The Authority and Reliability Of The Gospels As Testimony.
1 John 5: 9-13
12th May 2024
This week I got called up for Jury Service.
Have you ever received the summons for Jury Service?
If you’ve served on a jury, you will know it can be difficult to assess conflicting evidence, weighing the testimony of various witnesses.
There is a very famous trial happening at the moment, with lots of speculation over the reliability of the witnesses.
In the trial of Donald Trump, witnesses have included:
Hope Hicks, Stormy Daniels, …and the one many are fascinated to hear from: Michael Cohen.
Witness credibility is recognised as crucial to win the case.
I recently heard a Jury Consultant
(who interviews jurors after trials have ended)
describe the importance that a juror, when listening to a witness, has an “A-ha” moment;
when they become convinced that the testimony is believable.
The New Testament passage today addresses the importance of a certain testimony –
and it does not allow room for indecision or uncertainty.
It insists there is a testimony that is in a unique category.
From Te Paipera Tapu…verse 9 of our NT reading…
Ki te whakaae atu tatou, ki tã ngã tăngata whakaatu,
(fuck-eye) (fuck-are-too)
he NUI kẽ tã TE ATUA whakaatu.
(fuck-are-too)
If we receive human testimony,
the testimony of God is greater.
This verse might be paraphrased as
“We accept the witness of human beings,
so we ought all the more to accept this witness we have received from God.”
This passage insists you must decide about the truth of Jesus.
And that involves accepting the testimony of a witness.
Apart from those first eye-witnesses to the life and words of Jesus, every Christian comes to faith though someone else’s witness.
Even if (like me) you grew up in a Christian home, and don’t remember a specific moment you heard the story of who Jesus is.
Milton Jones is a British comedian who describes his own experience:
“Growing up in a Christian home is like knowing the antidote before you knew of any poison.”
This passage isn’t describing the witness of a Chrisian home, it is the witness of the story of Jesus.
And you can probably tell immediately that this highlights the importance of the authority, and therefore the reliability of the Gospels – as testimony.
A few weeks ago, we considered how when we stand for the Bible as we come to worship here together we recognise that the Word of God is authoritative.
But what about the reliability of the Gospels as testimony…?
In a recent sermon I used a word that I acknowledge was possibly confusing: ‘non-canonical’.
(It was a moment I ad-libbed – which is why I never preach without notes!)
What does ‘noncanonical’ mean?
It refers to any material/text/manuscript that has NOT been chosen to form what we know as the Holy Bible – which is the ‘Cannon of Scripture’.
Examples of ‘non-canonical’ texts include The Gospel of Thomas, The Gospel of Judas…etc.
Why have these been excluded from the Canon of Scripture?
And why were the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) included?
These questions have invited many a conspiracy theory.
Some of you will remember all the ‘hype’ a couple of decades ago caused by Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code. The suggestion was that some shady-doings occurred to silence some truths contained in the texts that were excluded – on the basis that these were inconvenient for those who wanted to jealousy and selfishly protect their advantage.
Despite the popularity of such ideas, these are stupid and flimsy, and not supported at all by serious academic biblical scholarship.
We haven’t got enough time to cover this properly, so let me give a VERY brief summary of the historically-reliable understanding of how the current Bible we use was formed.
(with help from John Dickson Undeceptions: Jesus’ Biography, 6 May 2024. 52:30mins)
1. It was a collective discernment.
Not one or even a few power-brokers (As Dan Brown tries to suggest)
2. Priority was given to those books that were understood to have a connection to an apostolic author/source.
In other words: a reliable testimony from someone who was a witness to the events of Jesus’ life.
3. The content was orthodox.
It aligned to the faith confessed by the community – the Church. The testimony is consistent and coherent.
4. Used across the church communities
Included as part of the lived/experienced worship of real communities. The testimony functioned as authoritative for the Church.
This is some of the most important criteria used by the Church for deciding which texts were included as part of the Canon of Scripture – the testimony – and which were excluded.
This was done carefully, prayerfully and over a decent length of time.
It was a developing consensus, rather than some sort of top-down imposition.
If you are interested to understand more of the evidence for the reliability of the Gospels – I have very good news for you!
There is an opportunity next month to come along to series of workshops titled ‘Understanding the Bible’
We have invited Martyn Day to come down from Auckland. Martyn is an amazing communicator and Church Minister, who is going to preach here on the morning of Sunday 16th June, and then that evening give the first of four evening workshops examining the content of the Gospels (and the Book of Revelation)
Back to todays’ passage – there is one more part I want to highlight:
“And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (v11-12)
I believe this is meant as an encouragement!
Life can be ours!
There is a TV series – a black comedy crime drama series – called Fargo.
It is based on the film of the same name, which was written and directed by the Coen brothers, and takes place in Minnesota.
The most recent season has a final scene that expresses what it can mean to find life, through forgiveness.
A sinister man has arrived into the house of a family – he is a threaten presence; someone who has killed others for money.
Although he is a terrifying presence, the response of this family chat is to with him as they would any normal guest – even getting him involved in preparing the evening meal!
In the final scene he is lamenting about his miserable life, how he is constantly frightened, and how he is full of nothing but … sin.
The mother smiles at him and says:
“It feels like that, I know… But you want to know the cure? You got to eat something made with love and joy.
(she hands him one of the scones they had all made together) She looks at him intently and says to him:
“And be forgiven.”
The man nervously holds the scone,
and very cautiously takes a small bite.
And as he tastes the food made with love and joy, at the table with others, his face changes into an enormous smile.
He finds forgiveness by eating joy and love with others.
This is the truth of the meal which gives us our identity as those who are forgiven, who find belonging –
Holy Communion.
We are welcomed – united to God and united to each other.
We freely receive God’s grace in Jesus Christ – which forgives us and transforms us.
“…this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
Whoever has the Son has life;
whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
This passage today is part of God’s testimony;
a witness of the story of Jesus.
“[these things have been written for] you who believe in the name of the Son of God,
so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Amen.