You Can Have Gospel Certainty — Acts 1:1–3
Sep 9, 2026 4
Is faith a blind leap into the dark? Gospel certainty begins with what Jesus has done and the testimony of those who saw him.
Acts 1:1–3
[1] In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, [2] until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. [3] He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. (ESV)
Gospel certainty rests on eyewitness testimony
Luke wrote two volumes, both addressed to Theophilus. His Gospel records Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Acts continues the story of his work.
At the beginning of his Gospel, Luke explains that he carefully investigated what had been handed down by eyewitnesses. Theophilus had already been taught about Jesus. Luke wanted him to have certainty about those things.
Why does this matter? Big claims were made about Jesus that have implications for every single person. If the message is true, we can bank our lives on it.
As John Stott writes in The Message of Acts:
“Thus the events which had been accomplished, witnessed, transmitted, investigated and written down were (and still are) to be the ground of the Christian faith and assurance.”
That is the foundation of gospel certainty. We have the testimony of people who walked with Jesus, heard his teaching and saw him alive after his death.
[Watch this week’s video devotion with Dave Miers]
They saw Jesus alive
Acts 1:3 brings us back to that remarkable reality. Jesus presented himself alive after his suffering, giving his apostles many proofs. For forty days, he appeared to them and spoke about God’s kingdom.
They saw him.
They heard him.
They ate with him.
This was the physically risen Jesus in their midst.
Their witness matters because the one who rose is the one who had been crucified. Jesus had willingly gone to the cross, dying in our place and for our sin. Death could not hold him down.
We were not there, but we have received their eyewitness testimony in Scripture. The invitation is to believe what they have made known and trust the Jesus they encountered.
The Good News is…
In a world of uncertainty, we can have certainty about the most important thing: Jesus and the life that he offers through his life, death, and resurrection. Because Jesus is alive, we can bank our lives on him and give ourselves to following him with certainty. Our faith is not a blind leap into the dark; it rests on the certainty of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
Reflection
How does the apostles’ eyewitness testimony encourage you to trust Jesus and bank your life on him?
Rev. Dave Miers
President, Good News Unlimited