A Reliable Source
The Gospel of Luke—researched and retold
Is the Bible a reliable source of truth?
There was a time when people didn’t question whether or not the Bible was reliable. Respect for the Bible as a book of truth persisted even if it wasn’t read or understood.
Things have changed! Today, many people don’t see the Bible as a reliable source of truth or an authority on matters of the Christian faith or life.
However, even though the present cultural view of the Bible may be different from previous times, it’s still a reliable source of God’s truth.
The author of two books in the Bible took great care in his research and writing so others who were not eyewitnesses of Jesus on earth could be confident in the wonderful, personal story of God’s Son upon the earth and His far-reaching impact on people and history.
Luke’s written gospel account
Luke—a physician (see Colossians 4:14)—was a companion to Paul the apostle. As a physician, he approached the story of Jesus in a systematic way, like an investigative journalist.
He researched the story to see what was true. He interviewed eyewitnesses and recorded what he heard. We see evidence of this at the beginning of his account—
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 (Luke 1:3)
I’m often amazed at how the general public accepts as gospel what network news stations and newspapers report daily. And then, there’s the internet, definitely not a consistent and reliable source of truth.
Having lived overseas, I know firsthand that what is reported as news is often skewed politically and culturally. Many stories are presented in a piecemeal fashion with unverified details.
Seeing the same event reported on by various news stations, reading several newspapers, and having first-hand accounts of the same event, it was easy to see several discrepancies in what was reported.
How can we be sure?
The Gospel of Luke parallels much of what we read in Matthew and Mark and includes details not found in the other Gospels. In fact, Luke’s gospel includes several personal interactions Jesus had with people not found in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, or John.
Luke’s gospel is linked with the Book of Acts as two volumes of a continuing narrative. The other Gospels and Epistles interweave and verify the stories and truths of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament.
This is the Bible’s internal testimony or witness to the reliable retelling of the gospel by Luke.
We also have the assurance of God’s Spirit at work through all the writers of the Bible (see 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21). God is the primary author who spoke through nearly forty different writers, conveying His truth to us and others throughout history.
All of this helps us see the reliability of Luke’s writing—both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts.
We ourselves understand the truth of God’s Word because His Spirit gives us insight. Spiritual truth is spiritually revealed by God’s Spirit, even as Jesus told His disciples (see Luke 9:21; Matthew 16:17).
When we come to the Scriptures, we need to trust God, not people’s opinions. We need to read the Bible for ourselves and be open to God’s Spirit so we can understand what we read.
The intersection of God’s story and our lives
As you understand what God reveals to you while reading, you can share it with others. You can become a reliable source of truth for others—when the Lord embeds His life into yours and reveals and confirms the truth in you.
An effective way to share God’s story with others is through telling it as a story in your own words. Telling the story in your own words enables you to become more of a participant than a spectator.
The combination of Luke’s Gospel and the book of Acts is an amazing story of God’s redeeming love and of the first followers of Jesus living it out! Read it for yourself. Let it come to life for you.
Then you can see how God’s story intersects with your life story, just as it did for the first followers of Jesus.
Q and A— Questions and Action
Have you ever read straight through the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts?
Do you have a good understanding of all that Jesus said and did?
Could you share what you know with others, but in your own words?
Dive in and read through Luke’s Gospel and the book of Acts for yourself!
Also, try learning one of the stories in Luke or Acts, then tell it to someone in your own words.
You can download a brief and simple guide to learning how to tell a biblical story in your own words here— Learning to Tell a Bible Story