Question and Answer
I often hear the apostle Thomas described as “doubting Thomas,” a bad example. When I read the story, I wonder if that’s the sum of who he was?
I often pay all-consuming attention to my sin. I never feel like I measure up, and so many sermons in church and talks I hear on the radio bring me to a kind of despair and shame over my unworthiness. I have been wondering what my attitude about my sin should be, especially when we are told to be sensitive to sin and confess our sins regularly.
Jacob, David, Solomon, and Abraham—to name a few in the Bible—were men who had more than one wife. Why were these men honored and blessed by God? They broke God’s commandment! Did God wink at their sin back then, but now He condemns it?
I often hear the apostle Thomas described as “doubting Thomas,” a bad example. When I read the story, I wonder if that’s the sum of who he was?
Just this Easter, my pastor preached a defense of Thomas! Thomas is often reduced to his experience with doubt, but there is more to his story. When other disciples tried to keep Jesus from going to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead because He might be in danger, Thomas said to them, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (John 11:8–16). According to church history, Thomas went to share the gospel in India, where he was martyred.
Even more importantly, Jesus took Thomas seriously, as He takes every one of us who comes through a period of doubt. This passage becomes a great comfort when seen in that light. True, Thomas was not there on Easter Sunday night—but he was present a week later, when Christ appeared again to His disciples. Jesus told Thomas to touch His wounds, then said, “Stop doubting, and believe.” Overcome, Thomas uttered his unforgettable confession: “My Lord and my God!” What a transformation! In this way, Thomas’s story becomes a record of doubt that turned into conviction and unshakable love for Jesus. The Bible’s record of problematic behaviors should never be read as an endorsement.
I often pay all-consuming attention to my sin. I never feel like I measure up, and so many sermons in church and talks I hear on the radio bring me to a kind of despair and shame over my unworthiness. I have been wondering what my attitude about my sin should be, especially when we are told to be sensitive to sin and confess our sins regularly.
I think what you are describing is the downside of a careful, conscientious nature. I suspect it is part of many people’s experience. Certainly, consciousness of sin and knowledge of the particulars is a biblical principle. One of my students wrote this about her awareness of this problem, a realization she came to during a Good Friday service: “The service I went to last night convicted me of a sin whose gravity I did not really see earlier. I repented because I had been doubting God’s love.” She goes on to note that the believer’s awareness of sin “should not lead to self-defeating shame, but to joy and gratitude to God who has ransomed us by His great love.” She admits that she has failed to grasp that immense love and realizes she needs to take God’s love seriously. To doubt that love, she adds, is to be “ungrateful and irreverent” about what Jesus did in His death and resurrection.
To help meditate on God’s love, I would recommend reading the words of some of the great hymns, such as “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” or “O Sacred Head Now Wounded”, the last verse of which reads,
“What language shall I borrow
To thank Thee dearest Friend,
for this, Thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever!
And should I fainting be
Lord, let me never, never,
outlive my love for Thee.”
Jacob, David, Solomon, and Abraham—to name a few in the Bible—were men who had more than one wife. Why were these men honored and blessed by God? They broke God’s commandment! Did God wink at their sin back then, but now He condemns it?
When we study the Old Testament, we find neither an explicit condemnation of polygamy nor explicit approval. Therefore, we must look carefully at the text of Scripture to see the consequences of this kind of behavior. What becomes apparent is that polygamy is detrimental everywhere it occurs; it is never shown in Scripture as a good thing. As Tim Keller has noted, the Bible may record polygamy, but it “subverts it at every turn.” Polygamy always caused rivalry and trouble. Lamech, a murderer, is the first example given in Genesis of someone who practiced polygamy (Gen. 4:19–24). In Deuteronomy 17:17, God denounces the kings’ practice of taking multiple wives. Every biblical account that includes a reference to polygamy is laden with jealousy, favoritism, and abuse—see the stories of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar; Jacob and his two wives and two concubines; the rivalries between David’s wives and their children; and Solomon’s entanglement in foreign gods by his many marriages. Clearly, the Bible’s record of problematic behaviors should not be read as an endorsement.
From the opening chapters of the Bible, the teaching is consistent that marriage is between a husband and a wife, not between a man and his wives. God makes one wife, Eve, for Adam (Gen. 2:18–25). The New Testament says that “the two will become one flesh” (Matt. 19:5), and the books of Timothy and Titus all prohibit leaders in the church from practicing polygamy.
Biblical history shows the devastating consequences of human rebellion against God’s commands, but it also reveals God’s overwhelming grace despite our sin. Men like Abraham and David were blessed in spite of their substantial flaws, and they—like us—had many sins including deceit, lust, and greed. In our own lives, we can see that God is gracious to us in times of disobedience.
BY Dr. Rosalie de Rosset
Dr. Rosalie de Rosset has been teaching at Moody Bible Institute in the Communications Department for over five decades. She is occasionally featured on Moody Radio. Rosalie is a published author, respected speaker, and talented writer. She lives on the northside of Chicago, a city she enjoys for its natural beauty and multi-faceted art offerings.