Do You Believe?

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) wondered why people were so unhappy all the time. He grew up in a rich, influential family in the United Kingdom, but as a teenager, he was lonely and suicidal. He said that the only thing that prevented him from suicide was the desire to learn more math.

Growing up, Russell had everything he could want. His grandfather was a British Prime Minister. His godfather was an influential philosopher. He even visited Paris and climbed the Eiffel Tower shortly after it was built. He would go on to co-author the three-volume book series called Principia Mathematica, which made him world famous in the field of mathematics.

Despite these advantages, he was confused about why richpeople were just as unhappy, if not unhappier, than anyone else. Didn’t theyhave everything they needed to be happy? He observed:

“Stand in a busy street during working hours, or on a mainthoroughfare at a weekend, or at a dance of an evening …. You will find that eachof these different crowds has its own trouble.”

In his twenties, Russell witnessed the suffering of someone dearto him. This experience gave him “a desire almost as profound as that of theBuddha to find some philosophy which should make human life endurable.”

At age 38, he published a book called The Conquest ofHappiness, which explored the reasons for unhappiness in the world. In thisbook, he listed eight causes for unhappiness: meaninglessness, competition,boredom, fatigue, envy, guilt and shame, persecution mania, and fear of publicopinion. To escape these problems, he suggested seven alternative values topursue: zest, affection, family, work, perspective, balance, and radiance.

When you consider his causes for unhappiness and sources ofhappiness, you will discover that all these factors reflect what the Biblealready teaches. However, you will also find that Bertrand Russell fell shortof truly solving the problem. He failed to view these things through the mostimportant truth of all – the truth about Jesus.

He failed to view these things through the most important truth of all – the truth about Jesus.

People are unhappy because they do not believe in Jesus. When you deny the truth about Jesus, you will not be happy. You will also be unhappy when you are confused about the truth of Jesus or have not been given the truth about Jesus in full. The only way to be happy is to believe the full truth and to go “all in” on Jesus. After all, Jesus went all in on you. To have a really happy like, you must first believe the truth about Jesus.

To have a really happy like, you must first believe the truth about Jesus.

When Jesus confirmed the faith ofthe ten disciples in the room, they were very happy (John 20:20). But thebetrayal, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus had discouraged one of his disciples,Thomas, so deeply that he had abandoned the group for an entire week. When theother men gathered in a room together on Sunday, he was not there.

A week later, Thomas came back. Whenhe returned to the group, the men told him they had seen Jesus the Sundaybefore. The Greek word for “said to him” describes repeated action, whichindicates that they kept on telling him about this experience, to which hefinally replied, “Unless I see and touch the evidence for myself, I will not beable to believe.”

Jesus welcomes investigation.

Believing on Jesus is not a leap into the dark, nor does itrequire blind faith. From the beginning, Jesus himself has welcomed scrutinyand investigation.

Believing on Jesus is not a leap into the dark, nor does it require blind faith.

In the case of Thomas, he wanted to see and touch theevidence. Jesus did not scold Thomas for wanting this evidence. Instead, heinvited Thomas to get the evidence he wanted and, even then, Jesus did notscold him. He affirmed his faith instead. In fact, it is because Thomaswanted to see and touch the physical body of the resurrected Jesus that we haveconfidence that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead (1 John 1:1-4).

Jesus blesses those who believe.

While Jesus affirmed the faith of Thomas, he pronounced ablessing on all those people throughout the centuries who would believe on himwithout the luxury of seeing him in person and of touching his body forthemselves.

This is important because from the time that Jesus wouldreturn to heaven (which we call the ascension) until now, people must believeon Jesus without the benefit of physical, observable evidence.

If we’re not careful, we might think that this places us at adisadvantage. However, Jesus says that it is a benefit instead. He said that itwas good for Thomas to believe based upon visible, physical evidence. But thenhe said that people would be more blessed by believing without thosethings.

By pronouncing a “blessing,” Jesus is saying that anyone whobelieves the truth about him will find true and lasting happiness. They willfind the happiness they seek.

Investigate the historical record of eye-witnesses.

Without physical and visible evidence, how should weinvestigate the truth about Jesus? We should do so by investigating the recordsof the witnesses who did see him.

By doing this, you realize that faith is not wishful,imaginary thinking. It is not the opposite of fact. It is not a special form offiction or a glorified fairy tale. The faith that God encourages and requiresis the kind that is based upon facts – facts that have stood the test of timebecause they are as true as God himself.

After all, that is why John wrote this book. That is also whyMatthew wrote a gospel. That is also why Mark wrote a gospel. (Did you knowthat Mark was a close affiliate of Peter, which makes his gospel kind of like a“Gospel of Peter.”) And did you know that Luke wrote a gospel based upon hisresearch of various records and his interviews with various eyewitnesses?

Visible and physical evidence is not always reliable. Why?Because your eyes can deceive you. You must determine whether what you see isreal or an illusion. That’s why visible signs and miracles are a lower form ofevidence, not a higher form. In fact, Jesus said, “A wicked and adulterousgeneration seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the signof the prophet Jonah” (Matt 16:4).

John himself downplayed the value of seeing visible andphysical signs (John 20:30-31). He said that Jesus gave many more visiblesign-miracles that what he had written in this gospel, but he only wrote a fewof them. Why? Because what he wrote about them was enough to help you learn thetruth about Jesus and to believe on him.

If you want to believe the truth about Jesus and find truehappiness at last, stop looking for supernatural miracles, physical evidence,and visually dramatic things. Instead, look into the record God has given us,written carefully and accurately by eye-witnesses themselves.

Believe the truth about Jesus for yourself.

Thomas expressed the kind of faith that is necessary tobecome a Christian. This means that he understood who Jesus was and believed itfor himself. He didn’t just believe that Jesus was a good person or a goodprophet. That is not good enough to receive eternal life. Here is what Thomasbelieved:

Jesus is Lord and God

It was a big deal that Thomas said this about Jesus. As aJewish man, he believed that there was only one God and that God is Jehovah theLord.

The most important verse in the Old Testament to a Jew is Deut6:4-5: “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love theLORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all yourstrength.” So, for Thomas to call Jesus Lord and God meant that he believed,without a doubt, that Jesus was the LORD and God which Deuteronomy spokeabout.

If Thomas had been wrong, then Jesus would have correctedhim. He would not have allowed Thomas to say something so outlandish. Yet Jesusnever corrected him. Instead, he affirmed that what he said was true. He alsosaid that many more people would come to believe the very same thing forthemselves.

Do you believe that Jesus is the God of the Bible, the God ofhistory, and the God who made all things and rules over all things forever?When Thomas saw Jesus after the resurrection, he finally believed in Jesus thisway and it made all the difference.

The Christ/Messiah

John tells uswhat Thomas also believed about Jesus, which you and I must also believe aswell. He believed that Jesus was the Christ (or the Messiah). This means thathe believed that Jesus was the person who the Old Testament prophesied wouldcome as the Anointed One from God.

• ThisOne would come to die as the sacrifice for our sins and stand between our sinsand our God.
• ThisOne would restore our relationship back to God forever.
• ThisOne would reign as the great and powerful King over all people and all things forever.

Do you believethese things about Jesus?

The Son of God

John also tellsus that we must believe that Jesus is the Son of God. This does not mean thathe is not God or that he is less than God. Instead, it means that he isGod.

Jewish peopleused the word son in the first century and before to describe thequalities of someone.

• Theywould call a wicked person a “son of wickedness” (Psa 89:22).
• Theywould call afflicted people “sons of affliction” (Pro 31:5).
• Theywould call valorous men “sons of valor” (Deut 3:18).
• Theywould call prophets “sons of the prophets” (2 Kin 2:3) and singers “sons of thesingers (Neh 12:28).
• Theycalled those deserving execution “sons of death” (1 Sam 26:16) and even JudasIscariot, who betrayed the Lord, was called a “son of perdition” (John 17:12).

So, to believethat Jesus is the Son of God means that you believe he is God, that you believehe has all the qualities and characteristics of God – which makes him Godhimself.

Also, tobelieve that he is the Son of God and not just a son of God meansthat you believe he is the only God and not one among many.

Do you believethat Jesus is the one, true God … having all the attributes and qualities ofGod because he is God?

Jesus Alone for Yourself Personally

Finally, noticethe exact words that Thomas spoke to Jesus. He said, “ο κυριος μου και ο θεος μου.” The literal reading of this statement is, “The Lord of me and theGod of me.”

• ο = “the” andmeans that Thomas was believing on Jesus exclusively. He believed on Jesusalone and not on anyone or anything else. He went all in on Jesus.
• mου = “of me” or“my” (possessive) and means that Thomas believed these things for himself.

He did notaccept the truth about Jesus as historical, scientific, philosophical, or evenspiritual facts alone which are true. He embraced the truth about Jesus as truein such a way that he entrusted his personal existence and life, salvation andfuture to Jesus alone.

He did not view“being a Christian” as something that he had always been, or something that hewas because his parents believed, or because it was his cultural identity. Hebelieved for himself.

There are twotypes of fans in sports, right? There are the ones who cheer on their team froma recliner in their living room, and there are the ones who pay big money tobuy season tickets and show up at all the games.

In this moment,Thomas believed the truth about Jesus for himself, and that is what you must doas well.

Have youbelieved on Jesus as Lord and God, Christ and Son of God?

• Ifnot, then you need to believe on him today.
• Ifso, then you have received eternal life.
• Ifso, then you also need to be confident in the truth about Jesus. The truthabout Jesus, as presented by the gospel writers – even by John himself in thisbook – is enough evidence to lead a person to personal and exclusive faith inJesus.

Ultimately,when you rest your faith finally and completely in the truth about Jesus foryourself, then you will find real happiness and real peace at last.

When you denyJesus and doubt Jesus, then you endure restlessness and anxiety, discouragementand depression, bitterness and fear. But true peace and happiness are the evidencesof eternal life, the kind of life that Jesus gives to everyone who believes onhim.

To receive thispeace and happiness from God, you must believe on Jesus as your God and Saviortoday.