Page 37 - Foundations

heaven).

You will bear witness also, because you have been with Me from the beginning (of the creation).

You will bear witness also, because you have been with Me from the beginning (of the world).

Seeing that the sentence itself does not clearly identify the beginning Christ had in mind, a next step
would be to look at the word translated as “beginning.” We could see if it is only rightly used in a
particular way. Having looked up the word we would have to conclude that it does not help us to
resolve this matter.

A next step might be to check the context of the passage in which these words of Christ were spoken.
If we see evidence that He was speaking about the beginning of His time with the disciples on earth
in this passage, or we find other evidence that would point to the beginning to which He was
referring, the matter might be easily settled. Following this course, we actually find some help. Here
is the passage with a little more context.

John 15:26-16:5
“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who
proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me, and you will bear witness also, because you
have been with Me from the beginning. These things I have spoken to you, that you may be kept
from stumbling. They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for
everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. And these things they will do,
because they have not known the Father, or Me. But these things I have spoken to you, that when
their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you
at the beginning, because I was with you.”

We see in this larger portion of Scripture that Yahshua is speaking of the Holy Spirit and of His
disciples bearing witness of Him to mankind. What they are bearing witness of is His identity as the
Hebrew Messiah, the ministry He conducted, the life that He lived, and the words that He spoke. We
can deduce this from the gospels, for this is indeed what they focus upon. Additionally, in the book
of Acts we find Christ’s disciples bearing witness of what they had seen and heard while walking
with Christ. There are also some very clear statements in other books such as the following.

I John 1:1-3
What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we
beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life... what we have seen and heard we
proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us...

John clearly states here that he is testifying of that which he has heard, seen with his eyes, and
touched with his hands regarding the Son of God. John is identifying experiences in this mortal life.
With these words of John we are able to confidently assert that the beginning that Yahshua was
referring to in John 15:27 was the beginning of His ministry when He called twelve disciples to walk
with Him, that they might experience daily life and ministry with the Son of God.