Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of you faith, the salvation of you souls. (1 Peter 1:8-9)
You’ve heard it said that “Seeing is believing.” Well, when it comes to the truths of the Gospel, which are divinely designed to satisfy the deepest needs of every human heart, make no mistake: Believing is seeing! The truths of God’s Gospel sweep away our spiritual blindness and allow us to see Jesus, the glorious One, with eyes of faith.
Thomas was one of those who said, “Seeing is believing.” He was not with the disciples when Jesus appeared to them after His resurrection, and he simply would not believe what they told him about a risen Savior. “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands,” Thomas insisted, “and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.”
But when he was face-to-face with Jesus a week later, Thomas believed. “My Lord and my God!” he proclaimed. And then Jesus uttered some of the most glorious words in the Bible: “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and still believe.” (John 20:25, 28-29). Believing is indeed seeing when it comes to being a Christian!
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). The grace of the Gospel gives us the faith to be assured of what we cannot see in the natural, because it opens us up to seeing in the supernatural. The grace of the Gospel connects us by faith to the One who fills us with an expressible and glorious joy, as Peter put it in our passage for today, because we are receiving the goal of our faith – and His name is Jesus Christ.
One day we will look upon our Lord Jesus and know Him as He is (1 John 3:2); until that day, we love Him even though we have not yet seen Him. The grace of the Gospel allows us to stake our hopes, dreams, goals — our very existence — on the One whom we have not seen, yet we believe in Him and love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
What do you think? Is “Seeing believing” or is “Believing seeing”? The difference makes all the difference in the world when it comes to experiencing that inexpressible and glorious joy that is available to all those who place their trust in the One whom we only see with eyes of faith today, but we will one day soon stand in His glorious presence forever and ever.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 