Certain

Luke 1:1-4 (ESV) Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, ² just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, ³ it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴ that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

There are some things we cannot be sure of. For example, will stock market predictions for next year be accurate? If we could know for sure, we could all become millionaires. However, there are some things we can be certain of. If there is a vocabulary quiz on 50 new words and I memorize them all, I can get an A. We can think of a lot of different things to put in one category or the other: uncertain and certain. Yet, there are some things that different people put in different categories.

For example, issues of faith. That word itself – faith – conveys uncertainty to some people. “If I have to take it on faith, I cannot know for sure.” To others, faith implies certainty. “I believe it because I know it is true.”

In the postmodern world more and more people put faith and other religious and spiritual issues in the category of uncertainty. Religious belief becomes a matter of personal preference. You can adopt any belief system you choose or even create your own. The validity or truth of the faith system does not matter because we cannot be certain about anything related to spirituality or religion.

Yet, in the opening words of his masterful gospel, Doctor Luke says we can be certain about what he writes concerning Jesus’ life, words, and ministry. Notice that he is careful not to say, “You can be certain because I believe it.” He does not even say, “You can be certain because it works.” Instead, he says, “You can be certain because I and several others have researched it and recorded what actually happened.” (Of course, I took some license in the wording, but read his statement above. Isn’t that what it means?)

Can you be certain that George Washington was the first President of the United States? How? You were not there to witness it, but lots of reliable individuals were. Since then hundreds of qualified scholars have researched his writings and the writings of his peers and can say for certain that he was our first president. We have a very good idea of what kind of person he was and what he did.

Similarly, we can be certain that Jesus of Nazareth walked the sands of Palestine in the First Century A.D., performed miracles, taught life changing principles, claimed to be the Son of God, was crucified for it, and rose from the dead. Whether or not you are personally certain of that at this point in time, I invite you to accept Luke’s challenge and read his words, because you can have certainty about Jesus, and there is nothing I would rather have for you.