When Thomas saw the risen Jesus, he answered, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:24–29* John 20:28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”). This confession is short, but it stands at the centre of John’s Gospel. The disciples were not merely admiring a teacher who had survived a crisis. They were confronted by the crucified and risen Lord, and Thomas responded with worship. The biblical confession is personal, theological, and full of reverence.
“My Lord and my God!” — John 20:28
Jesus Is More Than a Prophet
John 1 begins with eternity: “In the beginning was the Word.” The Word was with God and was God, and through Him all things were made (John 1:1–3* John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.). Then the Word became flesh (John 1:14* John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory.). Jesus is not a late addition to God’s plan; He is the eternal Word who reveals the Father.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” — John 1:1
Jesus gives life, judges, forgives, and receives honour. He says that all should honour the Son just as they honour the Father (John 5:21–23* John 5:21 Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.
John 5:23 So that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father.). The Son does not compete with the Father; He makes the Father known and shares in divine glory.
The Resurrection Confirms His Identity
Thomas struggled to believe the testimony of the disciples. When Jesus appeared, He invited Thomas to examine the evidence (John 20:24–29* John 20:27 Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.). The risen Christ was not a comforting memory or a spiritual idea. He bore the marks of crucifixion and stood bodily before His followers. Thomas’s answer is personal and theological: “My Lord and my God.”
The Father Is God
Scripture presents the Father as the source and sender in salvation. Jesus teaches His disciples to pray to the Father and speaks of His holiness, love, and purpose. The Father is not a distant deity who must be persuaded to care; He loved the world and sent His Son for its salvation (John 3:16–17* John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.
John 3:17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.). Salvation begins in the Father’s love.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.” — John 3:16
The Son Is God
The New Testament applies divine titles and works to Jesus. John 1:1 identifies the Word as God. Hebrews 1 presents the Son as the exact representation of God’s being (Hebrews 1:1–3* Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.). Colossians 1:15–20 describes Christ as the One through whom all things were created and in whom all things hold together (Colossians 1:15–17* Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Colossians 1:16 By Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth.). In Jesus, the invisible God is made known without ceasing to be God.
“He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature.” — Hebrews 1:3
The Holy Spirit Is Divine and Personal
The Spirit speaks, teaches, chooses, and can be grieved. In Acts 5:3–4, lying to the Spirit is described as lying to God (Acts 5:3–4* Acts 5:3 Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?
Acts 5:4 You have not lied to men but to God.). In Matthew 28:19, the Spirit is named with the Father and the Son in the one baptismal name (Matthew 28:18–20* Matthew 28:19 Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.). The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force. He is divine, personal, and present with God’s people.
“The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things.” — John 14:26
One God, Not Three Gods
The Bible is clear that there is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4* Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!). At the same time, the Father, Son, and Spirit are each presented in divine terms and act personally (1 Corinthians 8:4–6* 1 Corinthians 8:4 There is no God but one.
1 Corinthians 8:6 There is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things.). Christians therefore speak of the Trinity: one God in three distinct Persons. The word is a theological summary, not a replacement for Scripture. It helps us hold together everything the Bible says without reducing one truth to another.
“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!” — Deuteronomy 6:4
Why This Matters
If the Son is truly God, His death is the self-giving love of God revealed to us (John 10:17–18* John 10:17 For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again.
John 10:18 No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative.). If the Spirit is truly God, God’s presence with believers is not an impersonal influence (Romans 8:14–16* Romans 8:16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.). If the Father sends the Son in love, salvation is grounded in God’s own character. The doctrine of the Trinity is not a puzzle for speculation alone; it directs us to worship, trust, and communion with the living God.
Conclusion
Thomas’s confession remains an invitation to every reader: What will you do with Jesus? The biblical answer is not to place Him among great religious teachers. It is to recognize Him as Lord and God, to receive the Father’s love, and to walk in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit (John 20:30–31* John 20:31 These have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.). To confess “My Lord and my God” is to respond to the risen Christ with faith and worship.
For further study: John 1:1–18; John 5:19–23; John 14–16; John 20:24–31; Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 5:3–4; Hebrews 1:1–12; Colossians 1:15–20.
All Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB 1995).