The Evidence of Faith

In Luke 1:2, Luke writes in his Gospel: “Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word.” Then Luke writes in the book of Acts in 1:3, “To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”

The Greek word translated “proof” Luke uses in Acts 1:3 is tekmarion, which means: “that which causes something. to be known in a convincing and decisive manner.” In short, the proof is demonstrable. In the Gospel of Luke, right away Luke says, “eyewitnesses.” In the first verse he says that this eyewitness testimony was “set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us.”

Evidence is the basis of faith, not a leap in the dark. What God expects us to believe has more proof than anything required to believe. For that reason, Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” “Evidence” is a Greek word which means, “the act of presenting proof for the truth of something.” Scripture is the truth and it is verified or confirmed as the truth in many various ways. That’s what we believe.

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Someone can sink himself into what scripture says as a firm foundation for obedience. A person is not wasting his life by believing and practicing the Bible, just the opposite. The Bible gives the only authoritative, proven basis for the purpose of life. The documentary and eyewitness testimony can go on and on and on, like the evidence for the most lopsided case in history.