Eyewitnesses

 

1 John 1:1-4

The American people have for three years almost daily watched and heard the story of a little girl in Florida who was murdered by someone.  Her mother was tried for her murder, but the jury had little evidence and no eyewitnesses and so the mother who cannot be tried again for her daughters murder walked free.   If one or more persons had been eyewitnesses or if the evidence was better the circumstances may have been a guilty verdict.  We are only left to wonder!  Many will refer to the event above, as injustice but the evidence did not support the claims of the State of Florida. 

But is it not a greater crime to have eyewitnesses and all kinds of evidence, evidence that cannot be denied and the jury and public opinion refusing to use it to form a judgment, to act as if the eyewitnesses and the evidence were not there.  The apostle John gives this account in which he makes reference to Jesus Christ as “The word of Life.”  “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.” (1 John 1:1-3)   The apostle keeps referring to we and us, as witnesses, and the list goes way past two or three, John is referring to many who heard, who saw, who touched this man called Jesus.  Anyone who is seeking evidence must first accept the Bible as an authority on the prophecies and their fulfillment, most study Bibles will list them chronologically.  It seems that many will not examine the evidence list in the Bible, some because they are lazy and others because they have already made a decision before looking at the evidence.

But I believe there is another reason, people reject the evidence that is listed in Scripture, and that reason is well stated in 1 John 1:5-10, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.   If we confess our sins, he faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”  It seems clear that the Holy Spirit speaking through the apostle John has cut to the chase, we are fallen people, we are outside of the fellowship of God the Father, and by His grace and the faith He will give to anyone who comes to Him with a repentant heart, He will cleanse them from sin by the blood of Jesus His only Son.  But many will choose darkness over light, and your reason is very simple, you do not want a moral authority over you; you have made a choice to live independent of anyone, with the exception of “Self”.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice