Live As a Witness: Deuteronomy 4:5-9; Acts 1:7-8

“And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth. ‘For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard’” (Acts 22:14-15).

From the day that God called Abram to leave his home and go to a place that God would show, God has called men and women to live as a witness for God (Genesis 12:1-3). The story of Abram whose name was changed to Abraham (Gen. 17:5) is recorded in Genesis 11:26 through Genesis 34:11. During his lifetime Abraham understood that his God had not only called him to leave his home, but that God wanted him to live separately from the peoples of the land that God showed him. When God called Abraham He intended that Abraham would stand out as someone different from the other folks. Abraham would be a witness to the other people. In this article we will briefly discuss what it means to be a witness for God. How do we become a witness?

After four hundred years of bondage in Egypt the sons of Jacob; also descendants of Isaac and Jacob were rescued by the Lord from the hands of the Egyptians. God sent Moses to lead them to the land that He had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that He would give to their descendants. Moses led the people out of Egypt and as they journeyed on their way to the land that God was giving to them. On their way, Moses gave the people God’s commandments, laws and statues that they were to live by in their new home. Moses was careful to make sure that the people would know what God required of them. They must do everything recorded in the law so that they would receive the blessings (Deut. 28:1) instead of the curses (Deut 28:15) that would come upon them depending on their obedience or disobedience. God did not want other people to remain in bondage to their sins. God would use Israel to be a witness to the nations for God.

In Deuteronomy 4:5-9 Moses tells the people their responsibility to live together as a witness for Him. In verse 6 Moses says these words.” “So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statues and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people’” (NASB). “For what great nation is there that has a God so near to it as is the LORD our God whenever we call on Him” (v. 7). “Or what great nation is there that has statues and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you to do” (v.8). The Lord saved Israel so that they would be a witness for God so that other people would also be saved. This was the promised made to Abram. “And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen. 12:3b, NASB). The Lord said to Abraham, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice (Gen. 22:18, NASB). Abraham had lived as a witness for the Lord. What about us? Are we saved to enjoy the Lord’s blessings for ourselves? What should be our attitudes and behavior as Christians as it relates to our interactions toward other people?

So far we have been talking about things found in the Old Testament. Many will question if what was said in the Old Testament is still applicable for us today since some say that we no longer live by the Old Testament; we live by the New Testament. We no longer live under the law because we live under grace. So, let us look at the New Testament.

In the book of John, Jesus is in dialogue and debate with the religious leaders of the Jews. John recorded the words of Jesus and the people’s response to His words. “As He spoke these things, many believed in Him” (Jn. 8:30). When Jesus saw their belief He responded to them. “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (Jn. 8:31-32, NASB). Why did the people need to be made free? They were in bondage to the wisdom of the word. What were the people supposed to do with the truth that they had come to know? They were now His disciples, and the word “disciple” means to be a learner and a follower. Just as Israel was supposed to obey the law given to them by Moses and be a witness to the people around them, those who know the truth become Jesus’ disciples. They have the responsibility to be a witness to the people around them. How do we know this?

Luke recorded in Acts the last words that Jesus said to His disciples prior to His ascension into heaven. The disciples wanted to receive their reward soon. Jesus told them that the day of their reward would come, but their priority for the present time was to tell the whole world about Him. “He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:7-8, NASB). Again we can see that God wants His people to live as witnesses for Him.

It is most important that the people of God live as witnesses for Him. John tells us that Jesus came into the world to free human beings from the bondage of sin. John wrote: “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ” (Jn. 1:17, NASB). Jesus came into the world to bring to pass the promise God made to Abraham; that through his seed all the peoples of the earth would be blessed. The seed that was promised was Jesus the Christ. “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is Christ’” (Galatians 3:16, NASB). Thus, Jesus commanded His disciples to preach the gospel to all people so that people might be saved from their sins. “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16, NASB).

What does it mean to be a witness for Jesus? How do we become a witness? How do I live as a witness? The word “witness” means to be one who gives evidence. In the bible the word means that it might be necessary for someone to put their life at risk for telling the truth. In such cases the witness should remember the words of Jesus. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will find it” (Mk 8:35; see Matt 16:25; Lk. 9:24). They were to remain faithful witnesses for Jesus regardless of the opposition and at any cost. Theirs would be the reward of eternal life in the presence of God.

In order to be a witness one must be willing to proclaim Jesus as the only Savior. A true witness can only testify to the truth that one knows. Otherwise they are a false witness. Before Jesus sent His disciples out to minister to people, He taught them His ways. They traveled with Him; shared meals with Him; enjoyed good experiences with Him; suffered through bad experiences. Jesus chose twelve men to lead other believers into becoming witnesses for Him. Jesus said to these men, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you; and lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20, NASB).

A witness must obey the words of Jesus. This means that we witness for Jesus in our lifestyle. A witness for Jesus must not compromise the truth of Jesus through what one says and how they live. As we have seen from Moses’ commandments to Israel Christian must distinguish themselves from others so that their light is not hidden under the bushel of the world’s way of living. Their light must shine for all the world to see that their life is better because of their obedience and service to their God.

We must know God; that is, we must have a relationship with God. We must follow His example, and we must be willing to suffer just as Jesus suffered at the hands of wicked people. In order to stand, we must have the Holy Spirit living in us so that we have power to stand against the enemy. Good works on behalf of the general community does nothing to convince people that they are living in sin. Many people outside the church believe that helping people in the community is the purpose of the church. They gladly receive all that the church has to offer to help them improve their life. The witnesses for Jesus must tell the people that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. The witness must know what God requires of them. They must obey His words so that the truth will be made known because people see that they are blessed because they follow Jesus. This is what it means to live as a witness. Ultimately, disciples of Jesus live with hope of eternal life.