[. . .] and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
(Philippians 2:11)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. (Hebrews 12:1–3 NLT)
In a court of law, there are chiefly two ways to make your case: evidence and witnesses. It is the evidence that conveys the raw information, such as a video recording showing a car passing through a specific intersection at a specific time, but it is the witnesses that often help interpret that evidence, or at least connect it to the larger story being told.
Not all witnesses are the same. Sometimes they are expert witnesses helping the judge and jury to understand the important technical bits of information provided by the evidence, such as the nuances of what a traffic camera can and cannot capture. Other times they are lay witnesses, present in the court to tell what they saw or heard pertaining the case, regardless of their specific area of expertise.
Often a case hinges on the testimony of the witnesses. What did they see? What do they know? Can they convey it accurately? And, ultimately, are they trustworthy as a source of information?
This is what it looks like in a court of law, but all of us ask ourselves those same questions about the people around us in our everyday interactions. For our closest friends and loved ones, some of these questions – “are they trustworthy?” – were answered long ago, but we are still eager to learn what they know and hear about what they saw. Similarly, everyone around us is asking themselves these questions of us as well.
In Hebrews 11, we read of individuals and groups crucial to the story of God loving us and at work to redeem all creation. These witnesses to the life of faith are just a small snapshot of individuals who are part of the larger story; there are many more who are not mentioned, and even more who have come and gone since. We, too, are part of their legacy. We are also witnesses to the life of faith, if only we allow ourselves to be.
What kind of witness are you, particularly regarding the truth of the Gospel and Jesus? What have you experienced and what do you know? Can you convey that information to others in a way that helps connect it to the larger story? And, ultimately, are you someone other people consider to be trustworthy in this regard?
Find a quiet corner to read Hebrews 11, then ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate the places in your life where you are not acting as a trustworthy witness to the life of faith. Is it because you are being silent? Are your words and actions not in sync? Invite God to better form you into the image of his Son so you might “run with endurance the race God has set before us” (Hebrews 12:1b).
Michael Benson is the communications director for the North American Baptist Conference.