Learning by Personal Experience
Individuals gain knowledge in two distinct ways. We learn some things firsthand by experience. These are the things we are able to touch, taste, see, hear, or smell.
Through empirical observation, we are able to verify the reality of certain truths. This is how the apostle John knew Jesus. In the opening verses of 1 John, he wrote:
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us” (1 John 1:1-2).
John did not need someone else to tell him about Jesus, for he had experienced him. He heard Jesus speak words of eternal life. He saw Jesus perform notable miracles. He looked upon Jesus when He hung upon the cross. He placed his hands upon the resurrected Lord.
Jesus lived as God in the flesh, and John witnessed this fact.
Learning by Credible Testimony
Besides gaining knowledge through personal experience, we also learn truth through the credible testimony of others. For example, we do not have to burn our hands on a hot stove to know we should not touch it. We can trust the testimony of loving mothers who warned us against such.
This path to knowledge is not second rate. We can be just as certain about facts learned in this manner as facts we experienced firsthand. Luke made this point in the introduction of his gospel account. He began:
“Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of the those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed” (Luke 1:1-4).
Although Luke was not an eyewitness of Jesus’s ministry, he produced an “orderly account” (verse 3) capable of providing Theophilus with “certainty” (verse 4).
In other words, Theophilus was able to learn about Jesus from the credible testimony of Luke. He did not have to experience Jesus firsthand.
Our Situation
Our situation today is similar to Theophilus’s. We do not have the privilege of seeing Jesus walk on water. We will not eat food He miraculously produced. We cannot place our hands on His resurrected body.
Nevertheless, we can believe.
We can have certainty regarding His life, death, and resurrection because we trust the credible testimony of Scripture. Jesus had us in mind when He said:
“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
In 2 Peter 1:16-17, both ways of gaining knowledge are on display. Peter affirmed that he was one of the “eyewitnesses of His majesty” when God spoke from heaven and said: “This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Consequently, the apostle called upon his readers to “heed” or listen to his testimony (verse 19).
Unlike Peter, we did not have the opportunity to experience Jesus being transfigured firsthand, but we can trust and act upon his report.
Will you?
Chad Ramsey preaches for the Gloster Street Church of Christ in Tupelo, Mississippi. You can access their Bible classes and Chad’s sermons on Gloster Street’s YouTube page.
Chad was - and still is - “my preacher” from when I spent my high school and early college years at Gloster Street. I’m thankful to be able to share some of his writings with you.
