Witnessing is difficult. I don’t mean the evangelistic kind, though that can be a challenge. I’m talking about the simple act of reflecting accurately what one has seen and heard.

Many years ago, while working as an after-hours janitor in a shopping mall, I witnessed a break-in. That is to say that I was present when the intruders smashed a door and attempted to enter the premises. A few weeks later, I was summoned to court to testify against the alleged perpetrators. Fortunately, the case was settled without my help, which was a good thing because I am not sure I would have been a very reliable witness. I wasn’t sure of the extent of the damage. I couldn’t swear to the time it happened, and I didn’t get a good look at the accused. Some witness I would have made!

The value of a witness lies in the credibility of the testimony and the one who gives it. The idea is that a credible word from an eyewitness ought to be convincing to those who lack a first-hand experience of the matter. A witness might not seal the deal for someone else, but they will be hard-pressed to discredit the conviction of one who has been there and seen that.

Preaching is a form of witness. The preacher hears from God in a deep experience with His Word and with His Spirit. The preacher then gives witness to that experience in the presence of the people. The effect of this witness depends both upon the clarity of the preacher’s testimony and the proven character of the preacher’s person. The preacher might offer an excellent exposition of the Word, but if that preacher cannot be trusted on a personal level, the witness of the sermon will go for naught.

Thomas Long says, “The preacher as witness is not authoritative because of rank or power but rather because of what the preacher has seen and heard” (The Witness of Preaching, p. 45). Our testimony is not credible because we are the preacher and we have a platform, but because we have seen and heard and because we are known to be trustworthy when we give account.

Even when we witness faithfully, people still might find it hard to overcome their doubts. Jesus Himself faced this challenge in His dialogue with Nicodemus (John 3:11). “We speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.”

In Deuteronomy 19:15 it is said, “One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” This multiplicity of witnesses is required because of the general fallibility of people. We sometimes get things twisted up. Our recall can get tangled in our bias.

This is why the eyewitness account of the preacher must be integrated with the established testimony of the Scriptures. The Word of God is God’s own witness to Himself: “We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which He has given about His Son” (1 John 5:9). John 21:24 describes the reliability of the apostolic witness relating to the death and resurrection of Jesus: “This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.”

Preaching, then, is the integration of the preacher’s own testimony with that of the Word of God itself. If the preacher is known to be credible and the testimony is consistent with the Scriptures, the message will be compelling even in the context of a doubtful world.

I might not be quick to sit within a jury, but I will not fail to stand behind a pulpit, giving witness to the truth that I have seen and heard—the good news witnessed by God Himself within His Word.

Kenton C. Anderson is President of Providence University College and Theological Seminary in Otterburne, Manitoba.