Confidence In The Truth

Date: 11/1/26

Text: Luke 1:1-4

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Confidence in the Truth

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Confidence in the Truth Luke 1:1-4

The writer of this gospel account states his purpose in verse 4: Luke writes so that this man, Theophilus, may have certainty concerning the things he has been taught. From the outset, this passage addresses why Christians can have confidence in the Bible. Luke does not write to provoke speculation or curiosity, but to ground faith in truth.

We know that God has spoken in these last days by his Son (Hebrews 1:2). And so, it is not merely Luke who writes; it is Jesus Christ who speaks. It is his life that is being related, and it is his Spirit who inspired Luke. This is foundational to understanding Scripture as self-authenticating: when God speaks, his word carries its own authority and certainty.

It is therefore not inappropriate to say that Jesus Christ gives this account, through the inspiration of the Spirit, so that all his people may know and be certain of the truths of the gospel accomplished by God in Jesus Christ. Not merely that they might acknowledge its possibility, or recognise its intellectual interest, but that they might know it in mind and heart - believing unto justification, continued salvation and preservation until they go to be with God for all eternity.

Our focus here is these opening verses, where Luke gives his purpose and explains how he has accomplished it, and in doing so explains why the Scriptures can be trusted.

1. Who was Luke?

Luke was a companion of Paul. We know this from the book of Acts, where the narrative shifts from “they” to “we” (Acts 16:10), indicating that Luke started to travel with him. He was also a physician (Col. 4:14), something reflected in his careful attention to detail and precise language.

Luke was a Gentile - likely the only Gentile author of the New Testament. It is fitting that he should write not only this Gospel but also Acts, which traces the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles. As 2 Peter 1:21 tells us, “Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Scripture is God-breathed, infallible and inerrant, yet written through real people with real personalities and experiences.

God chose Luke - a careful man, a traveller with eyewitnesses, a Gentile drawn in by the power of the gospel - for this remarkable work. In doing so, he shows again his way of working: using weak and ordinary people to display his strength. As God used Luke, so he can use us in the spread of this glorious gospel.

2. The subject of his gospel account

Luke intends to write “a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us.” These things concern Jesus Christ: his divine claims, his authoritative teaching, his crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and all that he accomplished for the salvation of his people. This is the gospel - good news.

Luke calls his work a narrative. This is not disinterested history, but a purposeful account with a clear focus and climax: the suffering and death of the Son of Man. Again and again in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus foretells this moment. The crucifixion is not incidental - it is the key that unlocks everything else.

The Bible is not a cold or lifeless book. It is living, meaningful, and powerful. This is why Scripture is self-authenticating. If it seems dull to us, the problem is not the story but our hearts. This is the greatest story ever written, and it never loses its wonder - though we may sometimes grow dull to it.

3. The sources for his account

Luke draws on eyewitnesses - those who saw these things for themselves and became servants of the word. His term for eyewitnesses implies direct, first-hand knowledge.

Luke also says he has followed everything closely “from the beginning” - or possibly this could be translated, “from above.” Both are true. He carefully investigated the historical details, and he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Scripture is infallibly true because its ultimate author cannot lie or err.

God has spoken. He has written to us in the Scriptures.

4. The method of Luke’s account

Luke writes an “orderly account” so that Theophilus may have certainty. This orderliness is more than chronology; it includes care, accuracy, and theological coherence. The gospel story, when told truly and fully, authenticates itself. That is to say, it is self-authenticating.

The Scriptures do not depend on external proof to be true. They show themselves to be true by the power of the Spirit. Evidence may confirm what we believe, but the word itself is sufficient. Proof and persuasion are not the same, and only the Spirit can open blind eyes.

This is why Christians can have confidence in the Bible. The 1689 Confession chapter 1 paragraph 5 says this:

“The heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, and the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man's salvation, and many other incomparable excellencies, and entire perfections thereof, are arguments whereby it does abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God”.

Christian, have confidence in the word of God. You know its power. You have experienced it convicting you of sin, leading you to the cross, granting forgiveness, and guiding you in wisdom from heaven. Do not remain distant from it. Seek the grace of the Holy Spirit, and let this living word speak again to your soul.

If you are not a Christian, ask God to speak to you in his Scriptures, then read his word, and seek out a Church that will preach the true gospel from the Bible.