Reliability of Jesus
How can we trust it? The Bible, the faith, Christianity. Is it reliable? How do I know that it is true? That it coincides with reality, true reality. That which is really real. It was over two thousand years ago that Christ supposedly lived and died, can we really put our trust in something that was passed down from two thousand years ago? For goodness sake there were people who believed the earth was flat not seven hundred years ago.
Not to mention the Church has not always been a beacon of light to the world around them, isn’t Christianity just another form of power? A political entity out to control its populace? What is it about Christianity that makes it so different from all the other religions that Christians think they are soo much better than everyone else?
Well I hope I never come across as arrogant or better than anyone else even though I do claim to have faith in the Truth.
Christ. That is what makes Christianity so different. It is the name sake of the religion. Jesus Christ. Christian literally means Christ-follower. I would contend that Christianity is all about Christ. The old testament points toward Christ through prophecy and Israel and the new testament is the impact of Christ upon His followers and the rest is history. Everything before pointed forward to Christ, everything after points back to him. He is the epicenter upon which we measure time and the center upon which we derive importance from. It is Christ’s sacrifice on the cross that allowed for us to be saved by Grace (not by works) that puts Christianity above and beyond every other religion out there.
But who is this Christ? Did he really exist? Is the Bible an accurate description of who He really was? How can you believe that He really rose from the dead? If He was the Christ, how could He allow himself to die on the cross? Did He really die? Is this just a fanciful story concocted by a bunch of First Century fanatics? Who is the real Christ? Well don’t believe everything the media tells you if that is where this question is stemming from.
There is evidence out there that can answer these questions, more than mere faith taken blindly, but archaeological, circumstantial, and secular sources that bring vital evidence to the table that helps solidify and clarify the historicity of Jesus Christ.
Evidence such as secular historian accounts of “Christus”, the evidence of the empty tomb and the Jewish persecution of the early church, culturally abnormal aspects of the Gospel story and the self-debasement of the disciples. Also you have the concept that no one dies for something they know to be a lie.
In short, there is evidence out there to support the Christ described in the Gospel story. Whether it is sufficient or efficient evidence, that is something you will have to decide for yourself.
Jared Williams
