ON THE WITNESS STAND

Galatians 1:11-24

There are few more excised chapters of books than thechapter known as “The Grand Inquisitor” in Dostoyevsky’s masterpiece, THEBROTHERS KARAMAZOV.  In it the son, Ivan, repudiates God, and Jesus himselfis grilled as if on a cruel and criminal witness stand. The questions includesome that haunt people to this day, like why Christ had to die, why is thereevil in the world, and wondering whether humanity has the willpower to stand againstthe wiles of Satan.  It is a mostpunishing witness stand. In 16^th century Germany, professor andpriest Martin Luther took the witness stand with representatives of the Churchinterrogating him.  He challengedthe power of the Papacy in what was called the Diet of Worms.  He was asked to repudiate his writings,including the 95 Theses that he had posted on the blog of his community, theWittenberg door. Instead, Luther answered the council in memorable terms:“Since your serene Majesty and your Lordships seek a simple answer, I will giveit in this manner, neither horned nor toothed. Unless I am convinced by thetestimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason …, I am bound by the ScripturesI have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and Iwill not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go againstconscience…. May God help me. Amen.”

Few of us here today have been put through anycrucible of questioning such as has occurred in some brutal occasions in thepast. But being prepared to witness to our faith is something every Christianought to be prepared to do! Every church member, on their initial joining day,had to witness to his or her faith with answers to questions such as the onesthat we ask: “Who is your Lord and Savior?” Can you, with conviction, even ifunder pressure, answer “Jesus Christ?” Or are there circumstances when youranswer would change?  Perhaps youcannot think of a situation when it really mattered, but deciding when andwhere to stand for one’s faith has mattered throughout the ages. Whencontemporary Christian artist Michael W. Smith was asked to sing something inthe memorial service for students murdered in the Colombine High Schoolmassacre, he learned as much as he could about those who died. One story tookhis breath away. A student, through sobs, shared that the gunman asked anotherstudent, Cassie Bernall, to deny Christ as her Savior if she wanted to live. Atgunpoint, she refused to do it.. It cost her her life on earth. But her witnessgoes on every time we hear Michael W. Smith sing the song inspired by herstand, “This is your time.” As the Bible says, “What does it profit persons tosave their life, but to lose their soul?” Cassie must have known that verse byheart. 

As St. Paul opens his letter to the churches inGalatia, he puts himself on the witness stand, producing a strong defense thathe is indeed an apostle of Jesus,though some doubted. He acknowledges his earlier life of persecutingChristians, and then he beautifully describes election, how God has set himapart even before his birth. He makes them aware that he knows the brother ofthe Lord—James—and calls him an apostle as well, even though he was not one ofthe twelve. And he swears his truthfulness in his desperation to be believedsaying: “In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!”

A few years ago at Confirmation Class, I handed outtyped cards for every one of them to ponder. I propose it to you today; writeit down if you wish.

The simple question is this: “This week if you werearrested and charged with being a Christian, would there be enough evidence toconvict you?”  If someone checked your Bible, wouldthere be signs of study or signs of dust? If someone opened your checkbookwould there be financial gifts to a church or mission, or just for bills, food,and clothes? If someone looked through your Blackberry or your calendar, wouldthey find evidence of Christian gatherings or worship times, or would they findeverything but a Christian activity? If someone quizzed you about your beliefs,could you describe and defend them clearly? Whatever we may think of Jehovah’sWitnesses, they do know the factsof their faith, building their testimonies on God’s words in Isaiah 43:10:“’You are my witnesses’ said Jehovah” it says in their Bibles. Jesus saidsimilar words to his followers in Luke 24:48: “Repentance and forgiveness ofsins is to be proclaimed in my name to all nations …; you are witnesses ofthese things.” Jesus needs us to witness to our faith. And since we were noteyewitnesses at the cross or at the tomb, we witness to the truth of theaccounts recorded in Scripture by trustworthy historians and converts. Itmatters that you can articulate your faith; it matters that you share yourfaith when appropriate; and it matters that if you are asked to take a witnessstand actually or figuratively, that you could convince both heaven and earthin what you believe.  Nowhere else do we have theunchallenged truth of the words of the Savior himself except in the Bible. Wegive Bibles to people second grade and older. But it is up to each person whetherto read and study it or to just own it. Could an atheist “Grand Inquisitor” oneday approach you, wanting to know the difference between his belief and yours?Could an agnostic acquaintance approach you, wanting to know what you believeabout Jesus compared to what she believes?  What will you say when someone puts you on theirwitness stand?

Jeffrey A. SumnerJune 6, 2010