If people applied the simplicity of verifying truth, the world would immensely change for the better. There is a simple method for finding the truth. Whether someone is weighing the evidence in law or hearsay and gossip in everyday life, the following legal-historical method allows people to distinguish and discover the truth. However, people have biases and presuppositions. Many do not always want the truth, the responsibility to examine evidence, or the change that truth would make in them. Whether someone believes in the Bible or not, all position claiming the truth must bear the burden of proof. In the case of the Bible, this book claims all truth and presents the evidence to all.
The Standard of Evidence
Confirming events by two or three primary sources is still the legal maxim of proof. This maxim always holds true. Even when the guilty collaborate accounts to escape conviction, an honest and diligent investigation can reveal the deception. By examining two or more eyewitness sources, two or more essential discrepancies between these accounts discover and expose false testimonies. Likewise, two or three primary sources affirm an event when two or more essential points agree within the witnesses’ accounts. Rome adopted this principle of affirming truth into its ancient courts (cf. Roman Corpus of Civil Law). Egypt, Greece, India, and Crete also used this standard. The Law of Moses embedded this procedure into Israel’s commonwealth. This legal maxim was essential to the founding of English common law and the U.S. judicial system, and now continues. “No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court” (U.S. Constitution: Art. 3, Sect. 3). This legal maxim is so ancient and fundamental that the Bible attributes it to coming from God.
Facts are facts when verified. Verify means “to prove the truth of, as by evidence or testimony; confirm; substantiate.” Verifying the truth is one of the purposes of the Bible and something seen throughout its text. Few realize the effect that the Bible has had upon proving facts. The body of evidence in a court of law, verification of historical events, the sources of honest journalism, and reports of the scientific method rely on this principle as the foundation of discovering facts. The Bible carried this principle throughout the centuries unto modern civilization.
Evidence and the Bible
The Bible carries this principle from its beginning to end. The Bible showed the continual reliability and simple practicality of proving each fact by two or three primary sources. First, when the Bible speaks of “witnesses,” the Bible is referring to primary sources. These sources are witnesses including people (John 3:32; 1 John 1:1), actions (Mark 1:44; 6:11; Heb 2:4), writings (Deut 31:26), songs (Deut 19), monuments (Josh 4:22), and trace evidence (Exod 22:9–15; Deut 22:13–21). Second, even if two or three conspired to bear false witness, the Bible teaches to examine thoroughly these witnesses. Comparing the similarities and symmetry of the accounts of an event is the process for investigating sources and attaining every factual detail. Examining and recognizing the consistency and agreement of two or more essential details verifies every part of the actual event. While these details prove true, this process proves the truth of these testimonies. The investigator can detect inconsistencies and disagreements upon two or three explicit contradictions as witnesses that they are dishonest. Thereby, the diligent observer can know the facts and expose the lies.
This standard of testimonial evidence is the foundation of jurisprudence and the basis of civility. The writers of the New Testament used this principle to prove its claims. When opposition openly accused Jesus of evil in the Gospel of John, He turned to this eternal truth for His innocence and proof of His identity. Jesus said in John 8:17, “It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.” Jesus used this standard to prove who He said He was even when the witnesses were only Jesus and God (John 8:14–18). Sometimes, a person is the only witness besides God, and that does not change the truth or what is evident truth. In John 5, Jesus referred to witnesses proving that He is the Messiah. These witnesses were John the Baptist (5:33–35), God the Father via signs and wonders (5:36–38), and the scriptures (5:39), which include Jesus’s reference to Moses (5:45–47). Jesus was not verifying Himself to make light of a foolish Jewish principle that they used against Him. He was using the scriptural authority of proof.
The writer of John wrote, “He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe” (John 19:35), “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31), and “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” (John 21:24). John also used this principle of various witnesses to prove the truth in his epistle of 1 John (1:1–4; 5:6–13). This evidence is still the guiding method used to prove Jesus today as it was two thousand years ago. Furthermore, Jesus commanded His apostles to bear witness and thus prove Him in preaching throughout the world (Acts 10:36–43). Only prejudice opposes such eyewitnesses.
Israel’s Standard of Evidence
The judicial system of the Mosaical Law relied upon this standard of verification by two or three witnesses. Judges were essential to civil justice under the Mosaical Law (Deut 16:18–20), and these judges used this exact method (Deut 17:6–7; 19:15; Num 35:30). Israel elected their leaders (Deut 1:13). God revealed to Israel that they can know the truth by two or three witnesses to the point that those found guilty would receive punishments even unto death. Therefore, God required that Israel’s judges conduct a careful and thorough investigation (Deut 19:18–20). Israel applied the wisdom of relying upon the proof of witnesses in everyday life. When Boaz bought land, he did so before witnesses and the elders at the gate of Bethlehem, who judged and confirmed Boaz’s trade by which he gave one of his sandals to bear witness (Ruth 4). Jeremiah also bought land with witnesses, signed a deed that bore witness, and sealed the deed as a prophecy of Judah’s coming captivity (Jer 32). This same affirmation is still used today on contracts, wills, and marriage licenses in the U.S.
All of the Bible centers upon affirming the truth via testimony. Moses wrote in his Law, “Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there as a witness against you” (Deut 31:26), hence references to “the two tablets of the testimony” (Exod 31:18), “the ark of the testimony” (Exod 31:7), and “the tabernacle of the testimony” (Exod 38:21). What testimony? The Law of Moses is God’s testimony. Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy are the witnesses that form the Mosaical Law as a testimony against God’s people who break His Law.
Evidence and the Gospels
Why are there four Gospels? Do they not bear witness? Besides the uniqueness of the four Gospels, Matthew and John testified of what they saw and heard. Mark and Luke wrote and verified testimonies of other eyewitnesses. Each Gospel affirmed the life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus. The Gospels verify the wonderful works that Jesus did proving that He was from God bringing the Truth of God, and God bore witness by these signs and wonders (John 20:30–31; Heb 2:1–4). The Apostles knew what they were doing. They were proving that Jesus is the predicted Messiah from God. Proof after proof fills each Gospel for the world to cross-examine these eyewitness reports.
After Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection, His Apostles were willing to testify in court and willing to face the charge of perjury. The exact definition of “perjury” from par meaning “false” and jury meaning “witness.” The Apostles challenged the courts to find them guilty of false witness making them open to receive its due punishment. When the Apostles appeared before the Jewish court, the Sanhedrin, they said, “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20), and “we are His witnesses to these things” — Jesus’s death and resurrection (Acts 5:32). The Apostles were never found guilty of perjury. Later, the Jewish court did take their wrath out on Stephen by stoning him to death when they relied on false witnesses. When the unbelieving Jews rose up against the apostle Paul in Jerusalem, he took the testimony of the gospel with him before governors and kings to Caesarea and all the way to Rome (Acts 22:15; 23:11). Paul taught and relied upon the legal maxim of two or three witnesses even in the face of false teachers (2 Cor 13:1; cf. 1 Tim 5:19). By these infallible proofs, the gospel of Jesus Christ spread throughout the world.
The Testimony
As the Law of Moses was a testimony to Israel, Jesus revealed that the gospel is a witness to all the world (Matt 24:14). Paul echoed the same that the gospel is the testimony (2 Tim 1:8; cf. 1 Cor 2:1). Most houses in the U.S. have the witness of the Bible. In each home, the Word of God bears witness. The proof of Jesus fulfilling predictive prophecies and truly doing miracles is more certain than anything else in history. No stronger evidence exists than eyewitnesses. Trace and forensic evidence suffice to support the witnesses. Various witnesses recorded in writing confirm the gospel of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The New Testament Scriptures deliver the words of these testimonies to the world. What will the world do with these words? The goal of the Apostles was to spread the testimony of the gospel. In 1 John 1:1–4, the apostle John revealed,
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life — the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us — that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.”
My plea to everyone is to examine the Gospels and honestly pursue the truth with a pure conscience. — Scott J Shifferd
Seeing God's Breath 
You have to first prove your god exists. Before you can claim that anything in a holy book is true. And that burden is the main one. So you cant simply shift the burden. Because the atheist makes no claim of god. You do! “Idiotic in the extreme.”
LikeLike
I do not think that you have understood that Bible holds the standard and meets the standard of legal and historical evidence. For instance, critical scholarship including skeptics, agnostic, and atheistic academics admit the earliest Christian creed is that Jesus died, was buried, and early believers experienced appearances of Jesus risen. They find this creed in 1 Corinthians 15:1–11 and base this upon Galatians 1:18–2:2 as historical. They date this creed to the event of Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection appearances.
Furthermore, the vast majority of critical scholarship note specific historical facts about Jesus’s resurrection. These include:
(1) Joseph of Arimathea buried Jesus’s body in a new tomb for his family.
(2) Women including Mary Magdalene found Jesus’s tomb empty.
(3) The guards’ accounts at the tomb was common among the Jews and admits that Jesus’s tomb was empty on the third day, guarded by a guard, and that Jesus predicted his resurrection.
(4) The oldest Christian creed notes that numerous people at multiple times experienced the same appearances of Jesus risen (1 Cor 15:1–11).
(5) The persecutor Saul (or Paul) converted to faith in Jesus Christ when he experienced Jesus’s resurrection.
(6) James, the opponent and brother of Jesus, converted by experiencing Jesus’s resurrection.
(7) The church exists and could have begun upon the belief and proclamation that Jesus rose from the dead.
(*) If there is a God, then He can act upon His creation against the laws of nature. In the case of Jesus who did not deserve his death, death could not hold him and God can raise him from the dead.
LikeLike
Sorry it doesn’t!
As said you cant claim the bible holds the standard and meets the standard of legal and historical evidence, without first proving the god of said bible exists. the book is simply a book of myths and redundant without that god. once proven then and only then can you claim it holds the standard and meets the standard of legal and historical evidence.
Also if you are going too ignore your gods existence, you could take any ancient book and claim that they hold the standard and meets the standard of legal and historical evidence. Whereas they don’t. Oh and quoting scripture isn’t going to help your case one iota.
LikeLike
Pavlos,Marcos,
Explain how the Human body came into existence with it’s miracle creation from the human brain to the human heart, immune system, every bone and muscle, etc
The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament His handiwork
When you r heart stops it will be too late for you – separated from God forever because you refused the evidence and chose your love for your SIN over the Love of God.
I have nothing but pity for you my dear friend..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Romans 1:17
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Galatians 3:11
But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Hebrews 10:38
Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
LikeLike
Amen.
LikeLike
Christians live by faith, not by facts. Even if the facts were not there faith could still empower one to believe. The truth resides within the heart of the believer and it is the heart that one must trust, not just facts. The heart understands things that facts cannot convey.
LikeLike
Truth, principles, and virtues are presented the facts (the events) of the life of Jesus Christ and His apostles and prophets (2 Pet. 1:2-9ff).
LikeLike
Really? Oh, well. You are a simple minded hypocrite. You can make things up as much as you want but it doesn’t change the fact that these “evidences” are well within your standard. Those witnesses are every bit as valid as the ones you accept. You simply don’t accept them because they don’t fit your preconceptions. Much like your sad misconceptions about science elsewhere in this blog. You don’t know what evidence is (your legal standard is irrelevant in science) and even within your own profoundly flawed standard, you ignore contradictory evidence.
LikeLike
As was pointed out to you in another thread, the witnesses to the golden Plates of the Mormons meets your standard of evidence. Since you have refused to answer any of the valid points there, I have opted to ask this one here: Have you converted to Mormonism or are you ready to admit that you are in error?
LikeLike
There are no testimonies for these witnesses. There are signatures witnesses contrary to Sidney Rigdon and Martin Harris, who testify contrary. There are no hostile witnesses, who converted to Christ.
LikeLike