It must be the aim of every minister: to build up the people of God in their most holy faith. Christianity is a religion of faith; we walk by faith, not by sight. Christ is the centre of our lives, but in this world we can only know him by faith, so that strong faith is of such great importance. The only sure foundation of faith is God’s revelation, and this Gospel is going to add to the New Testament, as Luke was aware (1 Peter 1:21). He writes authoritatively, and he expects to be believed.
Faith cannot be built on anything other than certainty. Certainty requires the undiluted truth. If even one percent of what we believe in is not true, then it puts all in doubt. The only word that can give us certainty is the word of God; Christ says, ‘Thy word is truth.’ All other words come from those with limited or fallible knowledge. The word ‘certainty’ is the Greek meaning firmness, stability, that which cannot totter. God knows everything, and he cannot be mistaken and when he speaks we may rely on his word for ever, and rest our everlasting souls on it. His word never needs updating, never needs correcting. It is more enduring than the sun, moon, and the stars of heaven. There is nothing like it on earth, and those who find it have found their map to heaven, their treasure in heaven, and all of this is embodied in the person of Jesus Christ. Those who have found certainty have also found peace. Their search for truth is over. They may not know all, but they know where to find all, and they will not look for truth in any other place.
The word ‘instructed’ is the Greek catechise. It means literally to sound down, and refers to instruction delivered orally. We teach our children in this way, as well as adults. We give them doctrine in a form that can be easily remembered and which encapsulates the truth we want them to take in.