Witness
Followers of Jesus Christ are often accused of being gullible. Certainly
we would be foolish to believe, without evidence, a 4000-year-old book
about a man who died almost 2000 years ago. We need witnesses! Historians
and scholars, called textual critics, have studied and written much about
the reliability of the Bible. Within the Bible we can find many testimonies
of those whose lives were changed by the things they witnessed. With so
much evidence (plus that of modern-day believers), we would be foolish
to brush off Christianity as "just another religion."
In the book of Exodus, we witness a God who delivered
the Ten Commandments to the world, teaching us an unsurpassed standard
of right and wrong. In the Gospels, we witness Jesus Christ at his baptism,
a time when John the Baptist, God the Father and the Holy Spirit all testified
that Jesus was the only one who could save the world from sin. Consider
the evidence in our hearts: the Holy Spirit assures our spirits that we
are truly children of God. After receiving such a great gift, we must
let our changed lives and words be a witness so many others may hear and
believe!
During his ministry, Jesus Christ didn't rely
merely on his own claims, but he had many witnesses who testified that
he was indeed the Messiah. These witnesses included John the Baptist,
God the Father, the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit and the miracles Jesus
performed.
John 5:31-39
Acts 5:32
Romans 8:15-16
We do not need to be ashamed of our faith, for we can read the
Bible and believe the testimonies of those who witnessed Jesus' resurrection
and whose lives were changed by their relationship with Jesus Christ.
Acts 2:32
2 Thessalonians 1:10
2 Timothy 1:7-8
Hebrews 12:1-2
2 Peter 1:16
Jesus would like all believers to be witnesses to others concerning
all that he has done.
Acts 1:8; 10:39-40
1 Timothy 6:12
2 Timothy 2:2
Giving false testimony is lying, and a chronic liar, according
to God, is not a believer and will not see the kingdom of heaven.
Proverbs 6:19; 21:28
Matthew 15:19; 19:18
"The Testimony" is a term used for the Ten Commandments.
Exodus 25:16, 31:18, 34, 29
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