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Luke 1:3
ESV 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,
NIV With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
NASB it seemed fitting to me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in an orderly sequence, most excellent Theophilus;
CSB It also seemed good to me, since I have carefully investigated everything from the very first, to write to you in an orderly sequence, most honorable Theophilus,
NLT Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus,
KJV It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
NKJV it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus,

What does Luke 1:3 mean?

Luke notices others are recording facts about Jesus' earthly ministry. Those accounts include eyewitness records and other points of history (Luke 1:1–2). Critics of faith often forget that Christian belief spread before the writing of letters from men like James (James 1:1), Paul (1 Corinthians 1:1–2) and Peter (1 Peter 1:1–2). Many of those messages were themselves in circulation prior to the Gospels. Christian faith was driven by experience and testimony, not by interesting storytellers.

Luke is confident he can make a valuable contribution to these efforts. He was a travelling companion of the apostle Paul (Acts 16:10), perhaps serving as Paul's personal doctor (Colossians 4:14). His writing is based on careful research and investigation. That likely includes direct, first-hand accounts told to Luke by the primary figures of these stories. The intent of this historical record is to inspire confidence (Luke 1:4). Luke's approach is deliberate, orderly, and factual. This emphasis on rational, reasonable belief is common theme in early Christianity (Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1).

Nothing is known of Theophilus, mentioned both here and in the introduction to the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). His name literally means "lover of God." For that reason, some have suggested "Theophilus" is a category—i.e., "you who love God"—rather than a proper name. That the honorable title "most excellent" is attached suggests a royal or government role, however.
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