Luke 1:3 (WEB)

Passage

it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus;

Nearby Context

Luke 1:1 Since many have undertaken to set in order a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us,

Luke 1:2 even as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word delivered them to us,

Luke 1:3 it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus;

Luke 1:4 that you might know the certainty concerning the things in which you were instructed.

Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the priestly division of Abijah. He had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things", "seemed", "good", "having", "traced", "course", "accurately", and "first". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "seemed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "even as those who from the beginning..." into verse 4's "that you might know the certainty concerning...", so "all things" and "seemed" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "all things" and "seemed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.