The Foundation of the Church (part 2) - God's Testimony
Introduction. Immediately after Peter made his confession that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus said, “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you.” Jesus knew that only through God’s testimony could Peter have been led to this conclusion. No one who confesses Jesus can do so without God’s agency: “no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” (1Cor. 12:3). God carefully crafted and designed this testimony to make it as powerful and convicting as possible. Without God’s testimony as revealed by the Holy Spirit, no one could know or confess Jesus is Christ, Lord, and Son of God. While the vast majority of Jews and Greeks saw this testimony as foolishness (1Cor. 1:18-31), or like Festus, as insanity or madness (Acts 26:24), God wanted it known that it was not “flesh and blood,” they were mocking and rejecting, but God.
The incongruity of this rejection is centered on the power of testimony. Regardless of what we want to believe, if it is true, we have no choice in the matter. Neither the Jews or Gentiles accepted God’s testimony, but they had no excuse. They simply refused to accept it. The classic “don’t confuse me with the facts, my mind is already made up,” was their only defense. Yet the real insanity is to reject reality and create your own. Human testimony is powerful in the courts and everyday life and God built on it: “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son.” The witness or testimony of men truly is the central foundation of human knowledge. Anything we “know,” done outside of our presence, comes through the testimony of men. Everything we know about human history is based on this same testimony. Although we were not there and can never go back and see it ourselves, we still accept without question that Julius Caesar was an emperor and that Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were Greek philosophers. We know it because we accept the testimony of men.
God builds on the contradiction of accepting man’s testimony but rejecting His with strongly warning of the consequences. The historical record of Jesus is no different than that of any other historical figure, except in one critical point. God’s testimony of Jesus is far greater. By accepting the testimony of men and then rejecting God’s greater testimony, we place ourselves in grave peril: “He 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.” (1Jn. 5:9-13). When God, “who cannot lie” affirms that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, those who reject it have made God into a liar.
This “greater” testimony about Jesus began in the garden of Eden with the promise of a future son (Gen. 3:15). It was then reaffirmed to Abraham and Jacob (Gen. 22:18; 26:3) and later to David (1Sam. 7:12-13). Since God “calls those things which do not exist as though they did” (Rom. 4:17), He was able to give many promises about Jesus birth, life and death many centuries before they occurred. Once again, this is far greater testimony than “flesh and blood,” No man can predict the future with 100% accuracy, but God did it hundreds of times!
As Peter stood with the 11, the command “not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father,” came to an end. God’s testimony started with the sound of a mighty wind on a calm day. As the multitudes gathered, they could hear the twelve apostles proclaiming the mighty works of God. But God’s extended His testimony further as each heard them in their own native language. What an amazing experience that must have been, but it only laid the groundwork for the Holy Spirit to reveal in a systematic and forceful manner exactly how “God the Father has set His seal on Him.” (Jn. 6:27).
First, it was God who performed all the miracles, wonders and signs. Even though He did them through Jesus, they were all done to attest that God had approved and sent Him. (Acts 2:22). Miracles were part of God’s testimony and Jesus performed every type miracle imaginable. He could change the laws of physics, walking on water and calming storms, He could suspend the laws of anatomy and physiology by healing the sick, injured, scarred and maimed. He could feed 5000 with a few loaves and fish. He could even raise the dead. Once again, we have testimony from God that is far greater than man could offer.
While His death might appear to disprove the testimony of the miracles, God added more testimony. Peter summed this up by stating, Jesus was “delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). This is testimony on a far grander scale than man can devise! God revealed far in advance: “He was cut off from the land of the living,” “they made His grave with the wicked,” “He poured out His soul unto death,” “they will look on Me whom they pierced,” “they have pierced my hands and feet.” (Isa. 53; Ps. 22; Zech. 12:10-14; 13:1;). After reading this, no one can deny that it was God’s predetermined counsel. We still have those prophecies today and the Dead Sea scrolls confirm they were definitely written before Jesus was born.
As Peter continued using “the keys to the kingdom of heaven” to open its doors to Israel, he came to the most critical and essential element of God’s testimony: “whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death.” The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the greatest proof God ever gave. He made certain that it would be among the most attested events in the history of our world. As Paul would later reveal, the eyewitness testimony was extensive: “He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. ... He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, ... He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then, last of all, He was seen by me also.” (1Cor. 15:5-8). So, although Peter only spoke of the apostles, there were many more witnesses that could be brought forward.
God’s testimony continues to build on ancient prophesies of future events. Although revealed centuries earlier, God had given detailed descriptions, not only of His death, but also of where Jesus would be born, how He would die and be raised from the dead. If any one of these things had not come to pass, then everything else that prophet wrote or spoke must also be rejected.
This was a bold and confident promise only God could make when speaking about the future. God chose to give these ancient prophecies, knowing they would become His final testimony regarding what happened to Jesus after His death.
David was among these prophets who lived nearly 1000 years before Jesus was born. God chose to place him in the genealogy of the Christ in a unique way, promising: “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2Sam. 7:12-14). From that time until the end of His life, David made many statements about this seed. Often seemingly speaking only of himself, but truly speaking of this future son and king who would reign forever. God gave to David the privilege of revealing the death and resurrection of His son Jesus.
Conclusion. God put all this in Scripture long before Peter was born. Peter had no means to create this information. “Flesh and blood” had not revealed it, but the Father who is in heaven, knowing it would be needed as His final testimony to a lost and dying world that a Savior had come and given His life for our sins.
The incongruity of this rejection is centered on the power of testimony. Regardless of what we want to believe, if it is true, we have no choice in the matter. Neither the Jews or Gentiles accepted God’s testimony, but they had no excuse. They simply refused to accept it. The classic “don’t confuse me with the facts, my mind is already made up,” was their only defense. Yet the real insanity is to reject reality and create your own. Human testimony is powerful in the courts and everyday life and God built on it: “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son.” The witness or testimony of men truly is the central foundation of human knowledge. Anything we “know,” done outside of our presence, comes through the testimony of men. Everything we know about human history is based on this same testimony. Although we were not there and can never go back and see it ourselves, we still accept without question that Julius Caesar was an emperor and that Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were Greek philosophers. We know it because we accept the testimony of men.
God builds on the contradiction of accepting man’s testimony but rejecting His with strongly warning of the consequences. The historical record of Jesus is no different than that of any other historical figure, except in one critical point. God’s testimony of Jesus is far greater. By accepting the testimony of men and then rejecting God’s greater testimony, we place ourselves in grave peril: “He 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.” (1Jn. 5:9-13). When God, “who cannot lie” affirms that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, those who reject it have made God into a liar.
This “greater” testimony about Jesus began in the garden of Eden with the promise of a future son (Gen. 3:15). It was then reaffirmed to Abraham and Jacob (Gen. 22:18; 26:3) and later to David (1Sam. 7:12-13). Since God “calls those things which do not exist as though they did” (Rom. 4:17), He was able to give many promises about Jesus birth, life and death many centuries before they occurred. Once again, this is far greater testimony than “flesh and blood,” No man can predict the future with 100% accuracy, but God did it hundreds of times!
As Peter stood with the 11, the command “not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father,” came to an end. God’s testimony started with the sound of a mighty wind on a calm day. As the multitudes gathered, they could hear the twelve apostles proclaiming the mighty works of God. But God’s extended His testimony further as each heard them in their own native language. What an amazing experience that must have been, but it only laid the groundwork for the Holy Spirit to reveal in a systematic and forceful manner exactly how “God the Father has set His seal on Him.” (Jn. 6:27).
First, it was God who performed all the miracles, wonders and signs. Even though He did them through Jesus, they were all done to attest that God had approved and sent Him. (Acts 2:22). Miracles were part of God’s testimony and Jesus performed every type miracle imaginable. He could change the laws of physics, walking on water and calming storms, He could suspend the laws of anatomy and physiology by healing the sick, injured, scarred and maimed. He could feed 5000 with a few loaves and fish. He could even raise the dead. Once again, we have testimony from God that is far greater than man could offer.
While His death might appear to disprove the testimony of the miracles, God added more testimony. Peter summed this up by stating, Jesus was “delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23). This is testimony on a far grander scale than man can devise! God revealed far in advance: “He was cut off from the land of the living,” “they made His grave with the wicked,” “He poured out His soul unto death,” “they will look on Me whom they pierced,” “they have pierced my hands and feet.” (Isa. 53; Ps. 22; Zech. 12:10-14; 13:1;). After reading this, no one can deny that it was God’s predetermined counsel. We still have those prophecies today and the Dead Sea scrolls confirm they were definitely written before Jesus was born.
As Peter continued using “the keys to the kingdom of heaven” to open its doors to Israel, he came to the most critical and essential element of God’s testimony: “whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death.” The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the greatest proof God ever gave. He made certain that it would be among the most attested events in the history of our world. As Paul would later reveal, the eyewitness testimony was extensive: “He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. ... He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, ... He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then, last of all, He was seen by me also.” (1Cor. 15:5-8). So, although Peter only spoke of the apostles, there were many more witnesses that could be brought forward.
God’s testimony continues to build on ancient prophesies of future events. Although revealed centuries earlier, God had given detailed descriptions, not only of His death, but also of where Jesus would be born, how He would die and be raised from the dead. If any one of these things had not come to pass, then everything else that prophet wrote or spoke must also be rejected.
- “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.” (Deut. 18:22)
This was a bold and confident promise only God could make when speaking about the future. God chose to give these ancient prophecies, knowing they would become His final testimony regarding what happened to Jesus after His death.
David was among these prophets who lived nearly 1000 years before Jesus was born. God chose to place him in the genealogy of the Christ in a unique way, promising: “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2Sam. 7:12-14). From that time until the end of His life, David made many statements about this seed. Often seemingly speaking only of himself, but truly speaking of this future son and king who would reign forever. God gave to David the privilege of revealing the death and resurrection of His son Jesus.
- “For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.” ... David, ...being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.” (Acts 2:27, 30-31)
Conclusion. God put all this in Scripture long before Peter was born. Peter had no means to create this information. “Flesh and blood” had not revealed it, but the Father who is in heaven, knowing it would be needed as His final testimony to a lost and dying world that a Savior had come and given His life for our sins.
- And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1Jn. 5:11-13).