top of page

HOLY SCRIPTURE IN YOUR LIFE

Bible Study of the Month      “Imitating Christ as His Witness”


The church has its own language. We use words like sin, forgiveness, liturgy, & sacraments as our vocabulary. Another word that comes to mind is “witness” & you might recall the Apostle Peter standing up at Pentecost saying: “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.” Acts 2:32


The ministry of the Apostles was entirely focused on proclaiming the resurrected Christ, whose body they had seen with their own eyes as their risen & alive Lord. In this study, we’ll take a brief look at the term “witness” as it’s used in the New Testament & how it related to the work of the early Church and to us today.


  1. Jesus told His disciples in Acts 1:8: “You will be My witnesses.” What exactly does it mean to be a “witness?” Read Acts 1:21-22. Are we “witnesses’ in the same manner as Peter and the other Apostles? ______  Read also Acts 3:15; 5:32 and Luke 24:48.

Summarize your thoughts here: 

_____________________________________________________________________


  1. Though we have not “witnessed” the events of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension, the word “witness” can also refer to the testimony given by the apostles to those who heard their preaching. Where do we find this testimony? (see Romans 3:21)


_____________________________________________________________________


  1. The testimony of a witness serves to offer evidence that supports a claim. The apostles backed up their claims about Jesus with their eyewitness account. Thru the testimony of Peter & the Early Church, what result did the Holy Spirit bring about? Read Acts 2:37-41.

_____________________________________________________________________


  1. St. Paul says to the church in Corinth, “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom” (1 Corinthians 2:1). What did Paul proclaim to them and what was the substance of “the testimony of God”? See and read I Corinthians 2:2 and I Corinthians 1:17-18.


______________________________________________________________________


  1. The witness of Christ was given to the apostle, to the members of the Early Church, and passed down throughout the generations to you & me. How does this witness, this testimony, of Christ’s resurrection from the dead continue to be passed on from generation to generation? Read Deuteronomy 6:4-9 & Ephesians 6:4.


______________________________________________________________________


  1. Witness is not something only given by the apostles. The Scriptures describe the Triune God Himself as giving a witness. What comforting & saving witness does the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit give?  See John5:36-39; 8:18; 15:26, Romans 8:16 and Hebrews 10:15.


______________________________________________________________________


bottom of page