Luke 1:1-4
An Orderly Account: How Scripture Helps Us Know the Truth – Luke 1:1-4
Luke 1:1-4 (NIVUK)
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
Commentary
We take this for granted, but this written text, this gospel is a revolutionary document. It is a technological revolution transformation. It could be readily shared and passed from person to person. People could read it for themselves and they could know this orderly account of what had happened, they could put it all together.
This text changed the world. So two observations on this beginning. The first is, as the writer, Luke says, this is an orderly account. And life is complicated. Truth is often disputed. It’s often hard to cut through the propaganda and the noise. But Christianity has always been a force for great education.
It helps us to make sense of the world. And as he says, you can know the truth. You can know with certainty. And so my first challenge for you here as we begin a new church year, as we begin to look at this gospel is to not settle for a kind of limited understanding. Don’t settle for the confusion because you can know the truth.
And God’s word is there for us to make sense of life and faith, to do theology, and that is for all of us. That’s the gift of scripture. Everybody can read it for themselves. And I would encourage you to be doing just that. We’re going to be working through Luke’s gospel over the coming months and why don’t we get to know this amazing first century text a little better for ourselves?
Read it with us. Study it, understand it. It is an orderly account to help you to understand these things better.