Here is the beginning place for an investigation into the genuineness of Christianity.

It must begin with a real historic space-time Jesus
for apart from his own historical existence neither redemption
nor resurrection could amount to any more that pie-i-the-sky-by-and-by.
GO TO UNIT….

UNIT 1 OBJECTIVE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY
UNIT 2 NON BIBLICAL WRITERS : THE HISTORICAL JESUS
UNIT 3 THE HISTORICAL RELIABILITY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
UNIT 4 THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS
THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS: A SUPPLEMENT
UNIT 5 MANUSCRIPT ATTESTATION
UNIT 6: THE RESURRECTION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS
UNIT 7 THE EMPTY TOMB
UNIT 8 THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS (2)
UNIT 9 THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS (3)
UNIT 10 THE CONVERSION OF SAUL OF TARSUS
UNIT 11 JESUS THE MAN OF DESTINY
UNIT 12 THE HISTORICAL JESUS THE MYTHOLOGY OF LIBERALISM

Unit 1: Objective Nature of Christianity

Introduction:

We are about to embark upon an incredible journey, stopping at many stations along the way and in the end, we will prove beyond a shadow of doubt the truth of scripture.
We will prove it is accurate, it has not been changed with multiple copying.
We will prove it’s content is absolutely reliable and true.
We will prove it is the way to eternal life
We will prove the resurrection of the man called Jesus Christ did indeed occur
We will prove our faith is well grounded, and any man or woman who will follow the teachings of scripture can rest assured they will spend eternity in a place called heaven.

We are going to begin our study by defining it, by defining what it is and what it is not. We want to make the definition by means of a contrast. We want to contrast the objective nature of historical Christian religion with religious subjectivism. Subjectivism is not hard to define. And once we define it, it will not be hard to identify.

Subjectivism is really an appeal to what we FEEL is a proof that something happened in the past. Now, of course, there is no substance in that. There is no evidence of a material nature or of an historical nature. But people are operating on it. Many a person today is saying, “ I know that I am saved because I feel like it in my heart.” But the Bible never defines for us what it “feels like” to be saved. Now, granted, when a person is saved he ought to have the joy of his salvation. But isn’t it also true that a false teacher can bring false teaching to sincere people and convince some of those people that what he has is true?

Some will accept it and think they are saved and go on their way “feeling saved”, when in fact they are not. Can’t we see that subjectivism is a very dangerous thing? As a matter of fact, people would try to prove that Jesus Christ has been resurrected from the dead by means of a feeling they have in their heart. Today, there are people who actually say, “I know that Jesus is alive. I know that He was resurrected from the dead because He is in my heart.”

Surely everybody ought to be able to figure out that we are not going to be able to prove that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead or anything else happened in the first century because of a modern emotion that takes place within a man’s breast (or head). But that is the idea of subjectivism.

LESSON AIM:

To define and contrast subjectivism with the objective nature of Historical Christianity and understand the danger of subjectivism.

LESSON PREVIEW:

Learn the definition of subjectivism and the Bible’s warning against it.
Become aware that Christianity is an historical religion supported by reliable eyewitness testimony.
Learn the Proposition Statement and the Methodology of our study.

SUBJECTIVISM DEFINED AND EXPLAINED

It is an Appeal to one’s Feelings
1. Its danger – It can make a person believe something is true when in fact it isn’t
2. Its Latitude – It could also prove other religions. (Hindu, Muslim, Islam)
God’s Word is to be the standard, Numbers 15: 37 – 40
1. When you see the blue garment in your clothing, you are to
  1. remember to keep the commandments of God.”
  2. Remember the word of God:
  3. Remember the blue cord
  4. Remember not to follow after your heart and not to follow after your eyes.

Man’s Heart Not a Source of Reliable Facts, Proverbs 28:26
1. ”The man that trusts in his heart is a fool.”
The Heart Corrupted By Sin – Not to be trusted, Jeremiah 17:9
1. ”The heart is deceitful above all things. It is exceedingly corrupt. Who can know it?”
Feelings Are Not To Determine Truth, Pro 14:12; 16:25
1. ”There is a way that seems right unto man but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (See Proverbs 16:25)
Man’s Way Is Not In Himself, Jer 10:23
1. ” Oh, Jehovah, I know that the way of man is not in himself. It is not in man that walks to direct his steps.”
2. There is not a man that tries to go the right way, do the right thing, but that he will fail to do it without God’s word as his counselor
3. Jeremiah knew this because God revealed it to him.

CONCLUSION

The bible, then, is very clear. There is a danger in religious subjectivism. It can lead people to think things are true when they are not. It can lead people to accept false religion when they should not. The Bible position is: You are not to follow after what you feel. Subjectivism is no proof that Christianity is true.

THE OBJECTIVE NATURE OF THE HISTORICAL CHRISTIAN RELIGION

The nature of Christianity is historical and redemptive, not simply moral. Morality is certainly inherent in its nature, but its great thrust is redemption from the death penalty. Its promise is eternal life. No social gospel or moralistic doctrine can make good on promises like that. Only Christ’s own sinless life, substitution death, and resurrection has power to bring that about. It is essential, therefore that a truly sinless life, a real death by crucifixion, and a resurrection back to life in his own body be experienced by a genuinely historic Jesus in order to give power to Christianity’s claim to a future life without end.

(The case for Historic Christianity, Ed Wharton, p. 1)

Christianity is a Historical Religion
1. Christianity is a space-time religion.
2. Christianity is not grounded upon teachings.
3. Christianity is grounded upon events that took place in history.
Apart from the New Testament we cannot know what happened.
1. How do we know that Christianity’s events occurred? How do we know:
2. There was a man named Jesus?
3. Jesus Christ fed 5,000 people with two fish and five loaves of bread?
4. Jesus raised the dead or that He was raised from the dead?
How do we know anything happened in the past? How do we know:
1. That Napoleon Bonaparte was soundly defeated by Wellington at a place called Waterloo?
2. That George Washington was the first president of the USA?

There is only one way for people to know what has happened in the past when they weren’t there to observe it, and that is by historical testimony. That is exactly what the New Testament is, a history book.

NOTE: While ancient Oriental cults linked the annual cycle of winter and summer to the death and resurrection of the mythical Adonis, Christianity deals with no such mythology. It offers to us a real historical founder, plus accounts of His remarkable death, burial and resurrection in well written documents which have passed the most severe tests known to us today for historical accuracy and authenticity. Christianity exists now because of what happened to the historical Jesus. It is not the result of doctrines and principles, but of events in the life of Jesus of Nazareth.

The Bible is a Historical Book

Christianity comes from historical eyewitness testimony. We know that things happened in the past because it is recorded in reliable historical documents.
If the New Testament is a reliable historical document:
1. Then there was a Nazarene named Jesus and He claimed to be the Son of God
2. Then when it says Jesus walked on water, He did!
3. When it says that He fed 5,000 with two fish and five loaves of bread, He did!
4. When it says that He raised the dead and was raised from the dead, He did and He was!

NOTE: there are records from the past, which we have every reason to believe, are true since both archaeology and contemporary documents from the same time zone have confirmed their general reliability. Whether we believe the Bible is the word of God or not, one thing is for sure. If is is a history book, then these things are true.

An Example of Historical Context, Luke 1: 1 – 4
1. Written to Theophilus an official in the imperial network of the Roman empire. “Most excellent Theophilus.”
2. Three times in the book of Acts (also written by Luke) the phrase “most excellent” is used of Roman governors.
  1. This man had access to the police files.
  2. He had access to records.
  3. He would be able to check things out to know whether or not they were so.
3. He had been instructed in the way of Christ. Luke opens his account to Theophilus by assuring him that the material he was about to read had been carefully researched, secured from eyewitnesses, that the material was accurate, and that the events were to be presented “in order” of their occurrence. Then he states the reason for such precision of research and accuracy of writing: “that thou mightiest know the certainty concerning the things wherein thou wast instructed” (Luke 1:4)

NOTE: What Luke claims then is that his book is reliable historical testimony, that it contains the facts as they literally and really happened.

Your New Testament records the events that eyewitnesses like Matthew and John and Peter and Paul and careful researchers like Luke and others, the authors, the writers of the New Testament were able to record.

The ground of our faith is the testimony of eyewitnesses.
1. “He that hath seen hath born witness and his witness is true and he knoweth that he saith true that you may believe. “ John 19:35 John said”
  1. “What I am writing is what I saw.”
  2. “I was a participant in what I saw.”
  3. “I know it is true, and I am writing that you might believe.”
2. The testimony of Thomas the apostle, John 20: 24 – 29. “My Lord and my God.”

NOTE: Why do we believe Jesus was resurrected from the dead? Not because of a feeling or an existential experience. We believe because of men like Thomas and Matthew and john and Peter and others who saw and recorded their eyewitness testimony.

The Propositional Statement and Methodology of Study
1. Propositional Statement (The thing to be proven):
2. “There is abundant evidence from historical sources which is adequate to prove that Jesus is the Son of God and the Bible is the word of God.”
The Methodology (How to prove the proposition): A Two-fold methodology.
1. “To establish the historical reliability of the New Testament documents – to prove to you that the New Testament is a history book.”
2. “To reason those historical evidences which the new Testament contains, and by a systematic argumentation of those facts to the conclusion that Jesus is the Son of God, and the Bible is the word of God.”

CONCLUSION:

Here is the beginning place for an investigation into the genuineness of Christianity. It must begin with a real historic space-time Jesus for apart from his own historical existence neither redemption nor resurrection could amount to any more that pie-i-the-sky-by-and-by.

Belief is the result of an honest evaluation of reliable, convincing evidence. An unwavering faith in God, Christ as the Son of God and the Bible as God’s Word must be grounded on actual documented evidence rather than being inherited from our family or derived from our feelings. The case for belief is not to be found in either science or philosophy.

Christian Evidences seek to confirm the Deity of Christ and the inspiration of the Bible by presenting various evidences to substantiate this. The historical approach of Christian Evidences seeks to confirm that the Christian faith rests upon a reliable foundation of historical facts. These facts of history from the basis of the evidences for belief. It is this kind of evidence, its historical reliability and its weight in relation to the Biblical claim, which we shall investigate during the course.

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UNIT TWO NON BIBLICAL WRITERS : THE HISTORICAL JESUS

INTRODUCTION:

In Michael Green’s book called Runaway World, he made an observation about Confucius and Christ that will help to launch us into our course of thinking in this lesson. He observed that if it could ever be proven beyond doubt that Confucius never lived, that Confucianism would probably survive anyway. That is due to the fact that Confucianism as a philosophy was not built on the man but rather it was built on his teachings. And this is the case with all the so-called world’s great religions with the exception of Judaism and Christianity.

Christianity is built on the person of Christ and His work in history. Michael Green made the observation that if it could ever be proven that Jesus was never alive in history that Christianity would collapse like a pack of cards, and this is right. So then before we begin to develop our methodology and show that the New Testament is a book that is reliable as a history book, we want to investigate first of all the historical factuality of Jesus as a real person in history.

Christianity is far more than a philosophy and it is not merely an ethical system. Christianity is a redemptive system. Christianity is belief in Jesus, that real person of history, as the Son of God who died upon the cross, carried our sins with Him, and paid the price for our transgressions, then was buried and on the third day was resurrected from the dead, and in that resurrection proved Himself to be the Son of God, and that one day He is coming again and will bring the entire world to an eternal judgment. And so any investigation into the genuineness of the claims of Christianity has to begin with an investigation of the historical factuality of Jesus as a real person in history. For apart from Him there would be no redemption of the human race from its plight.

LESSON AIM:

To show that there is sufficient evidence from first and second century non-Christian writers, both pagan and Jewish, to establish the historical reality of the existence of Jesus of Nazareth.

LESSON PREVIEW: You will…

Learn of five pagan (Gentile) writers of the first and second centuries who record facts about the existence of Jesus.

Discover that there are at least two early Jewish sources which help to prove that there really was a Nazarene called Jesus.

Also learn that the New Testament must be accorded the same consideration as any other writing of antiquity as to its authenticity in recording history.

EVIDENCE FROM FIRST AND SECOND CETURY NON-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

Five Early Pagan (Gentile Writers).

Thallus. In about 52 A.D. Thallus takes for granted the existence of Jesus when he mentioned the darkness which occurred at the Lord’s crucifixion.

NOTE: There was a common knowledge in the city of Rome about the circumstances accompanying the death of the Nazarene name Jesus.

Will Durant says about the middle of the first century, a pagan named Thallus, in a fragment preserved by Julius Africanus, argued that the abnormal darkness alleged to have accompanied the death of Christ was a purely natural phenomenon and coincidence. He says the argument took the existence of Christ for granted. Thallus never denied that Jesus existed. He took the historical existence of Christ for granted.

Mara Bar-Serapion. A manuscript in the British Museum preserves the text of a letter written some time after 73A.D. It was sent by a Syrian named Mara Bar-Serapion to his son, Serapion. In prison at the time of the writing the father pleads for his son to be wise by illustrating the folly of persecuting such wise men as Socrates, Pythagoras, and Christ.
What advantage did the Athenians gain from putting Socrates to death?…What advantage did the men of Samos gain from burning Pythagoras?…What advantage did the Jews gain from executing their wise King?… but Socrates did not die for good; he lived on in the teaching of Plato. Pythagoras did not die for good; he lived on in the statue of Hera. Nor did the wise King die for good; he lived on in the teaching which He had given. (The Case For Historic Christianity, Ed Wharton, p.6)

NOTE: He refers to Pythagoras, to Socrates, and to Jesus, but he does not refer to Jesus by name.
The point of it is that by sometime after 73 A.D. , by the time that Serapion was writing to his son, Jesus Christ had already gained fame and stature equal with that of men like Socrates and Pythagoras. Jesus was a real person of history!

Cornelius Tacitus. Usually rated as the greatest historian of Rome, Tacitus (born c. 52-54A.D.) at about the age of sixty, while writing of the reign of Nero (54-68A.D.), told how the Christians were made scapegoats for the Great Fire of 64 A.D. It had been rumored that Nero himself started the fire in order to gain glory by rebuilding the city. Tacitus says,
“Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus….

NOTE: To the pagan Tacitus, the name “Christus” was more than likely a proper name. Tacitus was in a good position to learn of Christianity being governor of Asia in 112 A.D.

Plinius Secundus (Pliny the Younger). Pliny, governor of Bithynia, often wrote to the Emperor Tragan asking his Imperial advice on how best to deal with the sect of the Christians which, according to him, were troubling his province. One letter (c. 112 A.D.) reveals information he extracted from some Christians by torture:“They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang an anthem to Christ as God, and bound themselves by a solemn oath not to commit any wicked deed…after which it was their custom to separate, and then meet again to partake of food, but food of an ordinary and innocent kind.”The innocence of the matter seemed to perplex the governor sufficiently to write to the Emperor about it.NOTE: So we have yet another testimony from an Imperial appointee in the network of the empire that there was a historical Jesus.

Suetonius. An annalist and court official of the Imperial House of Hadrian in about 120 A.D. wrote his life of Claudius, from which is taken his most often quoted reference:

“As the Jews were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from Rome.”

So many Jews had become Christians at Rome, Claudius probably equated the Jews with Christians and thus expelled them frm the city of Rome by an Imperial decree. Luke, by the way, records this same event much earlier in Acts 18: 1 -2 .

This evidence, especially in company with such an historian as Tacitus and Roman officials of the stature of Pliny and Suetonius, make the historicity of Jesus of Nazareth as certain as that of any outstanding figure of antiquity.

NOTE: So here we have our five witnesses from pagan sources that tell us of a real historical Jesus. Men of stature of Tacitus, Pliny and Suetonius makes the historicity of Jesus and undeniable fact!

Two Early Jewish Sources

Two Jewish sources which mention Jesus, gives us information to establish the fact of Jesus’ existence.

The Talmud. (70 A.D. to 200 A.D.) The Talmuds contain many references to Christ. All of these references are hostile to the cause of Christ, but they do help to establish the existence of Jesus. According to these writings, Jesus of Nazereth was a transgressor in Israel who practiced magic, scorned the words of the wise, led the people astray , and said he had not come to destroy the law but to add to it. (See Matthew 5:17ff).
Flavius Josephus (Sometime after 70 A.D.) The most important references to Jesus from a Jewish source are from a former Jewish general turned historian by the name of Flavius Josephus. In his writings he tells us who he was, what he did, and of his own evaluation as an historian. He writes of many of the outstanding persons we read of in the New Testament: of Pilate, of Quirinius of Syria, of the Caesars, The Herods, the Pharisees and Sadducees, of Annas, Caiaphas, Felix, and Festus. He also writes of Jesus’ brother James, and of the death of John the Baptist. Most significant is his reference to Jesus:

“And there arose about this time Jesus, a wise man, if indeed we should call Him a man: for He was a doer of marvelous deeds, a teacher of men who receive the truth with pleasure. He won over many Jews and also many Greeks.

This man was the Messiah. And when Pilate had condemned Him to the cross at the instigation of our own leaders, those who had loved him from the first did not cease. For he appeared to them on the third day alive again, as the holy prophets had predicted and said many other wonderful things about Him. And even now the race of Christians, so named after him, has not yet died out.”

First of all, he spoke of Jesus as the so-called Christ.
He tells us about the arrest and trial of James, and speaks of him as the brother of Jesus.
He speaks of Jesus as the doer of wonderful deeds, a man, he says, if indeed He can be called a man.
He states that this man was the founder of the tribe called the Christians.
Josephus speaks twice of Jesus Christ.

NOTE: Here we have two Jewish references. We have five pagan references. And F.F. Bruce makes this observation as he shuts down his boo. “having gone over both pagan and Jewish sources, whatever else may be thought of the evidence from early Jewish and Gentile writers…, it does, at least for those who refuse the witness of Christian writings, establish the character of Jesus himself.” And he observes, “Some writers may toy with the fancy of the Christ-myth, but they do not do so on the ground of historical evidence.” As far as these people were concern, there was a real Jesus of history.

The New Testament Writers

The New Testament would be totally adequate to prove that Jesus was a real person in history.

Whatever reasons may be given for receiving the testimony of Josephus or of Tacitus or of any other writer from antiquity as reliable history must be equally applied to the New Testament writers.
All of the New Testament writers were contemporaries of Jesus.
Four were eyewitness, three accompanied Jesus throughout His ministry, and all of their writings are in remarkable agreement, and continue to stand the tests of genuineness and historicity.NOTE: If the New Testament documents were the only single source from antiquity which presented to us the life of Christ that would be more than sufficient proof of His historical reality.

CONCLUSION

Altogether, from pagan sources, Jewish sources, and the New Testament itself, we conclude there was a real Jesus, a real Nazarene. Christianity bases the whole of its reaching upon the reality of that Jesus of history.

_______________________________________________________

Will Durant:

If we do not accept that Christ was a real person then we have to accept that the myth of Christ and Christianity was invented in one generation and passed off on that generation and the next one, and all subsequent generations as truth.

_______________________________________________________

All of Christianity, in all its many forms basis itself on the reality of that one man who lived 2,000 years ago. Again, if it can be proven that he never existed, Christianity would fold like a deck of cards, but with all the evidence to the truth of Christ’s existence, proving He didn’t exist would be a monumental task of wiping out all history.

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Unit 3 The Historical Reliability of the New Testament

INTRODUCTION:

In this lesson we begin our consideration of the historical reliability of the New Testament. I want you to keep two things in mind as we begin this portion of our investigation.

First of all, remember the propositional statement – There is abundant evidence from historical sources which is adequate to prove that Jesus is the son of God and that the Bible is the word of God.

Secondly, remember the logic of the methodology – We will take the historical facts the new Testament gives us and by systematic argumentation we will reason them to the conclusion that Jesus is indeed the Son of God and conclusively then that the Bible is the word of God.

You know now that those historical sources are the New Testament documents. If we can prove that the New Testament is historically reliable to report the events that place in the past, then we can develop our methodology. We will take the historical facts the New Testament gives us and by systematic argumentation we will reason them to the conclusion that Jesus is the Son of God and conclusively then that the Bible is the word of God.

_____________________________________________________________________

LESSON AIM:

To consider evidence that the New Testament documents are historically reliable in every way.

LESSON PREVIEW:

you will…

Discover that we are totally dependent upon the New Testament for any information on the life and teachings of Christ.

See that archeology verifies the statements of the Bible where the two speak on the same things.

Learn that contemporary writers and New Testament writers are in agreement when they both speak on the same people and events of history.

________________________________________________________________________

OUR DEPENDENCE ON THE NEW TESTAMENT

We Have Limited Knowledge about Jesus From Non-Christian Sources
All we can know apart from the New Testament is that Jesus uas crucified by Pilate on the charge of sedition outside the city of Jerusalem. Beyond that we can know very little.

Without The New Testament We Don’t Know Anything About The Teachings of Christ

We know nothing about the life of Christ.
We don’t know anything about the burial of Christ.

We know Nothing about the evidences for the resurrection of Christ.

NOTE: There is neither a historian nor a theologian nor a gospel preacher that can say with any authority whatever that Jesus did anything or that Jesus said anything or that anything happened to Him without an appeal to the New Testament as the historical source book of that statement.

Our Faith Comes From The New Testament, John 17:20
1. What is the ground of our faith in Jesus?
  1. It isn’t the sources that were pagan.
  2. It isn’t the Jewish sources
  3. And it certainly isn’t any kind of an existential experience or a subjective feeling.
2. The ground of our faith is the testimony of the apostles. “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God?, Romans 10:17

CONCLUSION:

Now you may not believe that the New Testament is the word of God. But when we can show you that the New Testament is historically reliable, then whether you believe Jesus is the Son of God or not, whether you believe the Bible is the word of God or not, one thing is for sure, if it is a history book, when it says Jesus made certain claims, then He made those claims. When it says Jesus did certain deeds, then He did those deeds.

If those deeds are sufficient to confirm His claims, then reason has to sit in judgment on the evidence and draw a conclusion in regard to just who Jesus Christ was and what the New Testament really is. Since then, our total source material for Christ is the New Testament documents, it must be considered historically reliable.

ARCHEOLOGY VERIFIES THE BIBLE

The contribution that archeology has made in showing the new Testament’s historical reliability.

No Contradiction Between an Archeological Discover and a Biblical Statement
1. We have two hundred years or more of archeological research, digging up artifacts out of the ancient dirt, reflecting on Biblical statements.
2. There is not a single contradiction between an archeological discovery and a biblical statement.
Archaeology Confirms Many of The Bible’s Statements

WRITTEN CONTEMPORARY DOCUMENTATION

Writers Contemporary With New Testament Writers
At the time the New Testament writers were writing, there were contemporary men writing also.
1. Men like Tacitus and Josephus were also writing their histories.
2. When these men wrote their histories, they dropped them into the historical context.
3. Historical check points:
  1. Certain persons,
  2. Involved in certain events,
  3. At certain times, and
  4. In certain places,
  5. They told about the morals of the time.
  6. They wrote in the linguistics of the time.
  7. They wrote of politics, climate, customs, and culture.

NOTE:  If a person receives Tacitus, or Josephus, or some classical historian from antiquity as reliable, and if the New Testament says substantively the very same thing that these men are saying, and they agree with Him about the events and the times and the places, then if we accept these classical historians as reliable, we are going to have to accept the New Testament as reliable on the same ground.

Historical People and Dates Recorded By Both Biblical Writers And Pagan Writers.

Luke 3: 1 -2 Luke introduces the ministry of John the Baptist. In doing so he mentions:
1. Tiberius Caesar
2. Pontius Pilate
3. Herod, tetrarch of Galilee
4. Philip, tetrarch of Ituraea and Traachonitis
5. Lysanias, tetrarch of Abilene
6. Annas
7. Caiaphas
8. John the Baptist

NOTE: Every one of these men can be found outside Bible statements in extra biblical statements’ in classical histories. What you  are reading in Luke is history of a reliable sort.

Mark 15:33 – Mark records the darkness that took place during the crucifixiton of Jesus. Thallus, a pagan hitorian, also mentions this same darkness in his trying to give an explanation for it.
Acts 11: 27 – 28 – A Famine is prophesied by Agabus to come to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Josephus makes the observation that the famine came to pass during the time of Claudius, about the year A.D. 45
Acts 13 – Sergius Paulus converted by Paul and later writes a letter encouraging his sister to become a Christian.
Acts 18: 1 -2 – Claudius commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome. In his life of Claudius, Suetonius refers to this same event in about the year 120 A.D.

CONCLUSION:

Sometimes in our statements we admit to things that we don’t know we are admitting to. For an illustration, when a person says the Jesus Christ is the son of God, he is admitting that there is a God. And so it is in regard to the historical reliability of the New Testament. With all the information that we have that comes down to us from the ancient sources, you could expect an atheist to admit Jesus was a real person of history. But , of course, those people don’t believe He is the son of God. However, when you ask these people who Jesus is, what their evaluation of Christ Jesus really is, they all answer that “Jesus was a great man of history.”

They have just admitted that to some appreciable degree, the New Testament is a history book that is reliable to report the events in the days of Christ. Here is why, The new Testament is the only source book we have to tell us about the greatness of Jesus. All we can know about Jesus from extra-biblical sources is that he lived, and that He was crucified by Pontius Pilate outside Jerusalem on the charge of sedition.

So if a person admits that Jesus is a great man of history, what he is saying is that the New Testament is reliable to report that greatness, because that is the only document in our possession that does tell us of the greatness of Jesus.

THE NEW TESTAMENT IS RELIABLE HISTORY!

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UNIT 4 The APOSTOLIC FATHERS

INTRODUCTION

This is our second study of the historical reliability of the new Testament. Keep in mind that the evidence for Christ is confined to the New Testament documents; therefore, we must consider the New Testament as totally historically reliable. Keep in mind also the logic of our course, that if we can show that the new Testament is reliable to report the events that took place in the first century, then whether we believed the Bible to be the word of God or not, whether we believe Jesus is the Son of God or not, one thing is for sure, if the New Testament is reliable to report history, then when it says Jesus made claims, he did. When it says Jesus did certain deeds, then he did. And, we are able to match the deeds against the claims and draw a conclusion.

What is the function of reason? The function of reason is not to do away with the evidence because there is some prejudice against the supernatural. The function of reason is to sit in judgment on the evidence as it comes to us, and to draw a conclusion that is in keeping with the claims that are made.

Now what we want to do in this lesson is to give two more reasons for believing that the New Testament is totally historically reliable.

LESSON TEXT: All the scriptures contained in the lesson outline.

LESSON AIM: to see the heavy weight of evidence for the historical reliability of the New Testament contained in the writings of the Apostolic Fathers.

LESSON PREVIEW: You will….

Learn that the New Testament was written in the very generation in which the events took place and circulated among the very people about whom they were written.
Become aware of a group of men called the Apostolic Fathers who wrote during the first and second centuries who quoted nearly all of the New Testament.
Consider the historical fact of Jesus’ claims and deeds that He did.

THE ACID TEST

They were written in the same generation in which the events took place.

The New Testament Was Written In The Very Generation In Which The Events Took Place
What we have in writings of the New Testament are eyewitness accounts.
1. Men who saw what was going on, men who participated in the events that took place.
2. Very care researchers like Luke who researched it from eyewitnesses, or Mark, who, tradition says, wrote down what Peter preached.
3. The New Testament documents are actually eyewitness accounts.
4. They were written in the generation in which the events took place.

They Were Circulated Among The People Who Were Alive When Those Events Took Place

NOTE:

Hundreds of thousands of people in the first century became Christians, and they suffered persecution and discrimination precisely because of what was written in those books.

F.F. Bruce tells us that at the turn of the century that the Romans sent out military police to confiscate the writings of the New Testament, and that the church of Christ would not give them up. What does that tell us? It tells us they believed these New Testament documents were the word of God. But whether you believe it is the word of God or not, one thing is for certain, these people certainly confirmed to you, as far as they were able to know, these documents were historically reliable. The acid test is very strong.

THE WRITINGS OF THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS

There is a collection of documents written from about 90-160 A.D. referred to as the writings of the apostolic fathers.

A Corpus Of Writings From About 90 to 160 A.D.
1. Not the Apostles.
2. Men who came after the Apostles.
  Men who either sat at the feet of the apostles or at the feet of those who did. Men like:
  1. Ignatius, Barnabas (not the Barnabas of the Bible), Clement of Rome
  2. Men who wrote for us between 90 and 160 A. D.
Written To Churches And Christians
1. To Encourage people to be faithful in the face of persecution.
2. They quoted from nearly every book of the New Testament.

CONCLUSION:

This tells us two things:

First of all that during those dates the New Testament had already been completed and had either been or was very close to being brought together in its own corpus.
Secondly, that the Christians in the first century to who these men addressed themselves really received the new Testament documents as totally historically reliable to report the events exactly as they took place.

THE HISTORICAL FACT OF JESUS’ CLAIMS

We can know that the claims of Jesus were backed up by historical evidence.

John 6:38, Jesus Claimed To Have Come Down From Heaven
John 7:16, Jesus Claimed That His Teaching Came From God
John 8:12, Jesus Claimed To Be The Light Of the World
John 8:23ff Jesus Claimed To Be From Above
He claimed to be God-man, Immanuel – god in the flesh.
John 10:30, 36, Jesus Claimed To Be God
John 11:25, Jesus Claimed To Be Able To Raise The Dead
John 12:48, Jesus Claimed That His Word Was The Word Of God
John 14:6, Jesus Claimed To Be The Way And The Truth And The Life

THE HISTORICAL FACTS OF THE DEEDS THAT HE DID

Here is evidence of the historical nature that the claims of Jesus are reliable.

The Miracles of Jesus
1. Definition of a miracle – “a supernatural happening that defies naturalistic explanation.”
2. Literally as works of God.
  1. John the Baptist a great witness
  2. Miracles are a greater witness than John, John 5:36

NOTE:

Now whether you believe those deeds, whether you believe the new Testament is the word of God or not, one thing is for sure, the New Testament is a history book. It is reliable, and when it records those deeds, then those deeds took place.

The New Testament documents are certainly not myths. They were written in the sane and sober appearance of history, the authors ask us to believe their accounts are true (e.g. John 19:35; 20:30 -31), and they come up reliable upon investigation.

Some Deeds Of Jesus Recorded In The New Testament
1. The water turned into wine, John 2: 1 -12
2. The healing of the nobleman’s son, John 4:46
3. The healing of the lame man, John 5: 1-9
4. The feeding of the 5,000, John 6: 5-13 (a miracle for modern times Post Blindness Syndrome)
5. Jesus walked on water, John 6:16 – 21
6. Jesus healed the blind man, John 9: 1 – 7
7. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, John 11:38-44

NOTE:

John says in the twentieth chapter, verses 30 and 31, “Many other signs, therefore, did Jesus in the presence of the disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written,” and he had reference to these seven, “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God and that believing you may have life in His name.” John has recorded for us a history book as he saw it take place, as  he participated in it, and his propositional statement is, “I have recorded these deeds for you which obviously are works only God Could do in order to cause you to believe.

The Supreme Sign

Jesus Christ Himself was raised from the grave.

CONCLUSION:

There was a Nazarene that made claims and backed up the claims with marvelous deeds and with the resurrection of His own body from the grave. Reason tells us that jesus is what He claimed to be.

And Now a Miracle for Us

John 9:32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind.

(ESV)

Mark 8:23-26 And he took hold of the blind man by the hand, and brought him out of the village; and when he had spit on his eyes, and laid his hands upon him, he asked him, Seest thou aught? 24 And he looked up, and said, I see men; for I behold them as trees, walking. 25 Then again he laid his hands upon his eyes; and he looked stedfastly, and was restored, and saw all things clearly. 26 And he sent him away to his home, saying, Do not even enter into the village.

(ASV)

Men as Trees Walking

The Bethsaida Miracle

By Chuck Colson| Published Date: February 11, 1999

In his book An Anthropologist on Mars, Oliver Sacks describes the case of a man named Virgil, who had been blind since childhood. At the age of 50, Virgil underwent surgery to restore his sight.

What he experienced afterward inadvertently confirmed the Bible’s account of one of Jesus’ miracles.

Following the surgery, Virgil suffered from what is called “post-blind syndrome”—the inability to make sense of the panorama of colors and shapes that crowds our field of vision. As Sacks writes, Virgil would “pick up details… an angle, an edge, a color, a movement—but he would not be able to synthesize them, to form a complex perception at a glance.” For example, when looking at a cat, Virgil “would see a paw, the nose, the tail, an ear, but he couldn’t see the cat as a whole.”

It took time and practice, but Virgil studied a tree and finally learned to put it together. As his wife put it, “He now knows that the trunk and leaves go together to form a complete unit.”

This is a little added, because it is science proving scripture, this previous miracle, I believe was for us, in this century so we could see the perfect proof of the miracles of Jesus in the 21st century.

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The Apostolic Fathers: A Supplement

Church Fathers

The following are early church fathers and apologists of the first and second centuries. The first eight or nine documents are also known as the Apostolic Fathers. The writers known as the church fathers represent the ancient orthodox church as opposed to other elements of ancient Christianity such as Gnosticism. These are the church fathers and apologists that can be read on

the Early Christian Writings web site.

Church Fathers: Didache
Church Fathers:

Epistle of Barnabas
Church Fathers:

Clement of Rome
Church Fathers:

2 Clement
Church Fathers:

The Shepherd of Hermas
Church Fathers:

Ignatius of Antioch
Church Fathers:

Polycarp
Church Fathers:

The Martyrdom of Polycarp
Church Fathers:

Epistle to Diognetus
Church Fathers:

Fragments of Papias
Church Fathers:

Quadratus of Athens
Church Fathers:

Aristides
Church Fathers:

Justin Martyr
Church Fathers:

Claudius Apollinaris
Church Fathers:

Minucius Felix
Church Fathers:

Melito of Sardis
Church Fathers:

Hegesippus
Church Fathers:

Dionysius of Corinth
Church Fathers:

Athenagoras of Athens
Church Fathers:

Irenaeus of Lyons
Church Fathers:

Rhodon
Church Fathers:

Theophilus of Caesarea
Church Fathers:

Theophilus of Antioch
Church Fathers:

Maximus of Jerusalem
Church Fathers:

Polycrates of Ephesus
Church Fathers:

Pantaenus
Church Fathers:

Clement of Alexandria
Church Fathers:

Tertullian
Church Fathers:

Serapion of Antioch
Church Fathers:

Apollonius
Church Fathers:

Caius
Church Fathers:

Hippolytus of Rome
Church Fathers:

Origen

All of the above and more are presented on the Early Christian Writings web site.

Go to the Chronological List of all Early Christian Writings

UNIT 5 MANUSCRIPT ATTESTATION

INTRODUCTION:

In this lesson we are going to consider the integrity of the New Testament. That what you are reading in your New Testament is just what was written originally by inspired men. Now that is a legitimate area of inquiry inasmuch as it has been centuries since Matthew and Mark and Luke and John and Peter and Paul and James and Jude wrote the New Testament documents. People have a very legitimate question that needs to be answered. Is it possible that there have been corruptions that found their way into the text of scripture? Is it possible that the copyist, after all the Bible has been copied and recopied and yet copied again, that a copyist’s error could have gotten into the text? Or maybe some theology that was personal to the copyist could have found its way into the text?

The answer is, yes, there have been errors of transmission made by copyist and uninspired statements have even found their way into the text of scripture. Now this is dealt with by the science of textual criticism. These men, scholars, detect the error and then seek to restore the original text. Now what we are going to do in this lesson is compare the manuscript value of the New Testament documents with the manuscript value of some of the classics from history. Then we will be able to see what F.F. Bruce meant when he stated that the evidence for the New Testament is ever so much greater than the evidence for the classical histories.

LESSON AIM:

to see that the manuscript evidence for the reliability of the New Testament is far greater than that for classical histories and is strong evidence that the Bible we have now is the same as that written by the authors.

LESSON PREVIEW: You will …

Discover that we do not have the original signature copies of the New Testament documents.

Find out how many copies of the Greek New Testament are now in existence in whole or in part.

Compare the manuscript attestation of the New Testament to that of the classical histories.

THE VALUE OF MANUSCIPTS

We Don’t have the originals
1. None have survived – either of the New Testament or of the classics
2. They are lost to us – we don’t have that copy called the signatures. All we have are copies of the original writings of both the classics and the New Testament.
Not Speaking About Translations
Manuscripts are Copies of the Originals
1. Copies that are image reproductions.
2. No simply word for word, but letter for letter.

NOTE:

An evaluation of the reliability of the New Testament can be made by comparing the manuscript value of other ancient histories which are generally received as authentic to the quality of the New Testament manuscripts. It is only fair that the New Testament receive at least the same consideration as other writings from the same period.

We want to compare the New Testament manuscript copies with the manuscript copies of the classical histories.

MANUSCRIPT COPIES OF THE CLASSICAL HISTORIES

Caesar’s Gallic Wars – written between about 58 to 50 B.C. Of this ancient writing we have nine or ten good manuscripts (there are no originals) in existence. The oldest manuscript we have of the work is from the ninth century A.D. that leaves a gap of some 800 years between the original writing and the best copy in our possession.
The Roman History of Livy – written between 59 B.C. to 17 A.D. Of the books originally written, there are 35 manuscripts of this work now in existence. Only 29 of these manuscripts are as old as the fourth century. They are removed at least 300 years from the originals.
Histories of Tacitus – written around 100 to 115 A. D. Only 14 ½ books have come down to us in our century; and from only two manuscripts. One manuscript of the histories reaches down to about the ninth century, a gap of about 800 years.
The Annals Tacitus – written about A.D. Only ten manuscripts of this work now exist in full and two exist in part. The best copy in our hand is from the eleventh century, a gap of some nine hundred to a thousand years.
The History of Thucydides – written about 460 to 400 B.C. these writings are known to us from only eight manuscripts. The earliest of these is date around 900 A.D. that is at least 1,300 years removed from the originals.
The History of Herodotus – written about 480 – 425 B.C. Eight manuscripts of this work are known to us. The earliest of these is date around 900 A.D. This is also at least 1,300 years removed from the originals.

NOTE:

In no case can the copies of these histories be compared with the originals so as to determine absolutely the accuracy of the copies in our possession. Bruce observes from this point of view, “Yet no classical scholar would listen to an argument that the authenticity of Herodotus or Thucydides is in doubt because the earliest MSS of their works which are of any use to us are 1,300 years later than the originals.

MANUSCRIPT ATTESTATION FOR THE NEW TESTAMENT

Manuscript evidence for the new Testament is far greater than that for classical histories. There are presently in existence about 5,000 copies of the Greek New Testament in whole or in part. The most valuable are:

Codex Sinaiticus – dating from about 350 A.D. has the entire Bible as well as many other books. Removed from the originals by only about 250 years.
Codex Vatican’s – copied about 350 A.D. Removed from the originals by only about 250 years.
Codex Alexandrinus – copied about the middle of the fifth century A.D. Removed from the originals by only about 350 years.
Codex Ephremaic – dating from the middle of the fifth century D. Removed from the originals by some 350 to 400 years.
Codex Bezae – dating from the fifth or sixth century A.D. Removed from the originals written by the apostles by some 400 years.

NOTE:

 Besides these ancient manuscripts of the Bible, there are some very important fragments from papyrus codices of the Bible which have been dated from around 130 to 250 A.D.

Chester Beatty Biblical Papyri. These fragments contain portions of eleven papyrus codices of the Bible. Three of these contain most of the new Testament writings. One fragment containing the Gospels and Acts is dated between 200 and 250A.D.
Ryland’s Fragment. This fragment contains John 18:31 – 33, and verses 37 and following. It has been dated around 130 A.D. It shows that John, which was written between 90 and 100 A.D. was circulating in Egypt only 40 years after it was written (Bruce). To date, this is the earliest existing fragment of the New Testament.
Papyrus Bodmer II. This fragment contains the first 14 chapters of John, less 22 verses, and considerable portions of the last 7 chapters. It has been dated around 200 A.D.

CONCLUSION

Our New Testament comes from a manuscript attestation that is far superior to the classical histories. We can be grateful to God in His providence for having provided these copies for us. You can rest assured that what you are reading in your New Testament is an authentic representation of what was originally penned.

In view of the evidence for the classical writings how much more should we receive the New Testament as authentic in view of the evidence for its reliability. Bruce states with tongue-in-cheek, “If the New Testament were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would generally be regarded as beyond all doubt. (Bruce, F.F. , the New Testament Documents, p. 15)

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UNIT 6: THE RESURRECTION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS

INTRODUCTION

We always want to keep in our minds while we are studying historical Christian evidences what the proposition of our course is. It is stated that there is an abundance of evidence from historical sources which is adequate to prove that Jesus is the son of God and the Bible is the word of God. There is an abundance of evidence in our hand coming from the historical New Testament that Jesus is everything that He claimed to be. We have already seen that Jesus walked on water, changed water to wine, healed the sick, raised the dead.

But there is another event that took place, the supreme sign of Jesus Christ from the dead. I will argue with you about the event. If I can show you that Christ was resurrected, and we can, that’s a fact of history, then the implications of the resurrection are that you can put your left hand upon the book of Genesis. You put your right hand upon the book of Revelation and say, “I believe everything in this book.” (and know why) Now that is because the resurrection is the supreme sign of the divine nature of Jesus. In a lesson or two beyond this, we are going to begin to see the arguments for the resurrection. Now let’s consider the implications of the resurrection regarding the trustworthiness of your Bible, the Old Testament as well as the New.

LESSON AIM:

To see that if Jesus was raised from the dead there are certain implications that naturally follow.

LESSON PREVIEW: You will…

Learn that the resurrection of Jesus proves that He is the Son of God
Gain the knowledge that the resurrection of Jesus proves the Bible to be the word of God

IMPLICATIONS IF Jesus WAS NOT RAISED FROM THE DEAD

If Christ was not raised from the dead, there are implications that would drastically affect Christianity. These implications must be considered.

He Would Not Be Alive To Raise Us From The Grave
Christianity would Collapse, 1 Corinthians 15:15-19
- The Apostles preaching is vain.

What would there be to preach? Gospel means good news; good news about justification from sin and salvation from the death penalty would be meaningless.

Our faith is vain. It is impractical to conceive of the Christian faith apart from a personal faith in the resurrection of Jesus since the object of our belief in eternal life is the Lord Jesus Himself.
The Apostles are false witnesses. If the stories they told of Christ and His resurrection were not true it would be ludicrous to regard them as sincere and honest men.
People are still in their sins. Inasmuch as redemption from sin is certified by the resurrection, then without it there can be no redemption from sin.
Believers have perished at death. That is the only logical conclusion apart from the resurrection. Like the dog Rover, when he’s dead it’s over. Death would be our destiny, nothing more.
Christians are of all men most pitiable. How Christians of Paul’s day could appreciate that statement. Persecuted, discriminated against, looked upon as fools by a world of unbelievers, and all for nothing!

IMPLICATIONS IF CHRIST WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD

The Proposition of Scripture
- He is the Christ, The Son of God, John 20:30 – 31
  1. “Christ is the Greek word for Hebrew term “Messiah” – the “anointed one.”
  2. The Old Testament prophesied of a Messiah – a deliverer of Israel. Jesus claimed to be the Christ – the fulfiller of al Old Testament messianic prophecy.
- Christ claimed to be the “Son of God” – deity, equal to the Father in His nature – His essence.

NOTE:

These two Claims constitute the claims of the New Testament regarding the historical Jesus.

The bodily resurrection of Jesus should obviously imply His Godhood (Romans 1:4). This in turn guarantees His total integrity and His consequent ability to make good on all His claims.

His Resurrection Proves The Proposition To Be True.

Resurrection is obviously a sign of deity; mere men cannot raise themselves from the dead. Jesus pointed to this event as the divine sign.

The cleansing of the temple in John 2:18 – 22. A sign of His deity.
Speaking to His apostles He says that the Messiah would be identified by His death, burial and resurrection, Luke 24:44 – 48
Paul says that the resurrection would be the identifying sign of the Christ, Romans 1:4
If Christ was therefore raised from the dead then He is totally trustworthy and all of His claims have been sustained.

The Resurrection Proves the Bible Is The Word of God

The argument from the resurrection to the Bible’s total reliability is as follows: If Christ was raised from the dead He is divine and what He claimed is therefore true. Jesus claimed the Scriptures are the word of God (John. 10:35)Since Jesus was raised from the dead He is the Son of God and His claim for the Scriptures is therefore true.

The Son Of God Is Reliable.
1. You can trust Him to tell you the truth.
2. He endorses the Old Testament as the word of God.
The Deity of Jesus Verifies the Old Testament. If Christ was raised from the dead that proves Him to be God
1. Matthew 22:31 – 32 31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. (ASV)Jesus quoted Moses in Exodus 3:16 and said, “God said.”Ex 3:15-16 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, hath appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:

NOTE:

Now if Christ was raised, He is God He is totally trustworthy, nad He quoted the book of Exodus that Moses wrote and said that God said it.

Matthew 12:38 – 40 Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet: 40 for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

NOTE:

If Christ was raised from the dead, and He was, then as God He is reliable, and when He said, “Jonah was,” then Jonah was.

Jesus said Jonah’s events literally took place.
The prophecy of Jonah was an historical prophecy of His own historical death, burial and resurrection.
This was not a spiritual point to be made. It is a literal point to be made.
- Matthew 24: 37 – 39 And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. 38 For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, 39 and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the coming of the Son of man.
  1. Jesus Christ speaks of Noah as a real person of history.
  2. He speaks of the days of the flood as a literal historical event.
  3. He speaks of the ark as a literal seagoing vessel.

NOTE:

What we are seeing is the Jesus endorsed the statement of Moses in Genesis 6 through 9 as a record of what literally took place in historical space and time

Matthew 19: 3 – 6 – Jesus quotes Genesis to answer the question by the Pharisees.
- Question: Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
- Answer: have you not read…
- For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and the two shall become on flesh.
- A two-fold conclusion:
  1. So that they are no more two but one flesh
  2. What God hath therefore joined together let not man put asunder.

Note:

Notice here that Jesus says, “Have ye not read that He who made them?” Who was the “He who made them” male and female? That was God. Now Moses wrote Genesis chapter 1. But Jesus said that it was God who made the statement.

Now if Jesus was raised, and He was, he is reliable. This reliable Jesus said that what Moses wrote about the creation of the man and about the origin of the home was a literal statement of what happened in historical space and time.

CONCLUSION:

Is Christ resurrected from the dead? Well, that is a fact of history. Is He trustworthy? Well, that goes without saying, so if Christ was raised then not only is He trustworthy, but inasmuch as He quoted the Old Testament as the word of God and drew arguments from it that are bound upon members of the Church of Christ, on Christians, involving ourselves even to the extent of marriage relationship, then we can totally rely upon what He had to say. These are some of the implications of the resurrection.

UNIT 7 THE EMPTY TOMB

INTRODUCTION

We come now to the study for which our former lessons have prepared us: to present the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now nothing is to be assumed. All of our evidence comes from the new Testament. Remember, they are totally reliable to report the events as they surrounded Jesus Christ..

In John, where we are going to begin our investigation, we see in chapter 19 the crucifixion of Christ and the preparation that was made for his burial. John makes a marvelous statement in chapter 19 verse 35. He says, “He that hath seen hath born witness and his witness is true. And he knoweth that he saith true that ye may also believe.” John affirms that what he is writing for us is the testimony of an eyewitness. And so what we are reading is reliable history. Now Christ has been crucified, Christ has been buried, and in the twentieth chapter John offers for us the evidence from history for his resurrection.

The facts as we have them from John are four in number:

The stone has been rolled back and the tomb was standing open,
the tomb itself was empty of the body of Jesus,
The grave cloths in which Jesus was buried were lying in the tomb, and
It was Sunday, the first day of the week: a fact not at alto be slighted.

We will consider the evidence in the order, combing the first two facts into a single unit of study to avoid repeating the same line of argumentation.

Lesson Aim:

To understand that the scene at the tomb offers extensive proof that jesus was raised from the dead and thus is Deity.

LESSON PREVIEW You will ….

Examine the evidence at the open, empty tomb and answer he question, what happened to the body of Jesus?
Look at al the evidence of the grave clothes and arrive at the conclusion that Jesus arose from the dead.
Discover that there is great significance in the fact that Jesus rose on the third day (the first day of the week).

THE TOMB WAS OPEN AND EMPTY

The body of Jesus is gone. The only reasonable conclusion about the empty tomb is that Christ was raised from the dead. Reasoning from the facts to the cause makes us to ask who opened the door and removed the body of Jesus. It was necessarily either a human act or a supernatural act. Either Christ was raised from the dead or He was taken away from the tomb by human ingenuity. Now if we can satisfy a line of inquiry which eliminates the human element as the cause of the removal of Jesus’ body from the tomb then this will leave us with the conclusion that the cause was supernatural, and the resurrection claim will be sustained.

Who, then, opened and emptied the tomb of Christ? Friends or enemies?

Was It the Disciples of Christ?

Matthew 27: 62. The next day (which is after the Day of Preparation), the high priests and Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63. and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will be raised.’ 64. Therefore, order the tomb to be secured until the third day, or his disciples may go and steal him and then tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead.’ Then the last deception would be worse than the first one.”65. Pilate told them, “You have a military guard. Go and make the tomb as secure as you know how.”66. So they went and secured the tomb by putting a seal on the stone in the presence of the guards.

Permission asked by the Pharisees and scribes.
The stone closing the tomb was sealed.
Guards went to the Jews. They were afraid to go to the Roman authorities – afraid of punishment.
The Jews gave them money as surety. (They were “bribed:)
The Jews assured the guards they would not let the Roman governor punish them.

Was It the Enemies of Christ?

Did the Jews take the body of Jess out of the tomb and put it in a different place? If so, why? The desire and intent of the ruling Jews was to keep the body of Jesus in the tomb until the third day had passed. Why? Matthew gives us at least two reason in Matthew 27: 62 – 66

Jesus’ prediction that He would rise again the third day was common knowledge by this time.
They knew that if the disciples stole the body of Jesus that an empty tomb could feed the matter they were attempting to end.

CONCLUSION
In answer to who opened and emptied the tomb of Christ? we must conclude on the basis of the documentary evidence that the disciples of Jesus could not have done the deed, and the Jews certainly would not have done it.

Was It Grave Robbers?

On the outside chance that someone would suggest that a grave robber took away the body of Christ, it must be remembered that the same guards would have posed as much a problem for a grave robber as for anyone else. Also, in ancient times graves were robbed for the valuables that were buried with the deceased. In this case the only thing of value was the one hundred pounds of spices which were poured into the folds of the burial cloths which were left behind in the tomb when Jesus vacated the premises (John 19:39 0 49, 20: 5 – 7).

The logical implication from the facts as they come to us in the Gospels is that Jesus was indeed raised from the dead.

THE GRAVE CLOTHS THAT WERE LEFT IN THE TOMB

Christ’s burial garments left behind in the tomb form one of the most interesting aspects of the evidence for the resurrection.

The Position of The Grave Cloths
- They were lying there: John 20: 6. At this point Simon Peter arrived, following him, and went straight into the tomb. He observed that the linen cloths were lying there, 7. and that the handkerchief that had been on Jesus’ head was not lying with the linen cloths but was rolled up in a separate place.
- They were lying in a little cocoon-type shell that probably had just collapsed in the middle.
The Burial Custom of The Jews
- The account of the resurrection of Lazarus,JOHN 11: 43. After saying this, he shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”44. The dead man came out, his hands and feet tied with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a handkerchief. Jesus told them, “Untie him, and let him go.” Let us notice the facts of the burial of Jesus as presented in the historical account. Jesus was bound in linen wrappings with one hundred pounds or spices, myrrh, and aloes, according to “the burial custom of the Jews.”
- Lazarus was all bound up in grave clothes and there was a napkin upon his head. That is the burial custom of the Jews.
Jesus Was Buried According to Jewish Custom.

John 19:39. Nicodemus, the man who had first come to Jesus at night, also arrived, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about a hundred pounds.40. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths along with spices, according to the burial custom of the Jews.

Aloes and myrrh were used – poured into the folds (about 100 pounds )II Chronicles 16:14. And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had hewn out for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odors and divers kinds of spices prepared by the perfumers’ art: and they made a very great burning for him.
He was wrapped with linen from toe to shoulder
The arms were placed at the side of the body, and these were also bound to the body with more winding of material
A napkin was tied around the face of the body to complete the covering.

NOTE:

“The Balsomodendron myrrha, which produces the myrrh of commerce, has a wood and bark which emit a strong odor; the gum which exudes from the bark is at first oily, but becomes hard by exposure to the air.” Plueoberts Bible Dictionary Page 428

CONCLUSION:

Now here is the question I want answered. Who was the artificer that got behind these Roman guards? It couldn’t be done! And then rolled away the stone without the guards ever noticing him. It couldn’t be done! And then goes inside the tomb and unwraps the body of Jesus Christ and then sets the body aside and then rewraps the grave clothes to make it look like they have never been tampered with and then spirits away the dead body of Jesus to some unknown place for a hoax? Who would take his life in his hands for such a silly thing as that? There is only one conclusion we can come to, and that is Jesus was raised from the dead.

(Even if they had gone to the wrong tomb, someone was resurrected)

OTHER POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS

He Simply Swooned On The Cross
- The testimony of eyewitnesses says He died.
- All first century people were satisfied that He died.
The Women Really Went to The Wrong Tomb.
- There is no evidence that this occurred
What do they find at the tomb they come to?
- They find the grave clothes inside.
- It looked like somebody was resurrected from the dead.

NOTE:

Reason asks, “What happened to the body of Christ if He was not raised from the dead?” There is no answer we have for the facts of history as we receive them.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE THIRD DAY

Jesus Prophesied that he would rise and the Old Testament prophecies predicted that the Messiah would rise.

The Disciples Did Not Believe He Was Raised,

Luke 24: 21 – 25 But we hoped that it was he who should redeem Israel. Yea and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things came to pass. 22. Moreover certain women of our company amazed us, having been early at the tomb; 23. and when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24. And certain of them that were with us went to the tomb, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. 25. And he said unto them, O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

The two disciples on the road to Emmaus, Luke 24: 13ff.

The disciples didn’t believe the women’s report,

Mark 16: 9 – 11 Now when he was risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.

She went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.
And they, when they heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, disbelieved.
Jesus appears to them and upbraids them all for their unbelief,

Mark 16:14. And afterward he was manifested unto the eleven themselves as they sat at meat; and he upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them that had seen him after he was risen.

The apostles were not theologically biased by some Old Testament prophecy.

CONCLUSION

And so what John is saying is, “Here’s the reason for believing, the tomb was empty; the grave clothes were lying; the napkin rolled up n a place by itself.” Such evidence as that is completely incontrovertible. And so John concludes they saw and they believed. What is the function of reason? It’s to sit in judgment on the evidence, the facts in the case, and to draw a reasonable conclusion that agrees with the claim. Christ claimed to be the son of God, and eyewitnesses claimed to see him for forty days after the resurrection. What does the evidence say? What does your reason conclude? That Christ was raised is a logical deduction.

SUPPLEMENTAL STUDY NOTES

Jesus Prophesied He Would Rise On The Third Day After Crucifixion

Resurrection obviously implies a death. But Jesus specified death by crucifixion (Matthew20:19 and shall deliver him unto the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify: and the third day he shall be raised up;

John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up;

John 8:28 Jesus therefore said, when ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, but as the Father taught me, I speak these things.

John 12: 32-33 And I, if I be lifted from the earth, will draw all men unto myself. But this he said, signifying by what manner of death he should die.)

The absence of Jesus body from the tomb on the third day becomes extremely significant when we understand that the Jews made a number of attempts to kill Christ by different means throughout his ministry

Luke 4:28-30 And they were all filled with wrath in the synagogue, as they heard these things; and they rose up, and cast him forth out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way.

John 518 For this cause therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only brake the Sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

John 7:1 And after these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him.

John 7: 25 Some therefore of them of Jerusalem said, Is not this he whom they seek to kill? ,etc.)

while Jesus steadfastly maintained that his would be a death by crucifixion. Thus, the fact of the empty tomb on the third day following the crucifixion lends a great deal of credibility the resurrection claims inasmuch as both the means of death and the time of the resurrection were foretold throughout His ministry and were fulfilled in the face of physical opposition.

The Prophecy Was Foretold Early in His Ministry

After the first temple cleansing at the outset of His ministry,

John 2: 13 – 22 And the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14. And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15. and he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew their tables; 16. and to them that sold the doves he said, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise. 17. His disciples remembered that it was written, Zeal for thy house shall eat me up. 18. The Jews therefore answered and said unto him, What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? 19.Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20. The Jews therefore said, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou raise it up in three days?21. But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he spake this; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

He appealed to Jonah’s experience in the fish for three days and three nights as a sign of his death, burial and resurrection, Mathew, 12: 38 -40

It Became Common Knowledge

The Jewish rulers knew of the prophecy,

Matthew 27: 62-66 Pilate saith unto them, What then shall I do unto Jesus who is called Christ? They all say, Let him be crucified. 23. And he said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out exceedingly, saying, Let him be crucified. 24. So when Pilate saw that he prevailed nothing, but rather that a tumult was arising, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man; see ye to it. 25. And all the people answered and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. 26. Then released he unto them Barabbas; but Jesus he scourged and delivered to be crucified.

They did not expect a resurrection and wanted to present the lifeless body of Jesus on that third day as an absolute refutation of His Messianic claims.

There Was An Empty Tomb On The Third Day

Had either the Roman or Jewish rulers removed the body it would have been no problem for either of them to have presented the corpse and to have stopped the new movement cold.

Christianity and The First Day Of The Week
From the day of Pentecost following the crucifixion, the first day of the week has bee special to Christians.
The Church was established on the first day of the week, Acts 2: 1 – 47.
The Corinthian church was instructed to take up a special collection on the first day of the week, I Cor. 16: 1 – 2.
The Churches observed the Lord’s supper on that day, Acts 20:7

CONCLUSION

The transfer of emphasis from the Sabbath day to the first day of the week is a very impressive testimony to the significance of this particular day, and more especially when w remember that devout Sabbath keeping Jews who became Christians never questioned the correctness of this emphasis. The question is raised: What great event happened to produce such an emphasis if not the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

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Unit 8 The Resurrection of Jesus (2)

THE CHANGE AT PENTECOST

INTRODUCTION:

in this lesson on the resurrection we are going to consider a change that took place in the apostles on the day of Pentecost that natural processes are totally inadequate to answer to the cause for that change. Then due to the nature of the case we are going to see that it is reasonable to conclude that this change was produced by the Holy Spirit Himself. That in turn is going to reflect the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

THE CLAIM of the New Testament is that on the day of Pentecost a change was wrought within the apostles which was the result of the direct intervention of the Holy Spirit.

THE PROPOSITION is that this change was accomplished by the Holy Spirit and is an evidence of the resurrection of Jesus.

Now remember that our evidence comes from historically reliable documents, the New Testament. And it offers to us the facts from history. Now, in developing this argument for the resurrection called “the change at Pentecost,” there are five facts to be developed.

LESSON AIM:

to understand that the drastic change in the disciples on the day of Pentecost offers important evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

LESSON PREVIEW: You will…

learn of five facts concerning the apostles change at Pentecost which will provide evidence that Jesus was raised from the dead.
Discover that there was a drastic change in these same men and the reason for this change.
Be able to reason from this evidence that Jesus Christ was indeed raised from the dead as was promised.

THE PROMISE OF JESUS CONCERNING THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE APOSTLES

There are five facts to be considered in the systematic development of this evidence.

Fact Number One: The Coming of The Holy Spirit As Promised by Jesus.
Jesus promised that the apostles would receive the Holy Spirit and that He would endow them with a knowledge of the gospel they did not have, John 14:26; 16:12 -13.

The Holy Spirit was to super-impose upon the apostles a remembrance of the things that Jesus had said to them during His ministry.
The Holy Spirit would teach them all gospel things that they had not known up to that time.
The Holy Spirit would declare to the apostles things that were going to come in the future

Fact Number Two: the Coming of the Holy Spirit Was Conditional
Jesus imposed upon Himself the condition of returning to the Father before the Spirit would be permitted (or enabled) to come to the apostles, John 16:5, 7, 10.

Fact Number three: Jesus Died At Calvary

His death was carefully documented by eyewitnesses, Matthew 27:50; John 19:30
Any suggestion that Jesus survived the ordeal of crucifixion to live out His life in another place is totally without historical basis and in flagrant contradiction of the only historical documents recording His life and death.
- The gospel writers were convinced He died.
- The whole church of Christ in the first century was convinced He died.
- Pilate was convinced He died.
- The centurion was convinced He died.
- Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were persuaded He was dead.

NOTE:

The facts thus far have brought Jesus to His death. Keep in mind that Jesus promised to return to Heaven before He could send the Spirit, but that He died before returning to His Father (John 20:17).Therefor, to ascend to the Father and dispatch the Holy Spirit He would have to have been raised from the dead. It is thus essential to prove that the Holy Spirit came to the apostles in order to prove that Jesus was raised. We have only to prove that the Spirit came to the apostles and the resurrection claim shall be sustained.

Fact Number Four: The Jewish (Apostles/) Concept of Messiah and His Kingdom Before Pentecost.
The apostles condition theologically – militant nationalists.
1. The Kingdom of God was a nationalistic thing confined to the Jews.
2. Mark 10:35 – 38 – They sought a position of authority in the kingdom of God.
3. Matthew 16: 13 – 20 – Told not to tell anyone who He was. They didn’t understand the nature of the Kingdom
4. See also John 18:36; Matthew 16:21f.

NOTE:

The apostles condition theologically – they were nationalistic.They did not understand the nature of the Kingdom of God.
The apostles condition intellectually – dull of perception.They didn’t have the keenness of insight that Jesus even expected them to have from time to time. (See Matthew 16: 5 -12)
The apostles condition positional – state of tension.
1. Mark 10:41 – there was division among them.
2. Luke 22:44 – they were vying with one another as to who is the greatest in god’s kingdom.
The apostles’ condition psychologically – they are all fearfulAfter the crucifixion these men for fear of the Jews were hiding themselves behind locked doors, John 20:19.

CONCLUSION:

And so here’s the condition, the state of the apostles prior to the day of Pentecost. They were theologically militant nationalists interpreting Old Testament prophecies as a zealot would. They were ready to take their spears and their bows and their arrows and follow this Nazarene and throw off the roman yoke from their neck. Intellectually they were dull in perception. Positional, they were divided and psychologically these men simply were fearful. Now that is the condition as it existed.

Fact Number five: the Apostles’ Concept Changed On Pentecost
The extremity of the change.

They changed in Theology.
1. These men immediately began to preach Christ crucified, buried, and resurrected.
2. They began to preach the church of Christ is the answer to the Old Testament prophesies regarding the kingdom.
They changed in doctrine. Now they are not only united in rother hood, but they are united in doctrine.
They changed psychologically and emotionallly. No longer fearful but bold and courageous.
Their disunity and divisiveness changed to complete unity of thought and purpose
they changed from men of weakness to men of power. (Acts 4:13)

CONCLUSION:

Here was a change of such proportions that the mind is staggered to think of it happening. As it were, in a moment of time. Yet it happened. It is one of the facts of history. The apostles were drastically changed on the day of Pentecost.

WHAT CAUSED A CHANGE?

Was the cause natural or supernatural?

The Bible Claims It Was The Holy Spirit, Acts 2:1ff
Paul Claims it Was The Holy Spirit, I Cor 2 and Ephesians 3
Peter Claims It was The Holy Spirit, I Peter 1 and II Peter 1

CONCLUSION

now if that change was produced by the holy spirit, then Jesus had to have been resurrected from the dead. Inasmuch as Jesus said that in order for the Spirit to come, it would be conditional upon His ascending back to the Father or the Spirit could not come. But Jesus was dead. Now, then, how was he able to go back to the Father and send the Spirit unless He was resurrected from the grave? The change at Pentecost is because of the resurrection of Christ, His ascension back to Heaven, and His sending the Holy Spirit.

NATURAL OR SUPERNATURAL?

This is a fact of history which must be explained. The question is, what forces combined to produce this phenomenon? Luke claimed it was the Holy Spirit (Acts 2: 1 -4 ). so did the apostles (1 Cor. 2:10 – 13; Ephesians 3: 3- 5; 2 Peter 1:3 – 4). But inasmuch as the Holy Spirit could not come until Jesus had ascended back to the Father, and since Jesus died. It follows that for the Spirit to have come Jesus had to have been raised from the dead.

The only alternative explanation to the change in the apostles is that it was affected by natural processes. But such a radical change as this would demand both time and education. These are the essential ingredients required to produce a thorough-going change in both concept and life-style as it did in these convicted, persecuted-unto -death, apostles. But the fact is that the time required to produce this change was simply not available. And who was their teacher? Who would have been able to unify the apostles in both doctrine and martyr-life? Echo answers, Who?

There is only one reasonable answer to the apostles ‘ change

JESUS WAS RAISED!!

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Unit 9 The Resurrection of Jesus (3)

INTRODUCTION

In this lesson we want to study the testimony of the apostles as a proof of the resurrection of Jesus. Now in Luke the 24th chapter after the account of the death, the burial , and the resurrection, we have Jesus addressing the apostles at the time of the ascension. And he says in Luke 24;44 ,” He said unto them, “these are my words which I spoke unto you while I was yet with you. That all things must needs be fulfilled which are written in the Law of Moses. The prophets, and the Psalms concerning me.” then open he their minds that they might understand the scriptures and said, ‘thus it is written that the Christ should suffer, rise again from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all nations beginning from Jerusalem.’ and then he says to the apostles, “and ye are witnesses of these things.” Although they didn’t understand it at the moment, they had been witnesses of these things.” although they didn’t understand it-at the moment, they had been witnesses to what was prophesied in the Old Testament that would happen to the Messiah. He would die and be in the tomb, and he would rise on the third day. The apostles obviously as witnesses to these had seen the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

LESSON AIM:

We’ll see the fruit of the apostles’ teaching reveals their testimony about the resurrection to be one of the grand proofs for the resurrection of Jesus.

LESSON PREVIEW: You will..

Learn that the biblical idea of witnessing is different than the prevalent concept of witnessing for Jesus in the world today.

See that the task of living witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ was reserved for the inspired apostles only.

Discover that the power of the apostles’ testimony is seen in three area,

their number,
their unity, and
their lives

Now on the day of Pentecost, these men then began to testify that Jesus Christ was indeed the Christ of prophecy. They preached to the Jews that Jesus was the messiah, and they proved it satisfactorily with their own testimony. And 3,000 people at the end of their preaching stepped forward for baptism for salvation and entrance into the church and the kingdom of god. The church and Christianity began. It began on the ground of the apostles’ testimony. What we want to do in this less is to see that the apostolic testimony is one of the grand proofs for the resurrection of Jesus, and these men took their testimony from Pentecost and went throughout the whole world and carried the resurrection message.

And it was believed by the Jews and Gentiles alike. What’s the force for the resurrection that comes from the apostles ‘ testimony?

THE DENOMINATIONAL CONCEPT OF WITNESSING

First of all, begin we present the evidence we want you so see that there is a great distinction between apostolic testimony, the kind of witnessing we read about in the Bible, the biblical idea of witnessing that the witnessing that people appeal to today.

Witnessing People Appeal to Today
Personal testimony of what they think God or Christ has done for them in their life.
A Changed Life No Proof of the Deity of Christ
A changed life could just as well prove the reality of any other religion / false religion.
We are working with the type of witnesses that applies to proving the scripture to be the word of God.
We do expect a changed life when we see a new Christian do a complete about face, in his / her behavior but it doesn’t prove the Bible is a history book, which is our intention in this course

THE BIBLICAL IDEA OF WITNESSING

Jesus said that the apostles were to bear witness of Him (John 15:27). to bear witness means to testify in behalf of, with a view toward confirming a truth. The apostles’ witness, then was to confirm the deity of Christ to the world.

It Is Confined To A Select Group Of Men
1. Confined to men who have seen something.
  You cannot bear witness to what you have or seen or heard.
2. The Apostles were appointed to be witness for Christ.John 15:26 -27 26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

Now Jesus is telling us that the ground of our belief in Christ is the word of apostles. Why the word of the apostles? Because they were eyewitnesses. They were with Jesus three and a half years they saw Him dead. Then three days later they saw Him alive. They handled Him. They talked with Him. They ate with Him. They lived with Him, and then they watched Him go to heaven. Now could they testify that He was resurrected?

This Testimony Is Confined To The Apostles
1. John 15:26 – 277 Jesus is preparing the apostles for the great work that the Spirit would cause them to do. He said, “When the spirit comes, He will bear witness of me.” but then He says in verse 27, “And ye also shall bear witness because you have been with Me from the beginning.” Now two things are seen there:
  1. First, when the Spirit comes, the apostles would bear witness.
  2. Another reason given was because they were with Jesus from the beginning.
2. John 17:20 (PLACE VERSE) Now He makes it clear that the apostles testimony is the ground of our faith. Why? They were eyewitnesses. They had been with Jesus from the beginning, throughout His entire ministry. They saw Him dead. They saw Him alive after three days. They handled Him. They walked with Him. They lived with Him, virtually lived with Him, and even watched Him go to Heaven.
Acts 10:39 – 41 – “ we are witnesses of all things which He did, both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem whom also they slew hanging Him on a tree. Him God raised up the third day and gave Him to be manifest not to all the people but unto witnesses who were chosen before of God.” Now watch Him identify who those witnesses chose before were. He said, Even us.” Who? “ who also ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.
Acts 1:1 – 3 Those who were chosen before, Luke opens his second volume to Theophilus and says, “ the former treatise I made, oh Theophilus, concerning all that Jesus began both to do and to teach until the day in which He was received up, after that He had given commandment through the Holy Spirit unto the apostles whom He had chosen.” So, not all the people were witnesses, only those whom He had chosen before to be witnesses. Now then, who were they? They were those who were with Him from the beginning.
Now what is that beginning? We will see now as we are going to investigate the qualifications for a witness. Now there is at least two qualifications.
1. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, John 15:26 -27
2. Been with Jesus since the beginning, Acts 1:21 – 22. The beginning from the days of the baptism of John.
  1. They had to see Him dead
  2. They had to see Him alive again.

NOTE:

The purpose for which the apostles bore witness was to prove that Jesus is the Son of God, to show that He was more than a mere man. Now Christ claimed to be the son of God. He claimed that He is going to judge us, that His words are the standard of judgment, that He one day will take us off to heaven for eternity in a wonderful world over yonder. What’s the proof of that? Well, the resurrection is certainly a proof of that. If we can show that Jesus was raised, that is a confirmation that he is everything He claimed to be. And that was the work of the apostles.

THE POWER OF THE APOSTLES’ TESTIMONY

They were to give their eyewitness testimony. The force of the eyewitness is three-fold.

First of All, The Witnesses Had To Be More Than One.
There had to be several in order to corroborate their testimony. We have this testimony from twelve men. That’s a pretty good number. Here are twelve men who on the day of Pentecost stood up, all of them together, and they testified they had seen Christ. Now when twelve men give the same testimony, you are going to think that it just might be true.
The Second Thing Is The Unity Or The Unanimity Of Their Teaching
They were in perfect agreement with each other. They all taught the same thing in every place.
The Third Thing. These Men Suffered Persecution For What They Believed In.
These men suffered discrimination. And every one of these men lived the lives of martyrs until they all with the exception of John died the death of martyrs, dying for the gospel.
1. They witnessed though persecuted and killed.
2. Bible Examples
  1. Acts 2:22 22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24 whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. 25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 26 therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: 27 because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31 he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
    The apostles stand as it were, arm in arm all twelve saying, “God raise Jesus from the dead.”
  2. Acts 3:14-15 14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; 15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
    And so they offered their own eyewitness testimony as a proof he was raised.

Acts 4:18-20 18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.Again they appealed to the resurrection and their own eyewitness testimony as a proof He was raised from the dead. Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)

(see also Acts 5:20 – 28: I John 1:1 – 3)

CONCLUSION:

Our faith today is dependent upon the apostles’ testimony just like Jesus prayed for in John 17:20. And the apostles insist that we are save by faith in Jesus. But we can have no faith apart from the word of the apostles. Even as Paul said, “faith comes by hearing , and hearing by the word of God”, Romans 10:17.

You may not believe the Bible is the word of God. But one thing is for sure. It is a history book. And it has in it the testimony of reliable witnesses, men who were with Jesus three and a half years of His ministry, men who watched Him perform miracles, men who saw Him hung upon a tree until He died, men who saw Him dead, and then on the third day they saw Him alive. They handled Him. They ate with Him. They lived with Him. They watched Him go to heaven. And then on Pentecost they began to say so and they said it. And they went into persecution for it. And they lived the lives of martyrs until they died the death of martyrs, Where did they get the ability to stand the persecution unless what they said they saw, they actually did see? What does reason say? It says, “Sit in judgment on the evidence and draw a conclusion that agrees with the facts.” What does reason say? To me it says “Jesus was resurrected from the dead” And one of the great proofs is the testimony of the apostles.

SUMMARY

According to the new testament, the biblical witness of the sort we read about in acts was confined to those Spirit-guided apostles whose testimony of what they had seen and heard was preserved from error. The purpose of their testimony was to confirm to lost men that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. This could only be done by convincing men that Jesus was raised from the dead. No one since the apostles has had that eyewitness experience, and on one shall.

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UNIT 10 THE CONVERSION OF SAUL OF TARSUS

INTRODUCTION:

Our final argument for the resurrection of Christ lies in an appeal to the facts surrounding the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. The force of this argument lies in his manner of life in time past before he became a Christian, when he was a persecutor of Christianity. Saul’s furious zeal, the severity of his persecution of the church, and the sincere conviction that what he was doing was right, all combine to produce a personality that could not be reached by any combination of human efforts. And yet this man was reached, he converted to Christianity.

Now the abruptness of this change from self-appointed exterminator of the Christian religion to an exponent of the gospel and being a gospel preacher reveals a contrast of such extreme proportions that natural processes are totally inadequate to explain the change that took place to the conversion that happened in his life.

Will Durant in his book, Caesar and Christ, makes this very observation. He admits there was a Saul of Tarsus in history. He admits that he persecuted the church. And he admits that he converted. But he makes this observation. He says, “No one can say what natural processes underlay this pivotal experience. “ I would say that is because natural processes are totally inadequate to answer to the cause for the change that took place in this man.

LESSON AIM:

To offer evidence surrounding the conversion of a Jew named Saul from the city of Tarsus as undeniable proof that Jesus was raised from the dead.

LESSON PREVIEW: You will…

Investigate Paul’s manner of life before his conversion in contrast to his life after conversion.

Learn of a four-fold claim made by Paul to prove to the Galatians that his gospel was from Christ.

Discover Paul’s three-pronged argument that Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus.

PREVIEW OF THE LESSON:

We have some facts here that we need to investigate.

First, there was a Nazarene who was crucified upon the cross, Jesus Christ.
Saul of Tarsus was a persecutor of the Church of Christ.
This Saul of Tarsus converted to Christianity.
He said that he saw Jesus on the road to Damascus.

PAUL’S MANNER OF LIFE IN TIME PAST

We want to begin in Galatians 1: 11-14

Gal 1:10-14 For I make known to you, brethren, as touching the gospel which was preached by me, that it is not after man. 12 For neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For ye have heard of my manner of life in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and made havoc of it: 14 and I advanced in the Jews’ religion beyond many of mine own age among my countrymen, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.(ASV)

Paul’s Four-Fold Claim, Gal. 1:11-13. His Gospel

Was not after man (not man-made). “For I make known to you, brethren, as touching the gospel which was preached by me, that it is not after man. 12 For neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ“(1:11-12).
He didn’t received it from man.
He was not taught it by man.
He received it by divine revelation of Jesus Christ.

NOTE:

Jesus was crucified before Saul’s conversion. If we can prove to you that Jesus appeared to Saul and gave him that gospel as he claimed, then we are going to have to believe that the crucified Christ was resurrected from the grave in order to make that post-resurrection appearance.

Paul’s Three-Pronged Argument That Jesus Appeared To Him

After laying claim to Christ’s personal revelation of the gospel to him, Paul then begins to present the evidence in the form of a logical three-pronged argument from his past manner of life. Paul’s unique manner of life should be convincing proof that only Christ Himself could have approached the fiery persecutor with the gospel and convert him.

(Galatians 1:13 – 14) 13 For ye have heard of my manner of life in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and made havoc of it: 14 and I advanced in the Jews’ religion beyond many of mine own age among my countrymen, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

He persecuted the church beyond measure. HE WAS A FANATIC!
The evidence that Paul received the gospel from Jesus lies in the fierceness of that persecution. That phrase “beyond measure” shows the severe measure of the persecution. This description of his former life was apparently well known to the Galatians. It seems he had only to mention the three particulars in case for them to fully appreciate what he meant. Let’s look at Luke’s account of this persecuting Jew.
1. Acts 7:58 – 8:1 – Acts 7:58 and they cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. (ASV)
  1. Men laid their garments down at the feet of Saul.
  2. He was the acknowledged leader of the persecution of the church.
2. Acts 8:1-3 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church which was in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And devout men buried Stephen, and made great lamentation over him. 3 But Saul laid waste the church, entering into every house, and dragging men and women committed them to prison. (ASV)
  1. “dragging g men and women out, and committed them to prison.”
  2. Even women did not escape the fury of this man’s persecution.
3. Acts 9:1-2 But Saul, yet breathing threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 and asked of him letters to Damascus unto the synagogues, that if he found any that were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.(ASV)
  1. He gets official documents, authority to go outside the Holy Land, Palestine, to bring Christians bound to Jerusalem.
  2. He had the power of extradition.
4. Acts 22 – 4 “ I persecuted the way unto death.”
5. Acts 26:9 – Paul describes the anti-Christian hatred that caused him to persecute the church.

NOTE:

In his defense to King Agrippa, Paul, now a veteran of Christ for many years, recounts how he, with complete consent of conscience, shut up many of the saints in prisons, voted for their deaths, punished them even in their worship assemblies, and even strove to make them blaspheme the name of Christ (Acts 26: 9 -12). He capped off his description of the extreme measure to which he went in persecution when he related that his persecutions were carried on with such intensity that he pushed on toward Damascus in the heat of the Eastern midday (v.13). While others rested from the heat at this time of day Saul pressed on toward his self-assigned task in Damascus.

CONCLUSION:

The question is, how do you deal with a fanatic like Saul? Of course, you cannot. (No more than you could with Osama Ben Laden) this is the very point that Paul was intending to make; that no one could have converted him, Yet he was converted. Who then converted him? Christians could not have done it, and Jews certainly would not have done it. Who then? Paul affirmed stoutly that it was Christ. But Christ was crucified . Therefore, if Christ appeared to Saul He must have been raised from the dead!

He advanced in the Jew’s religion. HE WAS PROMINENT!
There are at least four areas of Paul’s advancement during his pre-Christian life which can be specified from Scripture.
1. He advanced in society among the Jewish elite. He was born a Phaisee and was outstanding as a Pharisee, Phil 3:5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;(ASV)
2. He advanced as a scholar having sat at the feet of Gamaliel, whom some think was the greatest rabbi of the time, Acts 22:3 I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as ye all are this day (ASV)
3. He advanced in power. This is seen in his exercise of his persecution against the church, Acts 9: 1- 2 But Saul, yet breathing threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 and asked of him letters to Damascus unto the synagogues, that if he found any that were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. (ASV) and Acts 26:12 Whereupon as I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests,(ASV)
4. He advanced financially. He was able to support the police force which had to accompany his efforts. He had, at least, the ancient equivalent of a modern expense account.

Saul of Tarsus was what some would call a success. Beyond a doubt he was a prominent person among the Jews. His reputation even preceded him to the Gentiles from time to time (cf. Acts 26:24). His prominence was outstanding.

What ulterior motive could brilliant young Saul of Tarsus possibly have had for becoming a Christian? What could Christians have offered him? Christianity would mean that he would be severed from all such standing and accomplishments as well as reversal of his religious convictions. Only Jesus Christ could have provided the dynamic sufficient to have converted him. But he was dead. Crucified. How could Jesus have converted him unless he had been raised from the dead as Paul affirmed?

He was exceedingly zealous for the traditions of his fathers. HE WAS PREJUDICED.
His fathers were the Pharisaical fathers.
The traditions were their interpretations of the law of Moses. The Pharisees were famed for their conflict with Christ. It was their particular interpretation of the law which blinded them to Christ’s claims and doctrine.
As a Pharisee (Pil. 3:5) Saul of Tarsus would be as prejudiced against Christ as his fathers.”
Prejudice does not always preclude honesty. It is often the product of a lock of knowledge (1 Tim 1:13)

NOTE:

Here is a man who believed with all genuine sincerity that what he was doing was right. He was doing it in the name of his God, Jehovah. But the man had already prejudged Christianity. He was a prejudiced, prominent, fanatic.

CONCLUSION:

How does one convert a prejudiced, prominent fanatic? If human beings cannot, that leaves God. Saul became a Christian. He changed horses in the middle of a religious stream. The impossible happened. And it is a matter of history, not fantasy. This did really happen. But who did it? If it was Jesus who appeared to Saul and effected his conversion then he had to have been resurrected from the dead. This is what Paul affirmed. If it was not Christ, then what alternative in keeping with the historical facts can satisfy the fact of the radical reversal of Saul’s life?

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS CONCERNING SAUL’S CONVERSION

Was there an Ulterior Motive Back Of Saul’s Conversion?
What motivates men to change and then to lie about it?
- Wealth? He had that with the Jews and left it for the poverty of Christianity (cf .Acts 20:33-34; 1 Corinthians 4:11 -12)
- Reputation? He had a reputation which was heard among kings (Acts 26:24) and renounced it to become “a fool for Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:10, 13).
- Passion? Was there some immoral reason? Look at his character! His moral integrity was above reproach among Jews as well as Christians. Paul had many enemies after espousing the Christian religion who attacked him mercilessly, but none tried to cast reflection from the vantage point. (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:12, 1 Thessalonians 2:10)
- Power? He had this with the Jews and left it for Christ ( See Acts 26:1 – 12).

NOTE::

There is no ulterior motive which can be discovered against Paul. We must conclude that when Saul of Tarsus made his “about face” he was absolutely sincere.

Was He Deceived?
Could this have been the case? Many are sincere but deceived. The question at this point is, who deceived him? Friends or enemies? His friends would not. Saul was their champion. Christians could not; he would have been intolerant of them.
Was He Mad?
This was the indictment of Festus in Acts 26:24. Others also have attempted to explain this phenomenon in psychological terms. Paul is accused of being so intense in his efforts, yet conscience stricken for his terrible deeds to Christians that he became depressed, that while on the road to Damascus he experienced too much heat; and that such combination of forces working on his fevered imagination caused him to merely think that he saw Jesus!This contrary to the whole historical record of the account of the life of Saul and his encounter with Christ. Paul was not depressed while engaged in the persecution of the saints. As a matter of fact he was quite sincere, he states, doing what he “thought he ought” to be doing in his service to God ( Acts 26:9)

CONCLUSION:

The only conclusion that we have is that this man who was unreachable was reached by Jesus. But Jesus was crucified upon the cross. How was it possible for him to appear to Saul on the road to Damascus unless indeed He was resurrected from the grave?

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UNIT 11 JESUS THE MAN OF DESTINY

INTRODUCTION

When the claims of Christ to have perfect control over His life and the manner of His death are compared with the circumstances surrounding that life and death, they combine to form a very convincing argument that Jesus was something far more that a mere man; that he was in fact a man of certain planned destiny.

We have reason to expect that an ordinary man would have survived the ordeal of crucifixion had he been removed from the cross after only six hours. But, remarkably, Jesus after only six hours on the cross announced with a strong voice that this was the very moment of his death, and immediately He died!

THE PROPOSITION

The claims of Christ concerning His life and death and the historical circumstances surrounding that life and death are an evidence that Jesus Christ was in possession of supernatural powers.

LESSON AIM:

To discover that the claims of Christ and the facts concerning His life and death, show that Jesus had complete control over His own life and destiny, how He would die as well as when He would die.

LESSON PREVIEW: You will..

Learn of five claims Jesus made which manifest that Jesus would die when and how He chose.
See that several times different people tried to kill Him in various ways but could not.
Discover the characteristics of death by crucifixion and how this proves that Jesus was a man of destiny.

THE CLAIMS OF CHRIST CONCERNING HIS LIFE AND HIS DEATH

Jesus Claimed That No One Could Take His Life From Him, John 10: 17-18
He said in substance that He had power over His life. The fact that He says, No on can take my life from me, is tantamount to saying that:
1. He has power and control over His own life and over the circumstances that would touch His life.
2. He would he to have power and control over the lives of anybody else.
3. He actually has the power to keep anyone who would make an attempt upon His life from fulfilling that attempt.
Jesus Claimed That He Had Power To Lay Down His Life, John 10:18
In this He claimed the ability to die whenever He wished. Such power would have been considered highly desirable by anyone sentenced to die by crucifixion. Jesus isn’t speaking of suicide.
1. He is talking about sacrificing Himself
2. nobody can take His life, He himself has the power to lay I down at the time He chooses.
Jesus Claimed That He Would Die By Crucifixion, Matthew 20:19; John 3:14; 8:28; 12:32 – 33.
Throughout His life attempts to kill Jesus by means other than crucifixion failed. The reason assigned to these unsuccessful attempts was the Jesus’ “hour had not yet come” (cf John 7:30; 8:20) Jesus viewed His death as a destiny which he had come to fulfill.
1. He said He would die by crucifixion, Matthew 20:19
2. He claimed that as the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up that whosoever believe in Him may in Him have eternal life, John 3:14 – 15.
3. Crucifixion is completely contrary to the way you could expect a Jew to die.
He Claimed That He Would Die At A Particular Time.
1. Mine hour is not yet come, John 2:4. This phrase, “My hour is not yet come,” is stated in such as way as to make us understand that there was a particular time, a particular destiny that Jesus was progressing toward and had been born into the earth to accomplish.
2. Mine hour is not yet come, John 7:6. there was a certain time to make it known by some means, by some manifestation. (f. John 7:30; 8:20)
He Identifies That Hour
He identifies the very time and what it is, not only the time but that the time is the hour of His glory, John 12:23ff
1. It is the hour of His glory. The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified.
2. It is the hour of His death. Now is my soul trouble, and what shall I say/ Father, deliver Me from this Hour? But for this cause came I to this hour.
3. It is the hour of His destiny. Now before the feast of the Passover Jesus, knowing that His hour had come that He should depart out of the world unto the Father, John 13:1. Here, then, is the hour that He had finally come to, the hour of His destiny, the hour of His death, His burial, His resurrection, and His ascension back to the Father.

CONCLUSION:

Now this all shows, then, that Jesus is a man of destiny. He was born to die upon the cross, not some other way. He was born that He might be raised, die and raised and go back to the Father. And all of this would be a proof of His divine nature, of His claims to save us from sin, death, and hell. What a marvelous thing!

THE FACTS OF CHRIST CONCERNING HIS LIFE AND DEATH

The following facts make good Christ’s claim to have control over the circumstances touching His life to the point of fulfilling His destiny at the cross.

No One Could Kill Jesus Although Attempts Were Made on His Life.
1. Herod attempted to kill Christ in infancy in what he thought was a effort to save his throne (Matthew 2:13-21). He failed!When Herod the Great, true to his murderous character, heard that Jesus was born to the Messianic throne of David, he ordered the death of all male children in and around Bethlehem up to two years old. But Joseph and Mary took Jesus and scurried to Egypt when they were forewarned of Herod’s intentions (Mathew chapter 2).
2. At Nazareth the members of the synagogue attempted to throw Jesus off the brow of the hill on which their city was built, but failed (Luke4:16-30). “but He passing through the midst of them went His way” (Luke 4:28 – 30).
3. Officers were sent by the ruling Jews to arrest Christ but even the arrest was not carried out (John 7:32, 45 – 46). the impact Jesus had upon the officers was quite impressive.
4. A number of attempts to kill Jesus by stoning also failed (John 8:59;10:31, 39). His destiny would not allow Him to die any other way, at any other time than that determined by the Father. (Acts 2:22 – 23)
5. His entire public ministry was threatened by attempts to kill Him one way or another (John 5:18; 7:1, 19,25; 8:37, 40;11:53, 57)
  Jesus’ life during His ministry was continually under the threat of death, yet all efforts to kill him failed.

NOTE:

The futility of their attempts upon His life, for what ever reason s may be supposed, nevertheless, confirmed His claim to have power over his life and over theirs to the extent that they could not kill Him though they tried.

Jesus Died At The Moment Of His Own Choosing
1. Death by crucifixion took 36 to 72 hours. The death of the crucified was brought about by exhaustion or starvation, not by loss of blood. Thus the reason for breaking the legs of the thieves was to prevent them from supporting their bodies in order to breathe and so accelerate their death ( John19:31 – 33).
2. Jesus died in 6 hours, Mark 15:25-37. this explains Pilates surprise when he learned of the death of Jesus; it was too soon to be expected (Mark 15:44). this man died when He got good and ready John 19:30 said, He bowed His head and gave up the ghost.
3. Jesus died voluntarily. He chose the very moment of His death and by an effort of His won will he died. This is made clear in the following accounts: Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit (Matthew 27:50); and Jesus uttered a loud voice and gave up the ghost (Mark 15:37); And Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said “Father, into thy had I commend my spirit’; and having said this, He gave up the ghost (Luke 23:46); …. He said, “It is finished”: and bowed His head, and gave up His spirit (John 19:30).

CONCLUSION:

Christ’s claims are confirmed by His life and His death. All the facts are contrary to the normal expectations of death, and the agony of death. The facts surrounding the Life and Death of Jesus Christ are such that they lend great weight to His claim to be the Son of God. Attempts to either capture or kill Him prior to the time of His own choosing were thwarted one after the other. His death on the cross was too soon for the normal procedure. His death by crucifixion, not some other way, fulfilled His prophecies. This plus His confidence throughout His life even to the moment of His death that he could accomplish His own purpose shows us that He was the one in control, not only of His own life, but of the lives and circumstances of all that were about Him!

In addition He is in control of all our lives, 2000 years later, in at least one sence, if you have heard of Him you must make a decision concerning Him.

Therefore it is reasonable to believe that Jesus was much more than a mere man; but that He was a man of destiny according to God’s predestination, and that His death at Calvary was not a failure but His own victorious conquest over sin and death. –

Unit 12 THE HISTORICAL JESUS THE MYTHOLOGY OF LIBERALISM

Introduction

For some years there has been a certain liberalism which seeks to discredit the historical reliability of our New Testament. This liberalism affirms that the portrait of Jesus that we find in our gospels of a virgin born, miracle working, bodily resurrected son of God, is in fact a myth, a myth that was invented by the church. And what the liberals says that he wants to do is to demythologize the Bible, that is he wants to get rid of all the supernaturalism and get back to the real portrait of Jesus.

In 1980 when I (the author of this course) was in Sydney, Australia, I ran into this when John A. T. Robinson, who had just written his book, Re-dating the New Testament, had come to McQuarry University to lecture on the book. When his lecture was finished, it was thrown open for questions, and I had the opportunity of asking one of the questions of the evening. My question was this: On the ground of historical fact that the church of Christ was established in the city of Jerusalem only 53 days after the death of Christ on the belief that Jesus was the resurrected son of God, does this not refute liberals’ claim that it took another thirty years for the church to invent the supernatural Jesus? Now, if you are perceptive you see the answer is in the question. Dr. Robinson’s answer to this was, “I will not accept such a simplistic answer to such a complicated subject.”

LESSON AIM:

To investigate the liberal view of Jesus Christ and the Bible and offer proof that their view is contrary to all reason and evidence.

LESSON PREVIEW: You will…

Learn why and how liberalism believes the New Testament should be de mythologized.

Discover five reasons why the church could not have invented a supernatural Christ.

Now you are going to have to be the judge as to whether or not I (the author of the course) had a simplistic answer or whether it was simply a refutation of liberalism. There are two very good reasons for investigating the nature of criticism. First, in order to see that the critical view has no real genuine value as a means of deterring Biblical Truth, and Second, to enable the Christian to distinguish between true Bible exposition and plain unbelief in the guise of religious scholar sip. Now let’s see what constitutes the church myth theory.

PREVIEW

Christianity is an historical religion. It is not to be viewed as merely ethical or moral, consisting simply of rules and regulations. Jesus came to provide redemption from sin and death by the means of his life, death, and resurrection. That redemption is only as real as those events. It is necessary, then, to view the New Testament as a record of the genuine historicity of those events if Christianity is to become a dynamic sufficient to change lives and to create a genuine hope for a future life.

THE CLAIMS OF LIBERALISM

The Jesus Of History Is Not Really The Jesus That We Read About In The Gospel Records.
1. The Church is the culprit in this matter.
2. The Gospel was being invented by the church during the years from 33 to 62 A.D.
3. Liberals deny that Jesus made claims of deity.
  1. John 6:38 – I am come down from heaven
  2. John 10:36 – I am the son of God.
  3. John 11:25 – I am the resurrection and the life.
  4. John 12:48 – His own words would be the standard of judgment.
4. John 14:6 – I am the way and the truth and the life.
  1. Liberalism Recommends a Demythologizing of the Gospels
    What they say is that we want to get rid of all the supernaturalism that is in the New Testament and get back to the real picture of Jesus.
  2. The lack of evidence.
    There is not one shred of evidence in existence, historical, material, or otherwise, that the church invented the supernatural Christ.
    1. The supernatural Christ was in the mind of the church from the beginning of its history
    2. The church did not GROW into a concept of Jesus as supernatural.
5. Where did the church myth originate?
  1. It came from the liberals.
    - They believe that we are the chance product of an evolutionary process.
    - They don’t believe God created the world.
    - They don’t believe that Christ being God intruded into our history.
    - They don’t believe in supernaturalism.
  2. They hold to the doctrine of uniformity.
    The doctrine of uniformity affirms or asserts that the very causes that have always caused events to happen are the same causes that have always caused all events to happen. Since you don’t see miracles today, therefore miracles never took place.

CONCLUSION

It is amazing that any Bible student would seriously consider the modern view based as it is on mere conjecture without evidence, and in total disregard for the historical evidence available to us.

THE CHURCH WAS BUILT ON A SUPERNATURAL CHRIST

The Church Began On The Belief That Jesus Christ Was Resurrected From The Dead.
1. Peter’s proposition concerning the resurrection, Acts 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
2. Peter’s proof of the resurrection.
  1. He appeals to the miracles that Jesus did which should have confirmed to them that God endorsed him.
  2. Their eyewitness testimony. And we are witness of these things.

CONCLUSION

On what belief did the church have its beginning? On the belief of a supernatural Christ. The church would never have begun without the belief from the beginning that Jesus was the Son of God.

What is the church? It is people who believe Christ was crucified, buried, and resurrected from the dead. There would have been no church had Christ not been raised, had these people who constituted the church not believed that Jesus was the resurrected Son of God who would raise them from the dead.

The Church Was Persecuted For Her Beliefs
1. Reasons the church was persecuted, Acts 4:1
  1. Because the church taught in the name of Jesus, the resurrection from the dead.
  2. The church was persecuted for that belief and teaching.
  3. They were persecuted for already believing in a supernatural Christ. It didn’t take thirty years to invent the supernatural Jesus.
2. The Church Endured The Persecution
  1. They endured the persecution precisely because they believed that Jesus was the Son of God.
  2. They endured persecution rather than give up their New Testament documents.
3. The Resurrection Of Christ Was Taught Before The Church Began
  1. Acts 2 when the church began, the apostle Peter stated in verse 32, this Jesus did God raise up whereof we are all witnesses.
  2. John says that he was a participant in what took place, John 19:35. He said, He that hath seen hath born witness. And his witness is true, and he knoweth that he sayeth true that you may believe.
  3. John’s propositional statement, John 20: 31
    31 but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. John says he was recording what he saw.
    1. John said he saw Christ change water into wine, John 2
    2. John says he saw where he healed a man that was lame in his legs thirty eight years, John 5
    3. John says he saw Jesus walk on water, John 6.
    4. John says he saw Lazarus resurrected from the dead, John 6

CONCLUSION

These are eyewitness accounts, John, Matthew, the apostolic writers, these men who wrote the gospel either were eyewitness or like Mark and Luke were careful researchers of what they said they got from eyewitnesses. These are eyewitness accounts of what they said they participated in and saw with their own eyes. So rather than the church myth theory that says the church invented it and the gospel writers wrote down what the church invented, the apostles say that what we are writing in the gospels is what we saw, what w participated in. We were eyewitnesses.

Paul’s Epistles Reveal A Resurrected Christ
1. Paul began to write his epistles about 42 or 43 A.D.
  Paul makes it very clear that the churches to whom he is writing these epistles had already believed that Jesus was the Son of God and they were baptized into Christ by their faith that he was the miracle working, virgin born, bodily resurrected Son of God.
2. You can reproduce in Paul’s epistles the supernatural Christ.

I think that from all of this we can draw a conclusion that liberalism’s church myth theory lacks any substance at all. What we need to understand is that the New Testament is totally historically reliable to report the events that have taken place in the past. You can believe your Bible. You can believe it because it is historically the testimony of eyewitnesses, and it reports to us that Jesus Christ lived, worked miracles, was resurrected from the dead, and ascended into heaven.

Here is the beginning place for an investigation into the genuineness of Christianity.

Unit 1: Objective Nature of Christianity

Introduction:

LESSON AIM:

LESSON PREVIEW:

SUBJECTIVISM DEFINED AND EXPLAINED

CONCLUSION

THE OBJECTIVE NATURE OF THE HISTORICAL CHRISTIAN RELIGION

The Bible is a Historical Book

CONCLUSION:

UNIT TWO NON BIBLICAL WRITERS : THE HISTORICAL JESUS

LESSON AIM:

LESSON PREVIEW: You will…

Unit 3 The Historical Reliability of the New Testament

INTRODUCTION:

LESSON AIM:

LESSON PREVIEW:

OUR DEPENDENCE ON THE NEW TESTAMENT

CONCLUSION:

ARCHEOLOGY VERIFIES THE BIBLE

WRITTEN CONTEMPORARY DOCUMENTATION

CONCLUSION:

UNIT 4 The APOSTOLIC FATHERS

INTRODUCTION

THE ACID TEST

THE WRITINGS OF THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS

Jesus Christ Himself was raised from the grave.

The Apostolic Fathers: A Supplement

UNIT 5 MANUSCRIPT ATTESTATION

INTRODUCTION:

LESSON AIM:

LESSON PREVIEW: You will …

THE VALUE OF MANUSCIPTS

MANUSCRIPT COPIES OF THE CLASSICAL HISTORIES

MANUSCRIPT ATTESTATION FOR THE NEW TESTAMENT

CONCLUSION

UNIT 6: THE RESURRECTION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS

INTRODUCTION

LESSON AIM:

LESSON PREVIEW: You will…

IMPLICATIONS IF Jesus WAS NOT RAISED FROM THE DEAD

IMPLICATIONS IF CHRIST WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD

UNIT 7 THE EMPTY TOMB

INTRODUCTION

Lesson Aim:

LESSON PREVIEW You will ….

THE TOMB WAS OPEN AND EMPTY

Who, then, opened and emptied the tomb of Christ? Friends or enemies?

Was It the Disciples of Christ?

Was It the Enemies of Christ?

CONCLUSION In answer to who opened and emptied the tomb of Christ? we must conclude on the basis of the documentary evidence that the disciples of Jesus could not have done the deed, and the Jews certainly would not have done it.

Was It Grave Robbers?

THE GRAVE CLOTHS THAT WERE LEFT IN THE TOMB

NOTE:

CONCLUSION:

OTHER POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS

NOTE:

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE THIRD DAY

The Disciples Did Not Believe He Was Raised,

The two disciples on the road to Emmaus, Luke 24: 13ff.

The disciples didn’t believe the women’s report,

The apostles were not theologically biased by some Old Testament prophecy.

CONCLUSION

SUPPLEMENTAL STUDY NOTES

The Prophecy Was Foretold Early in His Ministry

After the first temple cleansing at the outset of His ministry,

It Became Common Knowledge

The Jewish rulers knew of the prophecy,

There Was An Empty Tomb On The Third Day

CONCLUSION

Unit 8 The Resurrection of Jesus (2)

THE CHANGE AT PENTECOST

INTRODUCTION:

LESSON AIM:

LESSON PREVIEW: You will…

THE PROMISE OF JESUS CONCERNING THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE APOSTLES

CONCLUSION:

CONCLUSION:

WHAT CAUSED A CHANGE?

Was the cause natural or supernatural?

CONCLUSION
In answer to who opened and emptied the tomb of Christ? we must conclude on the basis of the documentary evidence that the disciples of Jesus could not have done the deed, and the Jews certainly would not have done it.