Simon Greenleaf, Testimony of the Evangelists:
“The credit due to the testimony of witnesses
depends upon, firstly, their honesty;
secondly, their ability; thirdly, their
number and the consistency of their testimony;
fourthly, the conformity of their testimony with
experience; and fifthly, the
coincidence of their testimony with collateral circumstances.
Let
the evangelists be tried by these tests.
And first, as to their honesty. Here they are entitled
to the benefit of the general
course of human experience, that men ordinarily speak the truth, when
they have
no prevailing motive or inducement to the contrary. This presumption,
to which
we have before alluded, is applied in courts of justice, even to
witnesses
whose integrity is not wholly free from suspicion; much more is it
applicable
to the evangelists, whose testimony went against all their worldly
interests.
The great truths which the apostles declared, were that Christ had
risen from
the dead, and that only through repentance from sin, and faith in him,
could
men hope for salvation. This doctrine they asserted with one voice,
everywhere,
not only under the greatest discouragements, but in the face of the
most
appalling terrors that can be presented to the mind of man. Their
master had
recently perished as a malefactor, by the sentence of a public
tribunal. His
religion sought to overthrow the religions of the whole world. The laws
of
every country were against the teaching of his disciples. The interests
and
passions of all the rulers and great men in the world were against
them. The
fashion of the world was against them. Propagating this new faith, even
in the
most inoffensive and peaceful manner, they could expect nothing but
contempt,
opposition, revilings, bitter persecutions, stripes imprisonments,
torments and
cruel deaths. Yet this faith they zealously did propagate; and all
these
miseries they endured undismayed, nay, rejoicing. As one after another
was put
to a miserable death, the survivors only prosecuted their work with
increased
vigor and resolution. The annals of military warfare afford scarcely an
example
of the like heroic constancy, patience and unblenching courage. They
had every
possible motive to review carefully the grounds of their faith, and the
evidences of the great facts and truths which they asserted; and these
motives
were pressed upon their attention with the most melancholy and terrific
frequency. It was therefore impossible that they could have persisted
in
affirming the truths they have narrated, had not Jesus actually rose
from the
dead, and had they not known this fact as certainly as they knew any
other
fact. If it were morally possible for them to have been deceived in
this
matter, every human motive operated to lead them to discover and avow
their
error. To have persisted in so gross a falsehood, after it was known to
them,
was not only to encounter, for life, all the evils which man could
inflict,
from without, but to endure also the pangs of inward and conscious
guilt; with
no hope of future peace, no testimony of a good conscience, no
expectation of
honor or esteem among men, no hope of happiness in this life, or in the
world
to come. Such conduct in the apostles would moreover have been utterly
irreconcilable with the fact, that they possessed the ordinary
constitution of
our common nature. Yet their lives do show them to have been men like
all
others of our race; swayed by the same motives, animated by the same
hopes,
affected by the same joys, subdued by the same sorrows, agitated by the
same
fears, and subject to the same passions, temptations and infirmities,
as
ourselves. And their writings show them to have been men of vigorous
understandings. If then their testimony was not true, there was no
possible
motive for this fabrication.”
A. The prophets and
the apostles knew the law regarding false
witness.
“You shall not bear false witness
against your neighbor.
“You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the
wicked
to be an unrighteous witness.
Deuteronomy
5:20
“You shall not bear false witness
against your neighbor.
“Therefore you shall love the LORD your God, and keep
His
charge, His statutes, His
judgments, and His commandments
always.
1 “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of
dreams, and
he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2and the sign or the wonder
comes
to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, “Let us go after other
gods’--which
you have not known--”and let us serve them,’ 3you
shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of
dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you
love the
LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the
thing does not
happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not
spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall
not
be afraid of him.
“One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any
iniquity or any
sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the
matter
shall be established.
Proverbs
6:19
A false witness who speaks
lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.
He who speaks truth declares righteousness, But a false
witness, deceit.
Proverbs
14:5
A faithful witness does not lie, But a false witness
will utter lies.
Proverbs
14:25
A true witness delivers souls, But a deceitful
witness speaks lies.
A disreputable witness scorns
justice, And the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
Do not be a witness against your
neighbor without cause, For would you deceive [Septuagint and
Vulgate read Do
not deceive] with your lips?
A man who bears false witness
against his neighbor Is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow.
These are the things you
shall do: Speak each man
the truth to his neighbor; Give judgment in your gates for
truth,
justice, and peace;
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s
clothing,
but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications,
thefts, false witness,
blasphemies.
17So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? [NU-Text reads Why do you ask Me
about what is
good?] No one is good
but One, that is, God. [NU-Text reads There is One who is good] But if you want to enter into life,
keep the commandments.”
18He said to Him, “Which ones?”
Jesus said, ““You shall not murder,’ “You shall not commit adultery,’
“You
shall not steal,’ “You shall not bear
false witness,’ [Exodus
You know the commandments: “Do not commit adultery,’ “Do not murder,’
“Do not
steal,’ “Do not bear false witness,’
“Do not defraud,’ “Honor your father and your mother.”‘[Exodus
20:12-16;
Deuteronomy 5:16-20]
You know the commandments: “Do not commit adultery,’ “Do not murder,’
“Do not
steal,’ “Do not bear false witness,’ “Honor your father and
your mother.”‘[Exodus
20:12-16; Deuteronomy 5:16-20]
They also set up false witnesses
who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous [NU-Text omits blasphemous]
words against this holy place and the law;
For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not
murder,” “You
shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false
witness,” [NU-Text omits “You shall
not bear false witness.”]
“You shall not covet,” [Exodus
2
Corinthians 13:1
This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word
shall be established.” [Deuteronomy
19:15]
B.
The prophets and the apostles knew the consequences for disobeying the
law.
Leviticus
5:1
“If a person sins in hearing the utterance of an oath, and is a witness,
whether he has seen or known of the matter--if he does not tell it, he
bears
guilt.
Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak
were to
give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond
the word
of the LORD my God, to do less or more.
Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of
two or
three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony
of one witness.
The hands of the witnesses shall be the first against him to
put him to
death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall put away
the evil
from among you.
20But the prophet who presumes to speak
a word in
My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the
name of
other gods, that prophet shall die.’ 21And if you say in
your heart,
“How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’-- 22when a prophet speaks in the name of the
LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing
which the
LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you
shall not be
afraid of him.
Deuteronomy
19
16If a false witness rises against any man to testify
against him of
wrongdoing, 17then both men in the controversy shall stand
before
the LORD, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days.
18And
the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified
falsely against his brother, 19then you shall do to him as
he
thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil
from among
you.
“But it shall come to
pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His
commandments and His statutes
which I command you today, that all these curses
will
come upon you and overtake
you:
A false witness will not go
unpunished, And he who speaks lies will
not escape.
A false witness will not go
unpunished, And he who speaks lies shall perish.
A false witness shall perish,
But the man who hears him will speak endlessly.
The look on their countenance witnesses against them, And they
declare
their sin as
“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter
the sheep of
My pasture!” says the LORD.
But there were also false prophets among the people,
even as
there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring
in
destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring
on
themselves swift destruction.
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether
they are of
God; because many false prophets have gone out into the
world.
Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet
who
worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received
the mark
of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast
alive into
the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone
where [NU-Text and M-Text add also]
the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be
tormented
day and night forever and ever.
Revelation 22
12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with
Me, to
give to every one according to his work. 13I am the Alpha
and the
Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” [NU-Text and M-Text read the First
and the
Last, the Beginning and the End]
14Blessed are those who do His commandments, [NU-Text reads wash their robes]
that
they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the
gates into
the city. 15But [NU-Text and
M-Text
omit But] outside
are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and
idolaters, and
whoever loves and practices a lie.
16”I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these
things in
the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and
Morning
Star.”
C. The prophets and
the apostles knew the rewards for obeying the law.
You may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your reward
for your work in the tabernacle of meeting.
The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the
LORD God
of
Therefore the LORD God of
For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely?
Therefore may
the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this
day.
“The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According
to the
cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.
But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work
shall be rewarded!”
here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your
possession
which You have given us to inherit.
1 LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle?
Who may dwell in Your holy
hill?
2He who walks
uprightly,
And works
righteousness,
And speaks
the
truth in his heart;
3He who does not
backbite
with his tongue,
Nor does
evil to
his neighbor,
Nor does
he take
up a reproach against his friend;
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According
to the
cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.
Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is
great reward.
So that men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the
righteous;
Surely He is God who judges in the earth.”
Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins.
He who despises the word will be destroyed, But he who fears the
commandment
will be rewarded.
Then I said, “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for
nothing and
in vain; Yet surely my just reward is with the LORD, And my
work with my
God.”‘
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in
heaven, for
so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do
not even
the tax collectors do the same?
But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your
door,
pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who
sees in
secret will reward you openly. [NU-Text omits openly]
40 “He who receives you receives Me,
and he who
receives Me receives Him who sent
For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His
angels, and
then He will reward each according to his works.
For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you
belong to
Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.
Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is
great in
heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.
But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return;
and
your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most
High. For He
is kind to the unthankful and evil.
Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive
his own reward
according to his own labor.
If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my
will, I
have been entrusted with a stewardship.
23And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for [NU-Text omits for] you serve the Lord Christ. 25But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to
God must
believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who
diligently
seek Him.
Hebrews
11
24By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be
called the
son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25choosing rather to suffer
affliction
with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,
26esteeming
the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in [NU-Text
and M-Text
read of ] Egypt; for he looked to the reward.
19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and
someone
turns him back, 20let him
know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a
soul [NU-Text
reads his soul]
from death and cover a multitude of sins.
And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will
cover a multitude
of sins.”[Proverbs 10:12]
Look to yourselves, that we [NU-Text reads you]
do not lose those things we worked for, but that we[NU-Text reads you] may receive a full reward.
The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the
dead, that
they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants
the
prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great,
And
should destroy those who destroy the earth.”
Revelation
22
12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with
Me, to give to every one according to his work.
13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the
First and
the Last.” [NU-Text and M-Text read the First and the Last, the
Beginning
and the End]
14Blessed are those who do His commandments, [NU-Text reads wash
their robes] that they may
have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates
into the
city. 15But [NU-Text and M-Text omit But] outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually
immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a
lie.
16”I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these
things in
the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David,
the Bright and Morning Star.”
D. The prophets and the apostles knew God Himself was a witness to their actions.
Simon
Greenleaf, Testimony of the Evangelists:
“They had every possible motive to review carefully the grounds of their faith, and the evidences of the great facts and truths which they asserted; and these motives were pressed upon their attention with the most melancholy and terrific frequency. It was therefore impossible that they could have persisted in affirming the truths they have narrated, had not Jesus actually rose from the dead, and had they not known this fact as certainly as they knew any other fact. If it were morally possible for them to have been deceived in this matter, every human motive operated to lead them to discover and avow their error. To have persisted in so gross a falsehood, after it was known to them, was not only to encounter, for life, all the evils which man could inflict, from without, but to endure also the pangs of inward and conscious guilt; with no hope of future peace, no testimony of a good conscience, no expectation of honor or esteem amom men, no hope of happiness in this life, or in the world to come.
“Such conduct in the apostles would moreover have been utterly irreconcilable with the fact, that they possessed the ordinary constitution of our common nature. Yet their lives do show them to have been men like all others of our race; swayed by the same motives, animated by the same hopes, affected by the same joys, subdued by the same sorrows, agitated by the same fears, and subject to the same passions, temptations and infirmities, as ourselves. And their writings show them to have been men of vigorous understandings. If then their testimony was not true, there was no possible motive for this fabrication.
“It
would also have been irreconcilable with the fact that they were good
men. But
it is impossible to read their writings, and not feel that we are
conversing
with men eminently holy, and of tender consciences, with men acting
under an
abiding sense of the presence and omniscience of God, and of their
accountability to him, living in his fear, and walking in his ways.
Now,
though, in a single instance, a good man may fall, when under strong
temptations, yet he is not found persisting, for years, in deliberated
falsehood, asserted with the most solemn appeals to God, without the
slightest
temptation or motive, and against all the opposing interests which
reign in the
human breast. If, on the contrary, they are supposed to have been bad
men, it
is incredible that such men should have chosen this form of imposture;
enjoining, as it does, unfeigned repentance, the utter forsaking and
abhorrence
of all falsehood and of every other sin, the practice of daily
self-denial,
self-abasement and self-sacrifice, the crucifixion of the flesh with
all its
earthly appetites and desires, indifference to the honors, and hearty
contempt
of the vanities of the world; and inculcating perfect purity of heart
and life,
and intercourse of the soul with heaven. It is incredible, that bad men
should
invent falsehoods, to promote the religion of the God of truth. The
supposition
is suicidal. If they did believe in a future state of retribution, a
heaven and
a hell hereafter, they took the most certain course, if false
witnesses, to
secure the latter for their portion. And if, still being bad men, they
did not
believe in future punishment, how came they to invent which was to
destroy all their
prospects of worldly honor and happiness, and to insure their misery in
this
life? From these absurdities there is no escape, but in the perfect
conviction
and admission that they were good men, testifying to that which they
had
carefully observed and considered, and well knew to be true.”
If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives besides my
daughters,
although no man is with us--see, God is witness between you and
me!”
6So Moses spoke to the children of
8Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into
the
tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of
Levi, had
sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe
almonds.
Also bring with you your brethren of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of
your
father, that they may be joined with you and serve you while you and
your sons
are with you before the tabernacle of witness.
I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that
you will
soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to
possess;
you will not prolong your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed.
Observe and obey all these words which I command you, that it may go
well with
you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and
right in the sight of the
LORD your God.
I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I
have set
before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life,
that both
you and your descendants may live;
Deuteronomy
31:28
Gather to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I
may speak
these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness
against them.
Judges
3:7
So the children of
Judges
10:6
Then the children of Israel again
did evil in the sight of the
LORD, and served the
Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods
of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the
gods of Moab, the gods of
the people of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook the LORD and
did not serve Him.
And the elders of
Here I am. Witness against me before the LORD and before His
anointed:
Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I
cheated?
Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any bribe
with which
to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you.”
Then he said to them, “The LORD is witness against you, and His
anointed
is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my
hand.” And they
answered, “He is witness.”
Then Jonathan said to David: “The LORD God of
and seat two men, scoundrels, before him to bear witness
against him,
saying, You have blasphemed God and the king. Then take him out, and
stone him,
that he may die.
2
Chronicles 36:5
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king,
and he reigned eleven years in
2
Chronicles 36:12
He did evil in the sight of
the LORD his God, and did not humble himself
before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the LORD.
Job
10:17
You renew Your witnesses against me, And increase Your
indignation
toward me; Changes and war are ever with me.
Job
16:8
You have shriveled me up, And it is a witness against me; My
leanness
rises up against me And bears witness to my face.
Job
16:19
Surely even now my witness is in heaven, And my evidence is on
high.
Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything
hastily before
God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore
let your words
be few.
“You are My witnesses,” says the LORD, “And My servant whom I
have
chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He.
Before
Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me.
I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign
god
among you; Therefore you are My witnesses,” Says the LORD,
“that I am
God.
Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and
declared
it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed
there is no
other Rock; I know not one.”‘
And the LORD said to me, “The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have
not
sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false
vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their
heart.
because they have done disgraceful things in
And You have said to me, O Lord GOD, “Buy the field for money, and take
witnesses”!--yet
the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.”‘
Men will buy fields for money, sign deeds and seal them, and take witnesses,
in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, in the cities
of
Judah, in the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the lowland,
and in the
cities of the South; for I will cause their captives to return,’ says
the LORD.”
So they said to Jeremiah, “Let the LORD be a true and faithful witness
between us, if we do not do according to everything which the LORD your
God
sends us by you.
Micah
1:2
Hear, all you peoples! Listen, O earth, and all that is in it! Let the
Lord GOD
be a witness against you, The Lord from His holy temple.
“Therefore wait for Me,” says the LORD, “Until the day I rise up for
plunder; [Septuagint
and Syriac read for witness;
Targum reads for the day of My revelation
for judgment; Vulgate reads for the
day of My resurrection that is to come] My determination is to
gather the
nations To My assembly of kingdoms, To pour on them My indignation, All
My
fierce anger; All the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My
jealousy.
Malachi
2:14
Yet you say, “For what reason?” Because the LORD has been witness
Between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have dealt
treacherously;
Yet she is your companion And your wife by covenant.
And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness
Against
sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who
exploit
wage earners and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an
alien--
Because they do not fear Me,” Says the LORD of hosts.
And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men,
but God
knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight
of God.
But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which
the Father
has given Me to finish--the very works that I do--bear witness
of Me,
that the Father has sent Me.
I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent
Me bears witness
of Me.”
to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible
proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the
things
pertaining to the
And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the
Holy Spirit
whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
and said, “Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are
remembered in the sight of God.
not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God,
even to us
who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.
Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord,
who was
bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and
wonders to
be done by their hands.
But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good
cheer,
Paul; for as you have testified for Me in
For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the
gospel of His
Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,
(for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers
of the law will
be justified;
Romans
8:16
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are
children of
God,
I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing
me witness
in the Holy Spirit,
Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have
testified
of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up--if in fact
the dead
do not rise.
2
Corinthians 1:23
Moreover I call God as witness against my soul, that to spare
you I came
no more to
For we are not, as so many, [M-Text reads the
rest] peddling the word of God;
but as of sincerity, but as from
God, we speak in the sight
of God in Christ.
But we have renounced the hidden things
of shame, not walking in
craftiness nor handling
the word of God deceitfully, but
by manifestation of the truth commending
ourselves to every man’s conscience in
the sight of God.
But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident,
for “the just
shall live by faith.”[Habakkuk 2:4]
(Now
concerning the things which I write to you,
indeed, before God, I do not
lie.)
For God is my witness, how
greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.
1
Thessalonians 1:3
remembering without ceasing
your work of faith, labor of love,
and patience of hope in our Lord
Jesus Christ in the sight of
our God and Father,
For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a
cloak
for covetousness--God is witness.
You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and
blamelessly
we behaved ourselves among you who believe;
1
Timothy 2:3
For this is good and acceptable in
the sight of God our
Savior,
1
Timothy 6:13
I urge you in the sight of God who
gives life to all things, and before
Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before
Pontius
Pilate,
I charge you therefore before God and the
Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead
at His appearing and His kingdom:
God also bearing witness both
with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy
Spirit,
according to His own will?
But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said
before,
rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and
quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
6 This is He who came by water and blood--Jesus Christ; not
only by
water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who
bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7For
there are three that bear witness in
heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three
are one.
8And there are three that bear witness on earth [NU-Text and M-Text omit the words from in
heaven (verse 7) through on earth (verse 8). Only four or
five very
late manuscripts contain these words in Greek] the Spirit, the
water, and
the blood; and these three agree as one.
9If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which [NU-Text reads God, that] He has testified of His Son. 10He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. 11And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
E. The prophets
and the apostles appealed to reason.
Now therefore, stand still, that I may reason with you before
the LORD
concerning all the righteous acts of the LORD which He did to you and
your
fathers:
“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though
your sins
are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red
like
crimson, They shall be as wool.
Isaiah
41:21
“Present your case,” says the LORD. “Bring forth your strong reasons,”
says the King of Jacob.
|
Matthew
19:5 |
|
Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to
him, “You
are not far from the
Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned
with them from the Scriptures,
Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with
the
Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who
happened to be
there.
And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded
both Jews
and Greeks.
And he came to
8And he went into the synagogue and
spoke boldly
for three months, reasoning and
persuading concerning the things of the
1
Thessalonians 5:21
Test all things; hold fast what is good.
8For God
is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of
Jesus
Christ.
9And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and
more in
knowledge and all discernment,
10that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you
may be
sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,
But sanctify the Lord God [NU-Text reads Christ
as Lord] in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to
everyone
who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with
meekness and
fear;
F. The
prophets and the apostles appealed to the truth.
And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God,
merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,
He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A
God of truth
and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.
“And now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are true, and
You have
promised this goodness to Your servant.
And now I pray, O God of Israel, let Your word come true, which
You have
spoken to Your servant David my father.
And now, O LORD God of
He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth
in
his heart;
All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth, To such as keep
His
covenant and His testimonies.
Psalm
31:5
Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
Psalm
33:4
For the word of the LORD is right, And all His work is done in truth.
Psalm
40:11
Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O LORD; Let Your
lovingkindness
and Your truth continually preserve me.
Psalm
43:3
Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; Let
them bring
me to Your holy hill And to Your tabernacle.
Psalm
86:15
But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,
Longsuffering and
abundant in mercy and truth.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth
go before Your face.
He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall
take
refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth
endures to
all generations.
For Your mercy is great above the heavens, And Your truth
reaches to the
clouds.
Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because
of Your
mercy, Because of Your truth.
For His merciful kindness is great toward us, And the truth of
the LORD
endures forever. Praise the LORD!
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth.
You are near, O LORD, And all Your commandments are truth.
The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your
righteous
judgments endures forever.
I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your
lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word
above
all Your name.
Psalm
145:18
The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.
Psalm
146:6
Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth
forever,
Proverbs
12:22
Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, But those who deal truthfully
are His delight.
And you shall swear, “The LORD lives,’ In truth, in judgment,
and in
righteousness; The nations shall bless themselves in Him, And in Him
they shall
glory.”
But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the
everlasting
King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, And the nations will not be
able to
endure His indignation.
So they said to Jeremiah, “Let the LORD be a true and faithful
witness
between us, if we do not do according to everything which the LORD your
God
sends us by you.
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth,
and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put
down.
“As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon
us; yet
we have not made our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn
from
our iniquities and understand Your truth.
Daniel
10:21
But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth.
(No one
upholds me against these, except Michael your prince.
I will bring them back, And they shall dwell in the midst of
The law of truth [Or true
instruction ] was in his mouth, And injustice was not found on his
lips. He
walked with Me in peace and equity, And turned many away from iniquity.
And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying,
“Teacher, we
know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor
do You
care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.
When they had come, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do
not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth.
Is it
lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?
So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth,
for there is one God, and there is no other but He.
Luke
20:21
Then they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You say and teach
rightly,
and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth:
That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming
into the
world. [Or That was the true Light which, coming into the
world,
gives light to every man. ]
John
1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,
the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came
through
Jesus Christ.
But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds
may be
clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
He who has received His testimony has certified that God is
true.
23But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true
worshipers will
worship the Father in spirit and truth;
for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24God is
Spirit, and
those who worship Him must worship in
spirit and truth.”
25The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming”
(who is
called Christ). “When He comes, He will
tell us all things.”
32There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. 33You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.
Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not
give you
the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread
from
heaven.
John
7:18
He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the
glory of
the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.
Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, “You both
know Me,
and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who
sent Me
is true, whom you do not know.
13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him,
“You bear
witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.”
14Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness
of
Myself, My witness is true, for I
know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where
I come
from and where I am going. 15You judge according to the
flesh; I
judge no one.
16And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. 17It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 18I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.”
I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent
Me is true;
and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.”
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in
My
word, you are My disciples
indeed.
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
you free.”
But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth
which I
heard from God. Abraham did not do this.
44You are of your father the devil, and
the
desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the
beginning,
and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When
he
speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and
the father
of it. 45But because I tell
the truth, you do not believe
John
10:41
Then many came to Him and said, “John performed no sign, but all the
things
that John spoke about this Man were true.”
John
14:1
“Let not your heart be troubled; you
believe in God, believe also in Me.
John
14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No
one comes
to the Father except through Me.
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it
neither
sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and
will be in
you.
John
15:1
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father,
the
Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify
of Me.
John
16:13
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide
you into
all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but
whatever He
hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true
God, and
Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified
by the truth.
36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My
kingdom
were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be
delivered
to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”
37Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”
Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was
born,
and for this cause I have come into the world, that I
should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of
the truth hears My voice.”
38Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said
this, he
went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him
at all.
And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he
knows that
he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.
This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these
things; and
we know that his testimony is true.
Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that
God
shows no partiality.
24 Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud
voice, “Paul,
you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!”
25But he said, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak
the words
of truth and reason. 26For
the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am
convinced that none of these things
escapes his attention, since this
thing was not done in a corner.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness
and
unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in
unrighteousness,
who show the work of the law written in their hearts,
their
conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts
accusing
or else excusing them)
|
|
Psalm 51 |
Romans
4:5
But to him who does not work but believes on Him who
justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for
righteousness,
I tell the truth in Christ, I am
not lying, my conscience also
bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,
Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision
for the truth
of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers,
Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the
leaven of
malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
For we are not, as so many, [M-Text reads the
rest] peddling the word of God; but as of
sincerity,
but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.
But we have renounced the hidden things
of shame, not walking in craftiness
nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of
the truth
commending ourselves to every man’s
conscience in the sight of God.
by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of
righteousness
on the right hand and on the left,
For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I am not ashamed.
But as we
spoke all things to you in truth, even so our boasting to Titus
was
found true.
As the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this
boasting
in the regions of Achaia.
For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will
speak the truth.
But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to
be or
hears from me.
For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth
of
the gospel might continue with you.
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the
truth,
[NU-Text omits that you should not obey
the truth] before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed
among you [ NU-Text omits among you]
as crucified?
Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?
You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the
gospel
of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with
the Holy
Spirit of promise,
but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into
Him who
is the head--Christ—
if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth
is in Jesus:
|
Commentary by J.P. Holding: http://www.tektonics.org/af/beangry.html |
Zechariah 8:16 16These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor;
Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace; Psalm 4 |
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9(for the fruit of the Spirit [NU-Text reads light] is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having
put on the
breastplate of righteousness,
What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth,
Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things
are noble,
whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are
lovely,
whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there
is
anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.
4since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; 5because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, [NU-Text and M-Text add and growing] as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth;
For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had
to you,
and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true
God,
For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a
cloak
for covetousness--God is
witness.
For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you
received
the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the
word of
men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also
effectively
works in you who believe.
and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they
did not
receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved
by the
Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through
sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,
3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our
Savior,
4who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of
the
truth. 5For there is one God and one Mediator between God
and men,
the Man Christ Jesus,
for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle--I am speaking the truth
in Christ [NU-Text omits in Christ]
and not lying--a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to
conduct
yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God,
the pillar
and ground of the truth.
in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will
grant
them repentance, so that they may know the truth,
2
Timothy 3:8
Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the
truth:
men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith;