"Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed." (AV, public domain)
At Issue:
The transferral of the Gospel information from historical event to the believer's conviction base as it exists in the heart/mind complex.
Given facts:
- 1. No one currently lives out of a visual base since the event only occurred once and was only witnessed by the few who were actually there.
- 2. Everyone who currently believes the claims made does so on a basis quite different than that which is created by five-senses experience.
- 3. The bottom line, then, is whether the record is accurately given and accurately interpreted. The questions of credibility are several, but the fact seems to stand that no one believes the record because it has been established as true by the various standards of men. Factually, almost everyone who believes originally did so simply because the information came into their minds and hearts with convicting power and it found a reception there that sealed it as a fundamental conviction. Ultimately, "everyone who is of the Truth hears the Truth" [John 18:37; 1 Peter 1:22 (textual problem here!)]. And, the issues of whether our faith is genuine are dealt with in 1 John [1 John 3:19 etc.]. Paul's theology in Romans 1 is that men have an inherent conviction of truth given to them by God and then they either respond to that conviction, or they, knowing that it is true, resist it.
Then, there is the fact that Luke believed that writing the facts down would have a beneficial impact upon his reader who was already a lover of God [Theophilus means "of God, a friend/lover"]. In other words, faith does come from the entrance of Truth [Psalm 119:130] if there is a heart/mind condition that is conducive to the embracing of it. The biblical revelation seems to argue that man has the ability to resist Truth even as he knows it is true, but that he cannot embrace the Truth apart from the active ministry of the Spirit of God.
Conclusions:
Proclamation by men is the surface-level, divine method of bringing faith to fulness. Specific argument is useless apart from the Spirit of God, but is highly effective when He uses it.