step of faith that is tasting we will never discover whether the food is good.

Stage 2 - Commit to testing. “Test everything. Hold on to the good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21 NIV).
Engage the brain in this process. No one is asking you to accept anything blindly. As you learn from
God’s Word keep asking questions until you have answers. God doesn’t mind questions as long as
they are aimed at a genuine desire to know the truth.

Stage 3 - Commit to tuition. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the
message is heard through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17 NIV). We need to be taught by God.
We can talk about Him until the cows come home, but to truly know Him and His instructions to us
we must study His Word. That is where faith (trust, if you like) comes from. Read and study the Bible
on your own and with a friend. It will make all the difference.

Stage 4 - Commit to trying. “If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my
teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own” (John 7:17–18 NIV). Some things only
prove themselves to be true when we put them into practice. We can never know the effectiveness
of the Bible’s teachings until we make them part of our lives. Commit to the stages of the ‘taste test’
with the intention to try out what you learn.

So we see that when we open the envelope of doubt we find that Jesus is gentle and helpful. But
this is not the end of the story. What else do we learn from the way Jesus deals with Thomas? What
else is in the envelope? One more thing .....

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3. Jesus is challenging. He deals with doubt of the will by means of direction. Jn 20:27
The precise repetition of Thomas’s words must have made a deep impression on the man. Jesus
takes Thomas where he is and leads him to greater faith. Then he expects a decision of faith. Jesus is
lovingly concerned that Thomas not go down the path of doubt that leads to unbelief. Consider the
following passages:

Jms 1.6-8, ”But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a
wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything
from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”

Heb 3:16-18, “Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of
Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose
bodies fell in the desert? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to
those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.”

Jesus loves Thomas too much to allow him to remain in his doubt. Doubt is healthy when it
makes us question things that build conviction into us, but it becomes unhealthy when it morphs into
a settled state of cynicism or what the Bible calls ‘unbelief ’. Refusing to make a decision when
evidence is before us can lead to that state. The Greek word here for ‘doubting’ is ‘apistos’. It means
‘incredible, unbelievable, unbelieving’. It can mean one who refuses to believe. In the example of Mark
9:19 we see Jesus frustrated because he knows that his disciples have plenty of reasons to have faith in
him by now, but are ‘slow’ to believe -“O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay
with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

Fortunately for Thomas he responds correctly to the challenge Jesus gives him. He confesses
Jesus’ deity (see also Revelation 4:11). It was the phrase used of the Roman emperor Domitian (A.D.
81-96) - dominus et deus, at the time the gospel was written. Thomas in his time, and the persecuted
church contemporaneous to the time John wrote his gospel were called to acknowledge Jesus as Lord
despite fear of the consequences.

In what direction are you traveling with your doubts? Perseverance is the evidence that we are
dealing with our doubts correctly. We all have the following thoughts from time to time; “I’m not sure
it’s worth persevering.” “Will the sacrifice be worth it?” “If I never get married, will I be able to keep
the faith?” “If we can’t have kids, will I stay faithful?” “If my kids don’t become Christians will I be able
to keep my faith?” “If my parents don’t become Christians will I be able to handle it?” “If I have a
debilitating illness, will God keep me strong?” “If my friends fall from faith will I be able to keep my
faith?”

Do you have doubts? Are they unspoken? I would urge you to talk to someone, pray with
someone and read your Bible. Find a scripture to hide in your heart, a special place to pray, a retreat
spot, a special friend. I assure you, it will be worth it! Read Revelation 3:7-13 – He is coming soon,
hold on! Meditate on Hebrews 10:35-39. You may have little strength, but you have a mighty God.
Doubt is not the end of faith - it is the beginning of the search for faith. If you have been stuck in
doubt then make the decision that today will be the day you move forward on the journey towards
trust. Make the decision you know you can make, and do not worry about the decisions that you do
not have the faith to make just yet. God does not hold us accountable for tomorrow, but only for
today.

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Conclusion, John 20:30-31

We have opened the envelope of doubt. We have seen how Jesus helped Thomas to move from
doubt to trust. My encouragement to you today is to;

i. Be honest about your own doubt, and take a step towards faith. Take the ‘taste test’.

ii.Help the doubters around you by being gentle, helpful and challenging.

iii.ii. Have the heart to supply for others what is lacking in their faith - 1 Thess 3:10, “Night and day
we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.”

This is at the heart of teaching the Bible and discipling one another - we are to build faith via the
process of opening the envelope of doubt. If you are struggling to make the decision to become a
Christian, or to stay faithful and do the right thing, then take God at His word. That is how all
relationships work. It is a decision to trust so that depth can grow.

The magic of John 20 and 21 is the theme of restoration—a combination of the miraculous
restoration of Jesus to life and his restoration of relationships. Jesus comforts Mary (Jn 20:11–17), his
disciples (Jn 20:19–22), Thomas (Jn 20:27), and Peter in chapter 21.

In these chapters we see the passionate desire of Jesus to reassure, restore and remind. He wants
them to have faith. He wants them to know his love. He wants them to believe he is always with
them. He has to see them personally not because it makes his resurrection any more real, but because
he is compelled by his love for them. The last time he had seen them their faces were etched with
fear, disbelief and grief. Now they are speechless with joy!

The envelope of doubt has been opened - the message inside is one of gentleness, helpfulness
and a challenge. I charge us all to act on our doubts, and to act on the answers we find. Then we will
have life in his name.

Malcolm Cox

May 2011