Daily Bible Reading 25th February 2026 // Luke 1:1-4
1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
The gospels - all four of them - are therefore simply the summary of the preaching and teaching of the early Church. Look at what Luke gives us: the birth and childhood of Jesus; the ministry of John the Baptist; the ministry of Jesus in Galilee; towards Jerusalem; the trial, death and resurrection of Jesus. It was while Peter preached this message in Cornelius' house (Acts 10:34ff) that the Holy Spirit came and wrought salvation in their hearts - this, indeed, is the interpretation placed upon that event by the apostles themselves in Acts 11:18: 'God hath granted unto the Gentiles repentance unto life'. This is so important in its implications, and so central in this new study, that we must spend some time looking in detail at what Luke says to us in these introductory verses.
What we have here is an introductory inscription to the whole work. Luke is writing to 'a certain Theophilus', probably a Roman of high rank. There are two possibilities in this regard: either he was a Christian convert, whose faith Luke wished to confirm, or he was a pagan, well-disposed to the Christian message, who had 'heard slanderous and incriminating rumours which were circulating concerning the Christians', and Luke was determined to correct these false impressions by presenting the facts as he knew them. The latter may well be the more likely supposition. But, either way, Luke is presenting truth as a means of accomplishing his objective. It is truth that saves, and it is truth that builds up and sanctifies. In this, he is at one with the Apostle Paul who, in his epistles, makes precisely this same emphasis. The Apostle's invariable approach was the presenting of truth to the minds of his hearers, making them think, engaging their minds, and through their minds, their consciences and their wills. It is in this way, and through this medium, that the Scriptures maintain that the Holy Spirit works in men's lives.