In the context of the Bible, "testimony" refers to the act of bearing witness to the truth of God's work and character, often through personal experience or divine revelation. It is a significant concept in both the Old and New Testaments, serving as a means by which God's people declare His deeds and faithfulness.

Old Testament Usage

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for testimony, "eduth," is frequently associated with the covenant between God and Israel. The "Ark of the Testimony" (Exodus 25:22) housed the tablets of the Law, symbolizing God's covenantal promises and requirements. The Ark served as a physical reminder of God's presence and His divine law given to Moses on Mount Sinai.

The Psalms often speak of testimony as a declaration of God's statutes and faithfulness. Psalm 19:7 states, "The testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making wise the simple." Here, testimony is synonymous with God's law, which is perfect and reliable, providing wisdom and guidance to those who follow it.

New Testament Usage

In the New Testament, the Greek word "martyria" is used for testimony, which is closely related to the concept of witnessing. The testimony of Jesus Christ is central to the Christian faith. John the Baptist is described as a witness to the light, testifying about Jesus so that all might believe through him (John 1:7).

The apostles also emphasized the importance of testimony in spreading the Gospel. In Acts 1:8 , Jesus tells His disciples, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." This charge underscores the role of testimony in the mission of the early church, as believers were called to bear witness to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

The Apostle Paul frequently spoke of his own testimony, recounting his conversion experience and the transformative power of Christ in his life. In 1 Timothy 1:15-16 , Paul writes, "This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. But for this very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His perfect patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life."

The Role of Testimony in the Christian Life

Testimony remains a vital aspect of the Christian life, as believers are encouraged to share their personal experiences of God's grace and truth. Revelation 12:11 highlights the power of testimony in spiritual warfare: "They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; and they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death."

In the life of the church, testimony serves to edify and encourage the body of Christ, as individuals recount God's faithfulness and transformative work in their lives. It is both a personal and communal act, reinforcing the truth of the Gospel and the reality of God's ongoing work in the world.1 Chronicles 16:8,9
Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, make known his deeds among the people.
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Psalm 9:11
Sing praises to the LORD, which dwells in Zion: declare among the people his doings.
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Psalm 18:49
Therefore will I give thanks to you, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises to your name.
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Psalm 26:6,7
I will wash my hands in innocence: so will I compass your altar, O LORD:
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Psalm 119:27,172
Make me to understand the way of your precepts: so shall I talk of your wondrous works.
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Psalm 145:11,12
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and talk of your power;
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Isaiah 12:4-6
And in that day shall you say, Praise the LORD, call on his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.
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Isaiah 32:4
The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.
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Isaiah 43:10
You are my witnesses, said the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that you may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
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Isaiah 44:8
Fear you not, neither be afraid: have not I told you from that time, and have declared it? you are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yes, there is no God; I know not any.
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Isaiah 45:24
Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.
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Jeremiah 51:10
The LORD has brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God.
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Matthew 5:15
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light to all that are in the house.
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Matthew 10:32
Whoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
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Mark 4:21
And he said to them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
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Mark 5:16,19,20
And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.
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Luke 8:16,38,39
No man, when he has lighted a candle, covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed; but sets it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.
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Luke 12:8,9
Also I say to you, Whoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
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Luke 24:48
And you are witnesses of these things.
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John 4:28-30,39,41,42
The woman then left her water pot, and went her way into the city, and said to the men,
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John 15:27
And you also shall bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
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Acts 1:8,22
But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come on you: and you shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth.
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Romans 10:9,10
That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.
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1 Corinthians 1:5,6
That in every thing you are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;
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1 Corinthians 12:3
Why I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
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1 Corinthians 13:1
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
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Ephesians 5:19
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
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Philippians 3:7-14
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
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1 Timothy 6:12,13
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto you are also called, and have professed a good profession before many witnesses.
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2 Timothy 1:8
Be not you therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be you partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
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Hebrews 2:3,12
How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by them that heard him;
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1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
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1 Peter 5:1
The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
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Revelation 12:11
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives to the death.
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5603. ode -- a song, ode
... Spirit-inspired songs God and exhort others, giving testimony about the living ... any
words sung; while humnos denotes especially a religious metrical composition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5603.htm - 7k

To the Testimony of Antiquity is Added that of Later Games ...
... To the testimony of antiquity is added that of later games instituted in their turn ...
as on their very face, for what idol and for what religious object games ...
/.../tertullian/the shows or de spectaculis/chapter vi to the testimony.htm

Our Scriptures were Publicly Read and Expounded in the Religious ...
... the distance of about fifty years, in his account of the religious assemblies of ...
which was only sixteen years after the date of Tertullian's testimony, he was ...
/.../paley/evidences of christianity/section v our scriptures were.htm

Letter ix. Religious Culture and Duty.
... upon your attention only one argument for the culture of a religious spirit, and
that is the argument of experience. What is the universal testimony of those ...
/.../letter ix religious culture and.htm

The Axe at the Root --A Testimony against Puseyite Idolatry
... The Axe at the Root"A Testimony Against Puseyite Idolatry. ... At any rate he was the
first man who set up taste and self as the guide in religious worship, and ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 12 1866/the axe at the roota.htm

Christ's Own Testimony Concerning Himself.
... consistency, as well as in harmony with the deepest moral and religious instincts
of ... It is the testimony of the soul which is originally made for Christ, and ...
/.../schaff/the person of christ/christs own testimony concerning himself.htm

A Great Religious Awakening.
... member of the consistory of Wuertemberg, he advocated the cause of religious liberty ...
Here was a testimony to the inspiration of the Scriptures, which served as ...
/.../20 a great religious awakening.htm

A Great Religious Awakening
... member of the consistory of Wurttemberg, he advocated the cause of religious liberty ...
Here was a testimony to the inspiration of the Scriptures, which served as ...
/.../white/the great controversy/chapter 20 a great religious.htm

Personal Relations and Religious Development of James.
... that he could bear testimony as an eye-witness to the Risen Christ ... James was therefore,
in his religious development, distinguished from the other preachers of ...
/.../the epistle of james practically explained/ 2 personal relations and.htm

Of Special Duties of Religious Persons. ...
... testimony and authority, yea, even from the light of natural reason, we may firmly
conclude that the spirit of prayer is so absolutely necessary to a religious ...
/.../chapter vii of special duties.htm

Concerning the Power of the Civil Magistrate in Matters Purely ...
... the civil magistrate hath power to force men in things religious to do ... the nature
of true Christian sufferings, whereunto a very faithful testimony hath been ...
/.../proposition xiv concerning the power.htm

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Testimony: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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