The Story of Thomas

They called him “Jesus”. Have you ever looked at a picture of Christ in a Bible or in a frame on someone’s wall? You could see the similarity was amazing; the slightly olive complexion, the shoulder length brown hair but most of all the eyes…the eyes glistening as if God Himself was looking through them.

He didn’t care for it when people would refer to him as Jesus. He had his own personal belief in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, yet he knew there was no way he could compare to Jesus and His life and acts. To him, to do so was to detract from what the living Savior had done for his people.

Still, it was nice that people, especially his fellow students at seminary, could see Jesus in and through him. It made it easier to share the Gospel with the lost and to encourage others to grow in their faith.

His real name was Thomas, and fortunately no one ever referred to him as Doubting Thomas. There was no doubt who he was, in his exemplary personal life and in his most devoted faith in God the Father, Christ the Son and of course the Holy Spirit.

His story begins on a beautiful Saturday morning in August when he was six years old and reading his Bible when his life changed for eternity. He had learned reading early as he sat on his mother’s lap while she read the Bible out loud to him. He quickly began learning the words when she read them and was soon reading on his own. This day he was reading the Book of Romans, closely observing the verses that referred to believing and having faith in Jesus. He discovered that his Bible referred to the Roman Road, a plan of salvation. Beginning with Romans chapter 3 verses 10 and 23, Romans 6:23, then continuing in chapter 5:8, chapter 10 verse 9 and finalizing with verse ten. He read and reread those verses.

Recognizing these verses were God’s path of ensuring eternal life through faith in Christ, he knew he needed to speak with his pastor. Taking his Bible and running the two blocks to the pastor’s house he felt lighter than air. His pastor quickly let him inside and asked what the fuss was about. Thomas told him they needed to speak in private, so they went to the pastor’s office. Thomas began reading out loud the verses he had read earlier and how that pointed to salvation. Reading them over together, his pastor agreed with his conclusion and their need to pray together right there and then to receive Jesus as their Savior.

When they concluded, feeling energized and entirely different in their hearts, they proceeded to share the good news with the pastor’s wife, who also prayed to receive Christ.

They were members of a small non-denominational church of about twenty five people who had joined together seeking the truth of the gospel. The pastor had spoken many a Sunday about the New Testament but had never keyed in on these particular verses of salvation. He usually preached about a chapter of a book, but never could he remember tying more than one book or chapter together. With Thomas’s discovery that Saturday morning things were about to change. With Thomas, and his wife, by his side, he began preparing his sermon. But try as he could he just didn’t know how to tie it all together.

Thomas began reciting the verses in order, explaining the principle within each one, until he concluded with verse 10 of Chapter ten. He also tacked on John 3:16, “for God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The pastor’s wife looked at her husband and said, “maybe Thomas should preach the sermon”. The pastor quickly agreed with her, and asked Thomas if he thought he could do what he just done but in front of the congregation. Thomas responded that he couldn’t but Jesus speaking through him could.

That August Sunday morning, as a short six year old standing on a wooden chair behind the pulpit, Thomas preached the first of many sermons in that church and others. His first sermon concluded in half the congregation praying to accept Jesus as their Savior.

Over the years there, and at other churches who requested him, Thomas repeated those verses to congregations who soaked them up and prayed for the salvation that the Bible spoke of. It was how he wound up at seminary studying to become a minister of God’s Word.

For those curious to what those verses said, here they are:

Romans 3:10, “as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”

Romans 3:23, “for all gave sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 5:8, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 10:9-10, “that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”