Knowing, But Not Yet Believing

There is something interesting to notice about the Gospel accounts of the resurrection and first few days afterward. Jesus' followers were presented with the evidence of the empty tomb, told by angels of the fulfillment of the prophesies, given every reason to believe what they had been told would happen did happen- they still had their doubts. When Thomas heard from men he had every reason to trust that Jesus was alive- when he heard eyewitness testimony- he still doubted. It was only when they had a personal encounter with the risen Lord that they went beyond knowing to believing.

It is the same today. We can read the accounts in the Gospels; we can read John's, Matthew's, Peter's and Paul's testimony; we can hear friends tell us about the truth. But, until we have our own encounter with the living Savior, until we feel the power of the Holy Spirit speaking to us, until we surrender our hearts to His love and grace, we only know it. And knowing is far short of believing.

Hal Hunter