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 
One passage I would like to bring to your attention is:
1 John 3:24
The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
Notice that this passage does NOT say “We know it by the BIBLE he gave us.” It says “by the “SPIRIT He gave us.” So the facts can be verified by His Spirit within us, not the just the text as you suggest.
LikeLike
Remember and read, “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered” (Rom. 6:17).
LikeLike
The key here is “obey from the heart.” Where does the Bible say that God’s laws were written?
Hebrews 8:10
This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Romans 2:14,15
14 Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness…..)
NT Christianity is not about reading how to perform acts of righteousness by reading the text and using human effort to carry them out. No, it’s about an inner transformation in which the mind is transformed into the likeness of Christ and it is from this Higher Intelligent (God’s Spirit) that obedience is carried out.
You appear to be extolling the virtues of the flesh and it’s ability to use self discipline toward obedience. It is certainly virtuous to do this and we are asked to do this in the NT but this method of obedience is contaminated by the carnal mind to which Paul makes reference in Romans 7. But when Christ is formed in the consciousness of the seeker then a new way of obedience occurs.
2 Corinthians 3:3
You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
Romans 7:6
But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
Surrender cannot happen through pro-action on the seekers part. Instead it happens through surrender, something the carnal mind resists. The carnal mind will say, “keep on trying and you will win this war against sin,” This is the subtle deception that occurs and keeps us bound by law and keeps us looking at “facts” to see if our performance is consistent with the facts that we read in scripture.
i think you are missing something that is very important here by using an intellectual process to see if we are doing obedience correct according to the facts of the text. What you are suggesting in this article is virtuous in nature but is a process of human intellect and not a process of God’s Spirit within us. In your scenario everything looks the same as it would if done by the God’s Spirit with us but I don’t think that God endorses mechanical obedience done by using “facts” to perform obedience.
LikeLike
“For the carnal mind is hostile unto God; for it is not subordinate to the law of God for it is not able” (Rom. 8:7).
LikeLike
It’s a lot more than just that, Scott. One can be hostile towards God without being aware of it. Lovers of law think they are in compliance with the law of God but are not. Those who try to earn their way into heaven through their obedience are hostile to the law of God. They may think that they are justified by their works of obedience but are in conflict with the principle of Grace. It’s not just those who obviously are living in sin that are being hostile toward God.
You can quote scriptures all day long but
LikeLike
Scott, You are approaching spiritual truth from a “legal” POV. It totally misses the essence of NT Christianity. NT Christianity is not about reading how to perform and act Christian-like and then going back to the text to see if it’s legal. Can’t you see that you are putting “spiritual truth” into a box of legalism that it does not belong? I can certainly perform scriptural obedience from the text and still remain spiritually dead. You’re totally missing the mark by promoting a system of verifying truth by the text.
We are not under law, we are under grace. Grace is a totally different type of Christian Life. I don’t think you are getting this. We live by faith and not by the written code, whether it be old or new.
Romans 2:29
No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.
Romans 7:6
But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
Under the new covenant the truth is written on our hearts. Do you believe this or not?
LikeLike
BTW, if facts are the key then why would I need faith?
LikeLike
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).
“If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:9-13, cf. 1:1-4).
Jesus said, “And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe” (John 5:37-38).
LikeLike
“But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?” (2 Cor. 3:7-8).
LikeLike
As for your dynamic-thought paraphrase translation/commentary interpretation, “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Cor. 12:13).
Was Jesus also a “legalist” for saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God'” (Matt. 4:4)?
LikeLike
So was Jesus’ message about living by words? I don’t think so.
You have picked scripture that supports the fact that we must live by the text and have ignored scripture that state we are to live by the Spirit that dwells within us. How are those words spoken?
Romans 2:14-16
14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
Romans 2:29
No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.
2 Corinthians 3:3
You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human
hearts.
You did not answer my question. Do you believe that the truth is written on our hearts?
LikeLike
“speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures” (2 Pet. 3:16).
LikeLike
Regarding 1 Cor. 12:13, do you have a problem with the way the NIV phrases this passage? Did the essence of the message get changed in any way? Not sure what your point is by saying, “As for your dynamic-thought paraphrase translation/commentary interpretation.”
LikeLike
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2).
“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto justification? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered” (Rom. 6:16-17).
“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,” (1 Pet. 1:22-23).
LikeLike
Are you suggesting that the NT teaches that our Christian objective is to obey the written text of the NT? If so then is our acceptable obedience a product of God’s Spirit living in us or our ability to carry out His will using human effort? Which is it, Scott? Is not human effort carnal in nature? It is only by the Spirit or by human effort. Which is it?
LikeLike
“how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:” (Eph. 3:3-5).
LikeLike
Romans 9:16
It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
Romans 2:29
No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.
Galatians 3:3
Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?
Hebrews 8:10
This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
LikeLike
That’s right. Phil, just let go of your opinions and turn to Christ. May God bless you in seeking Christ.
LikeLike
Guess I could say the same to you. Not sure why you think I have opinions and you don’t. Maybe if you let go of your need to see the NT as a legal covenant you might find the spiritual truth.
LikeLike
BTW, you never did respond to my request when I asked you if the truth resides within the heart of man. I’m guessing that you don’t believe it does even though the scriptures say otherwise. I think that the inner aspects of biblical truth make you uneasy. I would encourage you to seek Christ within your heart and to realize that He does not live in the text.
LikeLike
How do we know when the carnal mind is guiding us? The carnal mind can lead us into following biblical instructions to the point that the instruction becomes law to the person reading those instructions. Then law becomes the main focus of that person and without knowing it they are led into a mindset that is not spiritual. Bible study and obedience does not necessarily free one from the carnal mind.
LikeLike
Don’t trust the carnal mind but trust God. Let us listen to His evidence. Let us not be ignorant (Rom. 10:3, cf. Rom. 8:5-6, 1 Cor. 14:20). “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (Jas. 1.5).
LikeLike
I strongly believe the bible. I am suspect of the mind that reads and interprets the scriptures though. The intellect mind is flesh and very fallible in it’s quest to know spiritual truth . The intellect mind has an agenda and loses objectivity when it pursues it’s goal. That’s why it’s called “ego-intellect.” We cannot approach the scriptures with ego-intellect and hope to arrive at truth.
1 Corinthians 2:13-15
13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words] 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Seeing God's Breath.
LikeLike
Confirming everything that we hear through two or three primary sources is an excellent and God-given way to make good judgments regarding accusations through the media, at work, with civil issues, in disciplining children, and in resolving church problems.
LikeLike