No other faith, or religious belief, can make a case for what they believe like Christianity. Put on trial for historicity and truthfulness, the New Testament in particular can boast of its reliability based on eyewitness accounts. What is so amazing is that it has multiple testimonies and not just one or two accounts for people, places, and events! In some instances, like seeing the resurrected Jesus, there are multiple interactions and over 500 eyewitnesses! (see 1 Corinthians 15:3-7)
John spoke of his eyewitness experience in both his Gospel and in his letter:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made that has been made. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us… We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1-3; 14 (NIV)
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete. 1 John 1:1-4 (NIV)
Peter also wrote about their experience as eyewitnesses:
We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 2 Peter 1:16-17 (NIV)
The importance of Eyewitness testimony:
Eyewitness testimony in a court of law is extremely important in solidifying a case. The more witnesses you have, the more credibility the case will have. The more reliable the eyewitnesses are, the more the jury will believe the testimony.
- The Bible authors were people who had eyewitness testimonies, or recorded eyewitness accounts of the people, places, and events in the Bible
- The Bible authors received direct revelation from God, through Jesus Christ, and through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as they recorded their experiences
- Many of the eyewitness accounts are in multiple, not singular, experiences which gives greater credibility to the documents
- Many of the accounts have slight variations because of the view of the witness, and this gives strength to the testimonies because it shows they were not in collusion
Characteristics of the New Testament eyewitnesses:
Skeptics of the New Testament claim fabrication of the events by the authors, however…
- The eyewitnesses to the life of Christ were people of good reputation, were not considered to be liars, had nothing to gain by fabricating their stories, had testimony that matched the other witnesses, and they had clarity of the events.
- The eyewitnesses of Jesus’ resurrection can be corroborated because there were more than 500 people who were documented to have seen Jesus after His resurrection in no less than ten recorded events.
- Many of the people that accompanied Jesus during His ministry, and bystanders, were still alive at the time of the New Testament writings and therefore could have disputed their claims, but they did not.
- Fabrication of these accounts seems impossible since they had nothing to gain and everything to loss.
- All of the New Testament writers, except John, were martyred for their faith.
Luke, the author of both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, carefully investigated everything that had happened. In other words, he interviewed the people who were there to experience all the events of the Gospels and the early Church. This is apparent in the introduction to both his Gospel and the book of Acts:
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. Luke 1:1-4 (NIV)
Additional evidence against fabrication:
- There was a drastic, unexplained change in the attitudes and confidence level of the apostles and disciples immediately after the resurrection—they had scattered and were in hiding after Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion
- The authors of the New Testament were brutally honest, especially about their own shortcomings and mistakes
- There are many stories reported in the New Testament that were considered “off color” or socially unacceptable and the authors could have changed them to be more culturally acceptable or to make themselves look better, but they did not, for example:
- Stories that make the disciples look bad or stupid (like Peter denying Christ or Thomas doubting)
- The story of women finding the empty tomb first (testimony from women was not acceptable in this first century culture)
- Gentiles and women being equally accepted as the Jewish men were by Jesus
- Gentiles and women playing important roles in the early Church
As we saw with the early Christian Creeds, believers have made the same profession of faith throughout history. From the first eyewitnesses, to the early Church, to believers today, the confession of faith in the risen Savior Jesus Christ has remained the same and is all that is needed for eternal salvation. The Resurrection is the linchpin of the Christian faith and that has not changed over time.
Two thousand years removed from the events we can have confidence that what the first disciples of Jesus saw and believed is preserved for us in the Bible. But, what about when we have doubts? Look at what Jesus told Thomas after the Resurrection:
Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:24-29
We are the ones Jesus is saying are “blessed” because we “have not seen and yet have believed!” We can take comfort in knowing Jesus expected future believers to have it a little tougher than the first eyewitnesses. He made sure His Word was preserved for us today and with evidence to back it up. Therefore, we must continue safeguarding the Word of God by being His witnesses and sharing the confidence that we have through the knowledge that the Bible is inspired, inerrant, reliable, and trustworthy.
Going Deeper:
J. Warner Wallace did a two part series called: “Are the New Testament Eyewitness Accounts Reliable?” watch it here, and get his book “Cold Case Christianity” that dives deeper into the reliability of the Gospel record.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Reflection:
- Why are eyewitness accounts important for the reliability of the Bible? Give a few examples of eyewitness accounts in the Bible.
- Prayer focus—To be an effective “witness” for Jesus and the truths of the Bible to others in my life.
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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in! Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.
Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.
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Teri Dugan
TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com
1 Peter 3:15
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