A Biblical Vision, Part II: Mastering the New Testament Witness to Christ

Ses s i on 4: The Gospe l s : The Man i fes tat i on of Chr i s t , Par t I I I 133

man?” [22] Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” [23] So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

III. The Certainty of the Apostolic Testimony Regarding the Risen Messiah Jesus

John 21.24-25 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. [25] Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

A. The Christian faith is anchored on the resurrection of Messiah Jesus.

1. If the resurrection did not occur, the entire substructure of Christian faith is denied and found to be untrue.

2. No other doctrine or practice in Christian belief even comes close to the power of the resurrection.

B. The resurrection is grounded on the doctrine of “apostolicity” (i.e., the apostles who testify of Jesus’ resurrection were personal eyewitnesses of his glory), 2 Pet. 1.16-21.

1. Peter’s claim: “we were eyewitnesses of his majesty”

a. The evidence of the resurrection is based on eyewitness testimony.

b. The credibility of the apostles is the foundation of the Christian’s confidence (in other words, if the apostles were mistaken, then the entire faith is illegitimate).