The Old Testament true prophets often pictured God either as bearing witness against Israel or as challenging Israel to bear witness against Him. - Mic. 1:2, 6:3 - God is also seen in the Old Testament witnessing covenants between Himself and the nation of Israel or individuals. - Duet. 31:19-26 - A witness can also be a guarantee of the accuracy of a transaction. - Jer. 32:10, 12, 25, 44 -
Witness is also used in connection with the distinctively religious message of the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible. God witnesses to the believer about His assurance of salvation: The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God. - Rom. 8:16 - It is also declares that God has not left Himself without witness. Witness to Christ is borne by the prophets, John the Baptist, the Father, the works of Christ and Christ Himself.
Now we are those witnesses - we have eaten and drunk with him after his resurrection from the dead - and he has ordered us to proclaim this to his people and to tell them that God has appointed him to judge everyone, alive or dead. It is to him that all the prophets bear this witness: that all who believe in Jesus will have their sins forgiven through his name. - Acts 10:42-43 -
In the past he allowed each nation to go its own way; but even then he did not leave you without evidence of himself in the good things he does for you; he sends you rain from heaven, he makes your crops grow when they should, he gives you food and makes you happy. - Acts 14:16-17 -
Besides, the Father sent me
bears witness to me himself. - John 5:37 -
You judge by human standards;
I judge no one,
but if I judge,
my judgement will be sound,
because I am not alone:
and in your Law it is written
that the testimony of two witnesses is valid.
I may be testifying on my own behalf,
but the Father who sent me is my witness too. - John 8:15-18 -
The believer's life, words and deeds serve as a witness to the world. Sometimes this witness to the world is represented in the witness of the apostles and the chosen, who are Christ's special witnesses - witnesses of His resurrection.
We must therefore choose someone who has been with us the whole time that the Lord Jesus was travelling round with us, someone who was with us right from the time when John was baptising until the day when he was taken up from us - and he can act with us as a witness to his resurrection. - Acts 1:21-22 -
God raised this man Jesus to life and all of us are witnesses to that. - Acts 2:32 -
God raised him to life and allowed him to be seen, not by the whole people but only by certain witnesses God had chosen beforehand. - Acts 10:41 -
But God raised him from the dead and for many days he appeared to those who had accompanied him from Galilee to Jerusalem: and it is these same companions of his who are now his witnesses before our people. - Acts 13: 31 -
However, the command to witness has implications for all believers too. It applies to the new Christian community the similar command that was given to ancient Israel.
You yourselves are my witness - it is Yahweh who speaks
my servants whom I have chosen,
that men may know and believe me
and understand that it is I.
No god was formed before me,
nor will be after me.
I, I am Yahweh,
there is no other saviour but me,
It is I who have spoken, have saved, have made the proclamation,
not any strangers among you.
You are my witnesses - it is Yahweh who speaks
and I, I am your God, I am he from eternity. - Is. 43:10-12 -
The believer's model in witness is none other than Christ Himself.
You must aim to be saintly and religious, filled with faith and love, patient and gentle. Fight the good fight of the faith and win for yourself the eternal life to which you were called when you made your profession and spoke up for the truth in front of many witnesses. Now, before God the source of all life and before Jesus Christ, who spoke up as a witness for the truth in front of Pontius Pilate, I put to you the duty of doing all that you have been told, with no faults or failures until the Appearing of our
Lord Jesus Christ,
who at the due time will be revealed
by God, the blessed and only Ruler of all,
the King of kings and the Lord of lords,
who alone is immortal,
whose home is in inaccessible light,
whom no man has seen and no man is able to see:
to him be honour and everlasting power. Amen. - 1Tim. 6:11-16 -
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Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
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Sunday, May 24, 2009
I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!
I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.
HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -
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