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The word testimony remains synonymously fixed to the Christian world. We ask for testimonies, give testimonies, read about testimonies, and hear testimonies. But, what is a testimony? While a vast array of speeches, presentations, and personal interactions may all be billed in the category of “testimony,” we desire to uncover the origin and purpose of a testimony. In Koine Greek, the language of the New Testament, the word for testimony is martureó. The word, appearing over thirty times in the New Testament, originates not in Christianity, but in the Greek courts of law. Testimony literally means to give evidence, or bear witness, and composes the root of the English word martyr.

Indisputable evidence forms the basis of any genuine testimony. If the evidence can merely be dismissed as untrue or fails to find collaboration outside the presenting witness, then the testimony is void and discarded. But, if the evidence cannot be denied, then the jury must accept the truth of the witness. Yet, one option remains to reject a genuine testimony: the witness must recant. So, enters martyrdom.

Tertullian, a famed church father, said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Martyrdom and Christianity form an inextricable link. Yet, the prominent feature of Christian martyrdom is not how they died, but what they died for. At the heart of the Christian testimony rests the Scriptures. They are God’s irrefutable evidence given to the Christian church to prove His case.

A witness in a court of law may retain a degree of emotional tenor (they witnessed the crime!), but ultimately their testimony hinges on the truth of the evidence. The testimony of the apostles depended not on their personal experiences, but on how Christ fulfilled the Scriptures. The Scriptures formed the core of their Christian testimony. In his second letter, Peter propounds the immeasurable value of the Scriptures. He previously witnessed the transfiguration of Christ, God speaking from a cloud, and Moses and Elijah (dead men) walking and talking with Christ (Luke 9:28-37). But, he upholds the Scripture over this amazing personal experience, writing, “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scriptures is a matter of one’s own interpretation (2 Peter 1:19-20). Peter compares his personal experience with Christ to the Scriptures and champions the Scriptures. He understands the Scriptures as the singular means to confirm, embolden, and proclaim one’s faith in Jesus Christ. Moreover, the Scriptures are not based on one’s personal opinions or subjective emotions; they remain the objective truth of God.

Finally, Jesus Christ depended on God’s objective truth to assert His person. He used the Scriptures to establish and undergird His entire testimony on earth. Certainly, He performed miracles, but they existed only as signs to fulfill the Scriptures and point to His divine person. Jesus implored the people to search the Scriptures to discover His identity, saying, “Search the Scriptures!...it is these that testify about Me (John 5:39).” The Scriptures testify to Christ. Moreover, Jesus relied upon the Scriptures to disseminate His message. In Luke 24:27, we read, “Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures (Luke 24:27).” Christ could have relied upon His divine person, His supernatural works, or His direct relationship with God; instead, He used the Scriptures to open the eyes of the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:45). What a powerful testimony to the evidence of the Scriptures!

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