act 01v08 Ye Shall Be Witnesses Unto Me

YE SHALL BE WITNESSES UNTO ME"

Acts 1:8

In one sense of the word, a "witness" is one who tells what he has seen, felt, and heard. He tells what he knows to be the truth. He is a preacher, a proclaimer of truth. In that sense, all true believers are preachers. We declare to men the truth of God regarding his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But the word Luke uses for "witnesses" has a far greater meaning than the bare idea of telling the truth about Christ. The word here used for "witness" quite literally means "one who lays down his life for the cause." The text could very properly be translated, "Ye shall be MARTHRS for me." Put the two meanings together and you have an accurate description of a believer - He is one who tells men the truth about Christ and has willingly laid down his life for the cause of Christ.