Thus, early in the Book of Acts ( Acts 7:1 ), Stephen became the first martyr. Likewise, with His followers there would be persecution for their witness ( John 15:20 ). This high commitment to witness/testify exemplified by Christ resulted in His persecution and death. Throughout the New Testament, believers are instructed that their witness is to be true and faithful, reflected both in speech and life-style ( Acts 4:33 Acts 14:3 Hebrews 10:15-17 1 Thessalonians 2:10 ). As Jesus had indicated earlier, this witness is informed and empowered by the Holy Spirit ( John 15:26-27 ).
Believers were challenged by Christ Himself to be His witnesses throughout the world ( Acts 1:8 ). This concept of one's person being involved in the witness informs the way witness is used to described the early believers.
Jesus is true and faithful, and so is His message. For John, Jesus's message as witness was inseparable from His very personhood. Thus His hearers needed to respond to the truth of His witness. In John 8:1, Jesus reminded His hearers that according to the law the testimony of two people is true. In John 5:1, Jesus argued pointedly that John the Baptist, the Father, and the Scripture all bear witness to Him. In John 1:1, John the Baptist bore testimony to the truth of Jesus' witness. Jesus is the supreme witness to God and His love. Nowhere is this sense of witness more developed than in John's writings. In a more technical sense of witness, he reminded Timothy not to act too hastily in accusing an elder without at least two or three witnesses ( 1 Timothy 5:19 ). Paul employed this legal concept when he bore witness to the Galatians of their care for him ( Galatians 4:15 ).
#DEFINE WITNESS TRIAL#
The legal sense of witness/testimony occurs in the synoptics during the trial of Jesus ( Matthew 26:65 Mark 14:63 Luke 22:71 ). This aspect of witness, as well as new ones, is covered by only one Greek word, martureo, and its many derivatives. The legal concept of witness found in the Old Testament is continued in the New Testament. God established the law and gave it to people as a true and faithful witness for righteous living. In Psalm 119:1, the law is the supreme “testimony” or monument to God. The memorial is a witness response to both present and future generations of God's activity. This act of memorializing is also a witness and is commonly practiced in the Old Testament. In this last chapter of Joshua, Joshua also set up a memorial, edah, to the commitment. Joshua ( Deuteronomy 24:22 ) called the people to awareness of their vow to serve the Lord their God by reminding them they were witnesses and thus accountable.
Thus, in Deuteronomy 17:7 the witness is the first to throw a stone. Witnesses were also expected to be involved in the judgment. This is beautifully illustrated in Ruth 4:9-11 where Boaz called on the elders of the city to be witnesses to his act of redemption. One rendered testimony based on observation which was to be true and faithful. The second Hebrew word, ed refers to the legal element of witness.
This meeting is testimony to a particular person or event, such as God or the giving of the covenant, and provides a place of testimony. In the Old Testament the Hebrew word moed is used to refer to the “meeting” place of God and His people. The testimony of a person, or something which bears testimony to a person or an event.
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