In recent weeks I’ve had to do a little digging. A lesson I was working on for Bible study caused me to re-study an element that brought me to God’s Word.

As I was working on the Bible study, red flags began flying. Those red flags were a sign for me to get into God’s Word. But I also felt the need to look at the notes from my Bible College days.

So I pulled out my notes and syllabus from the course. NT 125, Acts of the Apostles, by Professor R. J. Kidwell at Cincinnati Bible College and Seminary (now known as Cincinnati Christian University).

I figured out what I needed to know, but as I read through my notes, this quote caught my eye.

“We are not witnesses! We are believers of Christ through the witness written down by the Apostles.” (September 11, 1979, NT 125, Acts of the Apostles, Professor R. J. Kidwell, Cincinnati Bible Seminary)

I am not a witness of Jesus’ life, His death, or His resurrection. So Professor Kidwell is correct.

Maybe you’ve heard people say they are God’s witness or that they are witnessing to others. How do these statements line up with God’s Word? Let’s see what God’s Word has to say about it.

In John 17, Jesus spent time in prayer and prayed for specific people and groups of people. First, Jesus prayed for Himself. There are beautiful words in this section and if you’ve never taken the time to read this prayer, why not do so? (John 17:1-5)

Then Jesus prayed for His disciples. Those who had been chosen by Jesus to carry on the work after He was gone. This group were witnesses. They had seen all that Jesus had done throughout His ministry. They witnessed the miracles, the teachings, the interactions. They were indeed witnesses. (John 17:6-19)

And finally, Jesus prayed for all believers (John 17:20-26). And this prayer includes you and me as believers of Jesus. “My prayer is not for them alone (the disciples). I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.” (John 17:20 – NIV)

The message that the Apostles wrote down for us is their witness to us. We have their words and we can believe them, but we cannot be witnesses to Jesus’ ministry.

So what are we to call ourselves?

Believers (Acts 4:32; James 2:1; 1 Peter 2:17)

Christian (Acts 11:26)

Saints (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Corinthians 1:1)

Priest (Hebrews 8:7-13; 1 Peter 2:6, 9)

Children of God (1 John 3:1)

Elect (Colossians 3:12; Ephesians 1:3, 4)

Members of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:20; Ephesians 1:22-23)

Citizens of the kingdom of Heaven (Philippians 3:20; Colossians 1:13; Hebrews 1:8)

Servants (Luke 17:10)

Another element to this term witness can be found in Acts 28:23. The Apostle Paul was in Rome and spent an entire day preaching to a large group of people while under guard. Take a look at this verse to see the term “witness.”

“They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus.” (Acts 28:23 – NIV)

Paul witnessed to them. A better understanding of this term can be found by seeing how this word is translated in other versions.

“…he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus…” (NIV – 1984)

“…he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus…” (NASB)

“…He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures…” (NLT)

“…he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus…” (ESV)

Perhaps this seems more of what we think of when we “witness” to others, but I might point out that in this case, Paul didn’t use his personal story to witness to this group. He used the Law of Moses and the Prophets to do so. Paul used God’s own words to share God’s message in this place and time.

I do believe personal testimony is powerful and useful in certain circumstances and that it can point the way to Jesus, but we must be able to persuade others about Jesus from the Scripture. We must know Scripture. We must be prepared to share (or witness) Jesus’ message with others through His own words.

To sum up this whole post, I believe we cannot be called witnesses but we can (and must) witness or share our faith with others. Maybe I’m splitting hairs over this word, but maybe it needed some clarification.

So, what are your thoughts? What is your favorite biblical term given to believers of Christ? Are you able to share your faith through Scripture?

I’d like to share two more passages with you. The last verse of the Book of Acts tells us how the Apostle Paul witnessed to the world. “Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 28:31 – NIV) Wouldn’t you love to have these words said about you? I certainly would! So today my prayer is for God to make me bold. Bold to share His message with those I connect with today. It’s a start.

And then there is an encouraging passage from Hebrews. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2 – NIV)

Many have gone before me and are encouraging me to complete the race. They are cheering me on. They know the difficulties I’ll face and yet they know it is worth it all. My role is to rid my life of sin and to fix my eyes on Jesus.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna