Luke 1:1–4 (NKJV)

The Purpose and Method of Luke’s Gospel
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1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.

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1. THE CERTAINTY OF THE GOSPEL

The Greatest Story Ever Told is the title of a 1965 American epic film on the life of Christ. The title was well chosen. After all it concerns the greatest person who ever lived. Of course many great stories have come to us by way of books and films from both writers of fiction and history. The former category of story can be captivating, entertaining and moving, but we know such stories, whatever their genre, are not actually true. This does not mean they don’t matter for they do with some fictional works being very significant and influential. Well known though, is the saying, ‘truth is stranger than fiction’. Reading history verifies this. History informs us of the past and deals with the facts concerning actual persons, places and events.

Luke was an historian. He was an historian of a very particular type of history called redemptive history. Such history is not just the story of human affairs, but the story of God present and active in this world. Luke wrote not only to tell the facts for their own sake, he also wrote them to undergird the faith of believers and to lead others to faith in the Christ. You see Christianity is a faith absolutely dependent upon certain historical facts. It is not a belief system that exists despite the accuracy of its claimed origins, rather it is a faith that exists because of its verifiable historical origins which should they ever turn out to be not true, would leave Christianity ‘dead in the water’. So Luke writes with the objective of demonstrating that the gospel story is both factual and accurate. He clearly expresses his purpose in his dedication of his gospel account to this man called Theophilus. He wants to assure him of its accuracy and the certainty of its truth – ‘it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed – vs 3-4.

Now don’t miss the point of the writer. He is not saying that it’s true merely because he says so, rather, having listened to the eye witness testimony of Christ’s apostles and having himself thoroughly investigated the history made by this man called Jesus, Luke writes his account with the utmost confidence that it has been verified as true. The facts were confirmed by those who were there at the time and the evidence for the person, life and ministry of Jesus as well as His death and resurrection has been demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt.

Let me stress again; the gospel stands or falls not on its teachings, but on Jesus being who He said He was and everything about Him being true. This is vital. If it’s not true then it’s not ‘the greatest story ever told’, but the greatest deception ever contrived. But with two millennia having come and gone since the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem the untold numbers of lives changed by Him as well as the course of history itself speak for themselves.

So consider two things:

>If the Gospel is True – IT IS ACCURATE – We can depend upon it
>If the Gospel is Truth – IT IS AUTHORITATIVE – We must believe it.

Not ‘must’ in the sense of forced conversion, God will never do that, but must in the sense that if we want to escape the consequences of God’s justice that’s coming the way of this world, our only hope is Christ whom God sent to be our Saviour.

The Gospel is True
The Royal Observatory in Greenwich is where east meets west at Longitude 0° along the prime meridian, the north south line which forms the measurement for determining the distance of every place on earth east or west of that line. In September 2019, I understand, that for the first time in over 360 years, if you stood with a foot on either side the prime meridian at Greenwich holding your compass it would point true north. Magnetic north is not fixed like true north and moves as a compass responds to earth’s magnetic core. They have aligned on that date and for now, but apparently magnetic north will shift again slightly eastwards in the years ahead.
One thing is sure, the Bible, the ‘compass’ of truth is always exact. It always points TRUE NORTH. It directs us to the fixed point of reference for everything – God. And, His gospel like Himself, is fixed, true and unchangeable.

The Gospel is Truth
Consider these words from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. He spoke to God’s covenant people in their rebellion and sin. They compromised truth and trusted in their political alliances with godless nations instead of trusting God as their deliverer. This intrigue was an exercise in self-protection from those same nations and so Isaiah said to them: ‘Therefore hear the word of the LORD, you scornful men, who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, It will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood we have hidden ourselves.” Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily. Also I will make justice the measuring line, and righteousness the plummet; the hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place”’ – Isa 28 vs 14-17.

Like those Isaiah addressed, many make ‘lies their refuge’ RELIGIOUSLY, POLITICALLY & MORALLY. They trust in what is not only undependable, but in what is downright deceptive. You know deception by measuring it against truth, but the tragedy is that a person or society that traffics in lies soon doesn’t know the difference between truth and falsehood and ends up calling ‘evil good, and good evil’ – Isa 5 v 20.

Ever true are the words of James Russell Lowell’s (1819–1891) poem, The Present Crisis. Here are two verses:

Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide,   
In the strife of Truth with Falsehood, for the good or evil side;  
Some great cause, God's new Messiah, offering each the bloom or blight,
Parts the goats upon the left hand, and the sheep upon the right,
And the choice goes by forever 'twixt that darkness and that light.
                 
Careless seems the great Avenger; history's pages but record   
One death-grapple in the darkness 'twixt old systems and the Word;
Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne,—            
Yet that scaffold sways the future, and, behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own.            

But there is a sure foundation of truth. The LORD says: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily”. Quoted in the New Testament this text reads – “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame” – 1 Peter 2 v 6. The figurative language of the stone refers to a person who is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Anyone who like Theophilus to whom the gospel according to Luke is dedicated, accepts the truth of the gospel and puts their faith is Jesus Christ and builds upon Him as the foundation for their life and eternity will not be put to shame, that is, they will not be disappointed unlike any who trust in a refuge of lies. Christ is a true and tried Saviour. He will not let anyone who trusts Him down, never. He died on the Cross and rose from the dead demonstrating that He can be trusted for the salvation of my soul.  

2. THE COMMUNICATION OF THE GOSPEL

Luke talks about how ‘it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed’ – vs 3-4. Or to read it from another translation: ‘it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught’ – vs 3-4 (NASB).
 
Notice the word know. The gospel is about

Information – Knowing the Facts & Making Informed Decisions
In any realm of life, if we are going to make right choices we need the right information. In other words, to make informed decisions and be sure of why we do what we do or believe what we believe we need to know the facts. Luke wants Theophilus and us to know the facts concerning Christ. Coming to faith in the Lord Jesus is not an emotional reaction in which you have parked your brain at the door, so to speak, nor does a believer’s faith in Him lack intellectual credibility. Yes the emotions are stirred at conversion and according to the Bible there is the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, but accepting Christ is a rational and reasonable choice based on the right information which has enlightened the understanding and made us aware of certain realities. The right information means one can reject as well as accept what is proposed or presented. Indoctrinating, forcing, scaring or manipulating anyone into believing is contrary to what the gospel is about and those who use such tactics bring the gospel into disrepute. So often truth can be obscured in communication because of the manner, actions and attitude of the communicator.

Unfortunately too, there are those who are determined to suppress truth and withhold from others or rubbish information which they don’t like while propagating as absolute their own beliefs and ideas. Some people seem to think it’s their right to order the world according to their version of it and dare anyone disagree! Such is both unreasonable and irrational as well as utterly detrimental to the well-being of any society. No nation or people will long survive standing on the shifting sands of political correctness to the exclusion of objective truth, but such is the power of deception, some think they can. Time will tell otherwise.

Notice now the word instructed or been taught. The gospel is also about

Instruction – Understanding the Meaning & Making Enlightened Decisions

Theophilus had been ‘taught’ or ‘instructed’ concerning the gospel. He had not only been told the facts, he had been taught the meaning of those facts. Explanation is as vital as information. A person needs to know what to believe and why to believe it. So the gospel doesn’t come to us merely as cold bare facts, it comes with the explanation of why. It comes with the convincing power of truth and in the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. Moreover it comes to us with the appeal of divine love. ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son’ – John 3 v 16 is true because God desires that all men be saved:

‘God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all’ – 1 Tim 2 vs 3-6.
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As I conclude, the belief that we make our own truth or we chose what’s true for us may seem plausible and even reasonable, but in the end ultimate truth as in God’s truth, transcends our subjective opinions and beliefs for it is He who defines reality not us. We can decide He doesn’t matter or believe He’s not there, but if He is, and is all that He has revealed Himself to be then we can be sure that a day of meeting God is ahead for us all and what I believe and do will absolutely matter in the end.
 
AJC