The Testimony Of God

To receive God’s testimony of Himself is to believe with absolute dependence upon everything that God has said about Himself. Comfort and confidence comes when we do this. The scriptures record a woman who was made whole because of her confidence in the testimony of our Lord.

Luke 8:42-48

42 …But as he [Jesus] went, the people thronged him. 43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, 44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. 45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. 48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

Jesus spent His entire ministry on earth declaring that He was the Son of God. His works declared it as well. This woman was obviously approaching Jesus in response to something that she had seen or heard. Otherwise, she never would have reached out to Him. Her mind was further revealed in Matthew 9:21.

Matthew 9:21

“For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.”

Her whole heart agreed with who Jesus professed to be. Jesus proved to her and thousands more that he had the power to heal sickness and disease. This woman believed that his testimony included her own life. This in turn gave her the confidence needed to approach God, in full assurance, that just the fringes of Jesus’ clothes were enough to make her whole.

Let us compare this woman’s approach to our own.

God has taught us so many things about His character, His plans and purposes and His power. In essence, He has testified about Himself. What is our response to that testimony? If we receive it, it brings confidence and comfort. If we do not, we will be filled with doubt and fear.

We hear God’s heart on the matter when He asks, “Who touched me?” Jesus did not raise this question to get an answer; He did it to communicate a principle. We know that it could not merely have been about seeing the person who touched His clothes, especially since He was in the midst of a crowd of people, all of which were pushing and shoving, trying to get to Him. He asked this question to show what a person’s faith can do to God. Faith gets God’s attention. Even though so many persons were touching Him, someone’s faith really touched Him. This is the principle, which was inherent in His question. This woman’s action is also a manifestation of what Jesus applauds as ‘great faith,’ also seen in:

Matthew 8:5-10

5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

A centurion is one who commands a century (100 soldiers) in the Roman army. It is therefore understood that this centurion knew all about authority and the chain of command within a unit. Yet, if he had entreated Jesus based on this knowledge alone, it would not have prompted Jesus to marvel as He did. In fact, there are not many things that can get God to marvel. Jesus was amazed that the centurion demonstrated such a genuine belief in the power of God. He was confident that Jesus’ authority would be just as effective by Him simply speaking a commandment thus, not needing to come to his house. However, this was not the only thing that captured Jesus’ attention. The man also recognized that Jesus had authority in the spirit world. He believed that Jesus was more than a man. He had power that only God possessed. He believed the testimony of Christ.

It is the same in our relationship with God today. Our obedience to His every Word shows our fellowship with Him; but His response to our petitions and the consolation of our hearts shows His fellowship with us. God is pleased to fellowship with the son who receives every testimony out of a pure and sincere heart. He wants us to approach Him with boldness and confidence that He will embrace us, as well as our issues. Even being able to receive God’s testimony is an act of fellowship. Just before His crucifixion, Jesus said:

John 14:26

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

We see here the testimony of God goes one step further than simply reading or hearing about who He says He is. In this verse, God is declaring that His testimony lives within the believer - in the form of the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost was sent to remind us of the things God has said and done in the earth, so we would have confidence and joy. The Holy Ghost is also referred to as the anointing, who testifies of God:

1 John 2:27

But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”

This testimony of God is His way of communing with His sons. The Holy Spirit was sent to teach us all that we need to know about God and what He is doing in our lives. He instructs us on how to please God by allowing the Word of God to bear witness with our spirit. This is also how God’s will is revealed to us; and if we continue to walk in those things that the Spirit has said, we prove to God and man that we receive the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ.