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The Case For Christ
1.
2. The Questions
• Are the gospels reliable as accurate and
historical documents?
• Who is Jesus?
• Is there evidence outside of the biblical texts
that show the existence of the Jesus we find in
the Bible?
• Is there evidence that the resurrection really
happened?
3. Are the gospels reliable as accurate
and historical documents?
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•
•
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Common Responses
“The gospels weren’t written by the people
who claim to have written them”
“Legends written many years after the events”
“The Bible has been changed over the
centuries”
“The Bible is full of contradictions”
“Bunch of made up stories”
4. Reliability of other ancient works of
antiquity
• “The Jewish War” by Josephus – (originally
written in 1st Century) Nine complete copies
remain
• “Gallic Wars” by Julius Caesar (originally written in
1st Century) 10 copies remain
• Seven copies of Plato remain in existence
• Homer’s Iliad – 647 copies in existence
• New Testament – 5,366 Greek manuscripts (1980)
6. Earliest Manuscripts
Julius Caesar
• “The Jewish War” by Josephus –
900 years later
• “Gallic Wars” by Julius Caesar –
800-850 years later
• Plato’s Republic – 1200-1300
years later
• Homer’s Iliad – about 1000
years after later
• All regarded as historically
accurate and authentic
7. Are the gospels reliable as accurate
and historical documents?
• P52 - John Rylands University Library
(Manchester, UK)
• Gospel of John written between 90-100
AD
• P52 Dates between 117 AD to 138 AD
• Fragments of the gospel of John 18:3133 and 18:37-38
• Oldest New Testament Manuscript in
existence
9. Is the content historically accurate?
• All the Gospels were written
within the lifetime of
eyewitnesses to the events
• Easily discredited if statements
within the gospels were false
• Contain embarrassing facts
about the leaders
• Historical facts only found in
the Bible proved by
archaeology
10. Are the gospels are full of contradictions?
• Many people quote this, but few can actually
name one
• Different accounts of the same stories
because different facts being emphasised
• Plausible explanations offer a valid
explanation of the apparent contradictions
• Identical account imply collusion
11. Common Responses Revisited
• “The gospels weren’t written by the people
who claim to have written them” false
• “Legends written many years after the events”
false
• “The Bible has been changed over the
centuries” false
• “The Bible is full of contradictions” false
• “Bunch of made up stories” false
12. Who is Jesus?
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Common Responses
“A good moral teacher”
“An ordinary Jew called Jesus who lived 2000
years ago”
“A lunatic who thought he was God”
“Not the Messiah the Jews are waiting for”
“Never existed”
13. “A good moral teacher”
• Man of great claims
• ‘“I and my Father are one” Again the Jews
picked up stones to stone him’ – John 10:30-31
• “I am the way and the truth and the life. No
one comes to the Father except through me.”
– John 14:6
• Jesus is a liar, a lunatic or Lord
• “If Jesus were not God, then he deserved an
Oscar” – Josh McDowell
14. “A lunatic who thought he was God”
• Possible that Jesus thought his claims true, but
deluded
• Sayings not consistent with being a lunatic
• Lunatic are self focused
• Jesus was focused on others
• Jesus backed up his claims with miracles
15. “A liar who claimed he was God”
C. S. Lewis
• Deceiver and inheritably evil
• Allowed himself to be
crucified for being the Son of
God
• Little personal gain
• Never compromised the
standard
• Others testify to the miracles
and resurrection
16. Who is Jesus?
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying that really foolish thing
that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a
great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is
one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said
the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He
would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a
poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make
your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a
madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you
can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon or you can fall at His feet
and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising
nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left
open to us. He did not intend to.”
– Professor C. S. Lewis
Mere Christianity (Revised and amplified edition 1997 page 43)
17. “Not the Messiah the Jews are waiting for”
• Jesus was the Messiah prophesied about in the
Old Testament – all over 350 years previous
• Jesus fulfils over 400 Old Testament prophesies
Old Testament
Prophesy
New Testament
Micah 5:2
Born in Bethlehem
Matthew 2:1
Isaiah 40:3
Preceded by John
the Baptist
Forsaken by his
Dispciples
Hands and feet
pierced
Matthew 3:1-2
Zecariah 13:7
Psalms 22:16
Mark 14:50
Luke 23:23
18. Who is Jesus?
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Common Responses Revisited
“A good moral teacher” false
“An ordinary Jew called Jesus who lived 2000
years ago” false
“A lunatic who thought he was God” false
“Not the Messiah the Jews are waiting for”
false
“Never existed” false
19. Is there evidence outside of the
biblical texts that show the existence
of the Jesus we find in the Bible?
Common Responses
• “No evidence of Jesus outside the Bible”
• “Archaeology contradicts the Bible”
• “A guy named Jesus might have existed once,
but he was nothing like the Jesus find in the
Bible”
20. External Evidences
• The external evidences are not sympathetic to the
Christian message
• Talmud acknowledges Jesus as
– Conjurer – collaborates the gospel claims of Jesus the
miracle worker
– Illegitimate – collaborates the gospel account of the
virgin birth to Mary
• Josephus – “Antiquities of the Jews” – claims
– “He was the Christ” or “He claims to be the Christ”
– “A doer of wonderful works”
– “Pilate … condemned him to the Cross”
21. Archaeological Evidences
• Archaeological evidence for the
existence of Pontius Pilate found in
1961
• Archaeological evidence confirms the
Roman census when Jesus was born
• Doubt in Luke’s historical accuracy has
been removed by archaeology
• Archaeology does not confirm the
book of Mormon
• No archaeological discovery
contradicts the bible
22. Nazareth Inscription
• Found in Nazareth
• Imperial edict from either the
reign of Tiberius (14-37AD) or
Claudius (41-54AD)
• Strong warning about
meddling with tombs and
graves
• Punishment was death
• Obviously a report from
Pilate had got back to Rome
about empty tombs
23. The Turin Shroud Hoax
• A shroud – when photographed, the
negative imagine reveals a person
• Some believe it is what Jesus was wrapped
in when he was laid in the tomb
• Carbon dated to 1260-1390 AD
• Contradicts the Gospel of John “Then
Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived
and went into the tomb. He saw the strips
of linen lying there, as well as the burial
cloth that had been around Jesus' head.
The cloth was folded up by itself, separate
from the linen.”
– John 20:6-7
24. Is there evidence outside of the
biblical texts that show the existence
of the Jesus we find in the Bible?
Common Responses Revisited
• “No evidence of Jesus outside the Bible”
false
• “Archaeology contradicts the Bible” false
• “A guy named Jesus might have existed once,
but he was nothing like the Jesus find in the
Bible” false
25. Is there evidence that the resurrection
really happened?
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Common Responses
“Jesus fainted and escaped death on the
cross”
“They looked in the wrong tomb”
“The disciples hallucinated thinking they saw
Jesus after his death”
“He only appeared to people sympathetic to
the gospel message”
26. “Jesus fainted and escaped death on the
cross”
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•
•
•
Swoon Theory
Found in the Koran & popular in 19th
century
Fainted or drugged on the cross
Swoon theory not supported by
medical evidence of Jesus’
crucifixion found in the gospels
Roman solider would exchange his
life for an escaped prisoner
27. “They looked in the wrong tomb”
• The tomb was guarded
• Jesus was a high profile execution – the
location wouldn’t have been forgotten or
mislocated
• The tomb was owned by Joseph of Arimathea
a secret follower of Jesus
• Joseph would not have forgotten the location
the tomb he owned
28. “The disciples hallucinated thinking
they saw Jesus after his death”
• Hallucinations are personal
• Hallucinations cannot be seen by a group of
people
• One person cannot induce hallucinations in
others
• Eyewitness reports of Jesus resurrection are
consistent with each other
29. “He only appeared to people
sympathetic to the gospel message”
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James the half brother of Jesus
Saul on the road to Damascus
Radically changed their lives
James, Saul plus 10 Apostles
died because of their faith
• “For the message of the cross is
foolishness to those who are
perishing, but to us who are being
saved it is the power of God.”
1 Corinthian 1:18
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30.
31. What’s your verdict?
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Is the New Testament reliable?
Was Jesus the Son of God?
Did the resurrection happen?
Is the cross of Christ foolishness?
32. Case for Christ
Glasgow Church of Christ
Worship Service
Every Sunday 2:30pm
Partick Burgh Hall
http://www.glasgowchurch.org.uk
