When a person professes to be Born-Again, they should be able to defend the foundational facts of Christianity.
“We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:14-17 ESV)
“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” (Galatians 2:21 ESV).
Either Jesus was a fraud, a madman lunatic, or God, the Son. Christianity proclaims that Jesus arose from the dead and bases its entire case on that fact. Historical certainty can be defined as when every logically available piece of evidence is in. Historical certainty of the Resurrection can’t be obtained due to there being no living eyewitnesses, so we must rely on available logical evidence.
Skeptics use the confirmation bias of circular logic to base their denial of the Resurrection, which goes like this: miracles can't happen, so Jesus didn't rise, so the reporters lied; because miracles don't happen, so the Resurrection couldn't occur, so we can't believe the stories, because miracles can't happen, so, etc., etc., etc.
All facts presuppose other facts, so any structured argument has basic assumptions. These can also be argued but are usually of a kind that both sides can accept as founding facts of the debate. Before presenting the evidence of the Resurrection, certain assumptions must be taken into account, which are easily proved with sincere, unbiased research.
1. Jesus lived. He is a historical person.
2. The Romans crucified Him at the request of the Jewish leaders. He was considered dead.
3. He was buried in a known, accessible tomb.
4. The preaching about Jesus was threefold:
A - He arose from the dead
B – He ascended into Heaven
C - The tomb is empty
5. The Jewish leaders were motivated to disprove the Resurrection.
6. The followers of Jesus were persecuted for speaking about the Resurrection.
7. The tomb was empty and still is! No body was ever produced.
8. There is a millennium of scholarship research focused on the Scriptures that have established the Bible was faithfully transmitted. Historical records of Jesus’ life are recorded in a few places apart from the Bible and writings of His followers. Those who deny the Resurrection use the same sources for their argument.
The Uniqueness of Jesus
The historical Jesus was unique, and wherever you find Him quoted, He is saying things that are humanly impossible to experience.
1. Jesus said He would live forever (John 8:58)
2. Jesus described the Eternal world from the inside: He saw Satan fall (Matthew 3:41,115:7, 8:10,25:41; Luke 10:18; John 14:2).
3. Jesus seated all authority in Himself (Matthew 5:17,20,22,26,28,32; 7:29; 28:18)
4. Jesus thought He was perfect. He presumed His adequacy to forgive sin. He defined the Law (Matthew 5:17, 9:2; Luke 7:48; Mark 10:21).
5. Jesus said that His death could fix the wrongs of the world as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45, 1 Timothy 2:6 – see also Numbers 18:15-16, Exodus 13:13, 34:20).
6. Jesus said He would rise from the dead (Matthew 20:19,26:61-64; 27:63-65; John 2:19)
7. Jesus was the center of His belief system. He preached himself (Matthew 10:32-39,11:28-30,19:29 all contain twenty-four I's. Jesus said, "eat my flesh, drink my blood," and "I" am the Way, Truth, Life." (John 6:51,14:6).
Jesus was a Wise and Nice Guy
Some skeptics accept the historicity of Jesus but will not accept His divinity. They want to give some credibility to Jesus, so they argue long and hard that He was a good and wise teacher. This argument is a diversion that cannot be logically demonstrated. At the second level of investigation, neither of these terms holds up.
If Jesus was wise, then He knew that His claims were humanly impossible and defrauded the poor, guilt-ridden people. Therefore, He was not good or wise because none of these terms mean anything unless Jesus was who He said He was God, the Son.
If Jesus was a nice guy, meant well, and honestly tried to help people, then He must have been a deluded lunatic who didn't realize that no human being could do the things He said He did.
The Supernatural
Skeptics have gone to great lengths to supply rational explanations for the basic facts of the Resurrection, specifically that the tomb was empty because they do not want to acknowledge the supernatural. Some theories sound plausible, but they don't hold up to the fundamental assumption that the Disciples told the truth. Six major theories follow:
1. The disciples stole the body to fulfill Jesus' teaching that He would rise.
2. The Romans took the body because it would be to their advantage with the Jews if they had the body.
3. The Jewish leaders stole the body to keep watch so that someone wouldn't sneak the body away and say Jesus had raised.
4. It was the wrong tomb. The women, in dawn's half-light, got confused. The Jews would easily disprove the Resurrection if they went to the right tomb.
5. Jesus wasn't really dead and was resuscitated. He practiced a fake death on Lazarus and then faked His and was later revived in the tomb.
6. The Disciples lied about the Resurrection.
Evidence
It must be noted that the eyewitness Disciples told the truth as they experienced it. They saw Jesus, touched Him, ate with Him, and then watched Him ascend into Heaven.
Many skeptical theories sidestep some known facts, such as only one in ten survived a Roman scourging, the nail wounds, experiencing a Roman conducted crucifixion, and a spear thrust into Jesus' side. In addition, how did Jesus get through the stone at the tomb's entrance?
There is much and varied evidence that can be brought to bear on demonstrating the Disciples' truthfulness. Some of the evidence is "between" the lines, intrinsic evidence. Some are external evidence historically accounted for.
1. The book of Matthew was written to the Jews, and Luke was intended as history. Mark, the first Gospel was written to non-Jews. Mark used the term "Son of Man" more than any other Gospel writer. To the Jews, the term Son of Man was a reference to the Messianic prophecies of both Daniel and Enoch, as well as to the Son of God. This term had little meaning to Gentiles beyond its literal meaning of “a human being." A liar wouldn't have Jesus calling Himself Son of Man when trying to present the case that Jesus was God, the Son.
Mark revealed his mentor Peter's weakness more than the other writers. When giving Mark the "story," wouldn't Peter have downplayed his failures? It doesn't enhance his image to have readers of Mark's Gospel find out his cowardice.
2. It takes four accounts to fill out the story of the feeding of the 5000. These accounts were written at different times by widely separated writers.
A. They were at Bethsaida (Luke 9:10; Mark 6:45)
B. Jesus asked Philip where to buy bread (John 6:5-7)
C. Philip was from Bethsaida (John 1:44; Matthew 14:13)
Philip is the logical one to ask where to find food. He lived in this particular place. Intrinsically, the details fit like a valid account.
3. For external evidence, the historical accounts of the Disciples' lives are illuminating. This evidence includes the significant life changes that occurred in the personalities of the Apostles. Changes for the better from cowards who ALL ran from the Garden when they came for Jesus.
A. Peter was impetuous and a coward, yet he preached to a mocking mob of thousands at Pentecost and later endured prison for preaching.
B. John and James were called the sons of thunder, wanting to call fire down from Heaven. They were so selfish they got their mother to ask for the best seats in Jesus' kingdom, yet James accepted beheading, and John became the great lover of the New Testament. His is the Gospel of Love.
C. Thomas was a pragmatist and known as a doubter. His senses were his reality. Yet, he challenged the vast philosophical frame of India.
D. James was the Pastor of the church at Jerusalem for twenty years and was so steeped in legalism that he demanded circumcision of his people. The Jewish leaders had enough confidence in James' legal stance to ask him to denounce Jesus' Messiahship. To James' credit, he chose not to comply, a fact that meant he would be martyred.
E. Paul's life and change of outlook could be cited alone as proof of the Resurrection. The physical evidence of Paul's actions is testimony enough. From one of the highest placed, most efficient persecutors of Christianity, Paul contributes a majority of the writings of the New Testament and more books than any other Bible writer. Whipped, beaten, and imprisoned for years, enduring extreme physical stress, Paul spread the Gospel from Syria to England.
Persecution
There is the undeniable fact that the Disciples (and all future Believers) were so completely and irreversibly changed that they accepted persecution and were even martyred for preaching the Gospel message.
- Mark was dragged to death in the streets of Alexandria
- Bartholomew was skinned alive with a whip in Armenia
- Luke was hanged by idolatrous priests in Greece
- James(the Less) was killed in Egypt
- James Zebedee was beheaded by Herod
- Thomas was killed with a sword in India
- Simon Zelotes was crucified
- Peter was crucified upside down in Rome
- Paul was beheaded near Rome
There is no historical record of any Apostle denying their stories. If they were lying, not knowing that their words would last two thousand + years and become a worldwide movement, they only needed to save face for the moment and profit for themselves. If they were frauds, an unexplained reason remains as to why they waited seven weeks to start telling their stories. These were simple men, following orders to wait seven weeks for the Holy Spirit to descend, as Jesus had promised.
The early Church historian Thomas Aquinas points out that they all died alone. They could have easily admitted the life-saving lie without the others knowing. Yet, there is no record of anyone denying their story at a later date and defies reason to think that they would endure horrible tortures and death for a lie, by themselves, alone. This evidence forces the conclusion that the Apostles told the truth and leads to those things being true. Jesus was a supernatural being who was both God and human and established a contact point between God and humanity.
Conclusion
The practical aspect of the truth of Jesus and His divinity is that everything He said was true, so all the other promises of God are true, and we have a starting point for standing on promises such as:
"I'll not leave you or forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5 ESV)
"whoever comes to me I will never cast out" (John 6:37 ESV)
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36 ESV)
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 ESV )
Every human being can be free and secure in Jesus for all of eternity and can walk away from anything, any behavior, or anyone we want to.
“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:13-18 ESV)
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 ESV)
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17 ESV)
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31-39 ESV)
See also; https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/does-god-exist-a-look-at-atheism-agnosticism-and-theism-dr-craig-nelson-sermon-on-agnosticism-278739
This study is based on notes from a message I listened to by Dr. Gene Scott many moons ago.
