The Encourager
“The Four Gospels can be Trusted”
The Four Gospels can be Trusted
By Jeff Curtis
Matthew’s, Mark’s, Luke’s and John’s accounts of the life of Jesus have been considered part of the inspired New Testament since the early days of the church – and only these four accounts have been included.
Except for a few fragmentary statements [found in other books of the New
Testament], the authentic records of [Jesus’] life are contained in the four
Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, which have been regarded as
canonical by the Christian church from the earliest period of its history.
Although there were numerous other Gospels which purported to recount facts
concerning His life that are not recorded in the famous four, the apocryphal
Gospels, as they are called, are generally of later date and of doubtful reliability.
They contain little information that is not a duplication of what the canonical
Gospels impart and much of what the add is obviously fanciful and legendary.
Furthermore, they often betray the views of some particular sect…”
As we write this article about the Gospels of Christ, it is important for us to realize that we can depend on the four accounts God gave us.
One of the greatest American lawyers of the past was Simon Greenleaf, who
wrote one of the most important works on the law of evidence ever to appear in
the English language. His book, A Treatise on the Law of Evidence, was
unsurpassed on the subject for nearly one hundred years. It ran through sixteen
editions. When he was a mature lawyer at the age of sixty-three, just seven years
before his death, Simon Greenleaf published a volume in which he examined the
testimony of the four evangelists to Jesus Christ. He used the same laws of
evidence employed in the courts of justice in the civilized world. He said, “Our
profession leads us to explore the mazes of falsehood, to detect its artifices, to
piece its thickest veils, to follow and expose its sophistries, to compare the
statements of different witnesses with severity, to discover truth and separate it
from error.” In this book, which ran to 543 pages, Simon Greenleaf came to the
conclusion that the Gospels are absolutely trustworthy and that the four
evangelists could not possibly have lied about Jesus Christ, for their testimony
rings true.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are exactly what they claim to be: true accounts of the greatest life ever lived! You can trust your life – and your eternity – to these books. Paul put it this way: “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1Timothy 1:15).
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Address Fear with Faith in God
by Joe R. Price
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident (Psalm 27:1-3).
Fear has gripped many. Fear of disease, civil unrest, enemies, the future, and more has settled into countless hearts, filling souls with uncertainty, anxiety, and doubt. The psalmist David turned to the Lord in moments of fear and dread. We can and must do the same. With eyes of faith, David saw the Lord God as his light, his salvation, and the strength of his life (v. 1). David put his confidence in the Lord in the face of wicked enemies. While darkness drives many to be uncertain and fearful of life’s path, Jesus Christ continues to be the light of the world (John 8:12). As many trust wealth, political parties, and even violence as a means of deliverance, true salvation from evil is only found in Jesus Christ (Luke 19:10; Acts 4:12). Pride leads us to trust in our strength and power, even when experience shows us trusting in the flesh ultimately fails (Jer. 17:5-10). God gives power to the weak who live by faith (Is. 40:29-31; 2 Cor. 12:9-10). Whatever evil forces arise in your life, the answer to enduring them and being victorious over them is in the Lord. Put your faith in God, love Him, and keep His commandments (1 John 5:3-5).
