Bless the Lord, O my soul,   
And all that is within me,   
bless His holy name.   
Bless the Lord, O my soul,   
And forget none of His benefits.   
- Psalms 103:1-2   
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The Witness of The Christ

We know that a person can make any claim that they wish about themselves regardless of the validity of the claim. We see in our legal system the importance of an outside witness to help establish the facts so that a correct and honest decision can be made. Jesus made the statement in John 5:31 "If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true."  We understand that this would not be valid as testimony concerning oneself. We must remember that Jesus was the Christ sent from God the Father to be the sacrifice for sin and for Jesus to make this claim by just his testimony alone would not be reliable and valid. But we find recorded references by other witnesses that give testimony to Jesus being the Christ, the Anointed from God the Father.

 

The Scriptures

The various writers of the Old Testament record the words of the men who walked this earth from long ago. They were leaders, kings and prophets who foretold of the coming of the Messiah in very explicit detail, They spoke of how and where this Messiah would be born. They spoke concerning over 300 qualifying events that would be fulfilled by the Messiah when he came leaving no doubt as to identifying that person, We see Jesus using the Scriptures to bear witness that He was the Christ in Luke 24:27 "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." Jesus plainly made this statement in John 5:39 "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." This was spoken to the Jews who were well aware of the Scriptures and what was contained in them concerning the Christ who was to come, We find Apollos who was mighty in the scriptures using them to bear witness that Jesus was the Christ in Acts 18:28 "For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ."

 

Personal Witness of Others

When Jesus spoke to the woman of Samaria at the well and told her things about her life she went into the city and made this statement to the men "Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?" (John 4:29). We find the result of this personal testimony in John 4:39 "And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did."  Then we also have the great testimony of John revealing that Jesus was the Christ. John 1:6-8 records "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light."  And John indeed bear witness that Jesus was the Christ. John 1:15 states "John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me." Look at the sureness of the testimony of John as told in John 1:32-34 "And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God."

 

God The Father

Jesus said in John 5:36,37 "But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me." At the baptism of Jesus in Matthew 3:17 The Father declared "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  The people recognized that the works Jesus did had to have had the blessings of The Father in order for them to be accomplished. Nicodemus said in John 3:2 "The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him." Jesus plainly told the people " I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me." (John 10:25). And the people clearly saw that. "Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing." (John 9:32-33). Peter declared to the people "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him." (Acts 10:38). Jesus simply said in John 8:18 "I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me."

 

- Larry Bumgardner



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