How to Read the Holy Bible: Two or More Witnesses

A fundamental concept to reading the Holy Scripture and understanding and interpreting what they say is the principle of two or more witnesses.

This principle is first articulated in Deuteronomy 17:6: At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.

It is again repeated in a more general sense two chapters later in Deuteronomy 19:15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sins: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.

You, dear reader, may wonder, these verses are to do with murder/sin, what does this have to do with reading and understanding Scripture?

Because in John 8:17, Jesus refers to these passages when he says, “It is written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.” And that statement is ultimately what those passages are implying.

The testimony of one is not acceptable as verifiable fact according to the PERFECT LAW of God. For something alleged to have happened to be considered to be fact and acted on as fact, there had to be at least two testimonies.

So while these verses may not directly address the overall concept of truth, the concept is very much there and alive.

Our second witness to this principle (yes, to establish this principle, we are using this principle) is found in Matthew 18:16 where Jesus addresses church discipline, “that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.”

Why then is this principle so important?

This principle is important to help avoid using Scripture out-of-context, clarify what is being taught, and establish the degree of importance of a teaching.

Let’s take an example of where this principle is helpful: in Matthew 28:19 Jesus says, ‘Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Now, if we were to take this verse literally (as we should) then we could end up doing what many a church does today when they baptize people, and as they do, they say something along the lines of: I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

There is a significant problem with this process. No where in the actual baptism is the NAME of the Father, Son, and Spirit used! There’s simply a REPETITION of what Jesus said, not an OBEDIENCE of what he said.

Let’s apply this principle of having two witnesses to this verse and see how it helps keep in context what Jesus says and clarifies the doctrine, and finally impacts how we then act and behave.

Let’s ask ourselves, where else do we find the concept of ‘baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit’ in Scripture?

You won’t. The titles of Father, Son, and Spirit are found in one other place in Scripture: 1 John 5:7. Guess what? It’s not referring to baptism.

So where do we go then? Look for baptism in the Bible. And you’ll find the answer.

In Acts 2:38, Peter says, ‘Be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ’

In Acts 8:16b, only they were baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus.

And for good measure (there’s more verses), in 1 Corinthians 1:13, Paul argues that they were not baptized in HIS name by implication, they were baptized in the name of Christ.

So what does this achieve? It allows us to understand that the emphasis of Matthew 28:19 is NOT about the phrase ‘Father, Son, and Holy Ghost’ but rather ‘the NAME’. If you study to find out what is the NAME of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, you’ll find that name is JESUS. Thus, there is no contradiction between the verses. One is descriptive of the name (similar to Isaiah 9:6 where Jesus is not mentioned, yet he is given names/titles) whilst the other is direct with the actual name.

This principle is a wonderful principle of God that is found time and again throughout the Word of God and is critical to helping one understand clearly what God has communicated to us through His Word.

Over time, if the Lord Jesus wills, I will have time to expand on this principle and show it in action.

I would love to hear your thoughts/comments. If you have a great example of where this principle helps clarify/reduce misinterpretation, please comment!

P.S.

A teaser

Throughout Scripture you’ll find the idea of two witnesses consistently present. The following are a few examples for your consideration (feel free to add them):

1. Law and Prophets speaking of Jesus
2. Shepherds and Magi visiting Jesus as a babe
3. Simeon and Anna prophesying of Jesus
4. Moses and Elijah on the Mt of Transfiguration (symbolic of Law and Prophets)
5. The 12 Apostles and Apostle Paul to the doctrine of the early church