“Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:28)

Following his initial doubts about the resurrection of Jesus, when Thomas saw the living Christ, he then made this great confession: “My Lord and my God!”

Although Jesus then reprimanded him, asking “Because you have seen Me, have you believed?”, yet the most important fact is that Thomas DID believe, and this confession of faith in Jesus became the anchor of his life. History tells us that Thomas went on to faithfully and bravely serve the Lord, taking the gospel as far as India, where he was martyred for his faith.

And the content of his confession is significant: “My Lord and my God.” Here Thomas expresses two important things about Jesus:

— He is His “LORD.” This word means “master”; what we might think of as “boss.”

— He is also His “God.” This is another of the many New Testament scriptures which teach us the deity of Christ. He was not merely a good human teacher or mentor; He was and is GOD come down to earth to teach and save us.

And significantly, Thomas did not merely proclaim that Jesus was “Lord & God,” but that He was “MY Lord and MY God.” That word “my” is vital. Martin Luther said that the heart of Christianity lies in its personal pronouns.  It is not enough to know certain facts about Jesus; one must make them personal. James 2 teaches us that the demons know that He is “Lord” and “God”, but they have not personally repented and accepted Him as the Lord and God of their own personal souls.

The same thing is true for us today. Knowing the facts of who Jesus is does not save you. You must make this great confession personal, and like Thomas fall at His feet and say to Him, “MY Lord and MY God!”