Read introductory post on this “Reasonable Faith” series.

Many scholars and skeptics suggest that Jesus wasn’t a real person in real history. The claim is that he is a mythical figure that was made up by the earliest Christians. The suggestion is that there is no real proof for his existence.

To be fair, we have to admit that in some ways this suggestion is correct. There is no proof that Jesus existed. We have no photographs or video recordings of him (obviously). We have no archeological findings of his personal belongings nor with his name (that I’m currently aware of). We have no recordings of his own writings. As they say, we don’t have any real proof. Besides, even if we did have all of these, any rhetorically intelligent skeptic would be able to cast doubt on their authenticity using any variety of doubt-raising arguments.

However, I am convinced that we do have sufficient evidence to reasonably conclude that Jesus was a real person. We do have eye-witness accounts in writing. We do have archeological and historical confirmation of individuals in the story of Jesus (Caiaphas, Herod, Pontius Pilate, Quirinius,)  places, and events (e.g., probably Quirinius’ census) during the time of Jesus. And, we do have confirmation of his existence in the writings of some ancient historians and other non-biblical sources (for a compiled list see CARM otherwise Josephus 1, 2, Tacitus, Seutonius 1, 2, Thallus as quoted by Julius Africanus, even the Jewish Talmud [Sanhedrin 43a], et al.).

While citing these references can’t be claimed as proof of Jesus existence (their sources of information are not verified as independent eyewitnesses) they do provide, in a cumulative way, enough evidence for high probability of Jesus’ existence (as long one doesn’t come to these sources with the prejudice of mistrust).  Furthermore, while they are written after the time of Jesus they are, at least, early (ie. within the first and early second century which decreases probability of exaggeration), non-biased (they are not Christian believers), and are at least somewhat officially sanctioned or sourced (which increases the necessity for accuracy and good investigation).

Yet, we haven’t even considered the most convincing body of evidence for the existence of Jesus–the collection of eyewitness accounts as captured by the investigatory work of the writers of the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke, & John. Skeptics typically discount the books of the New Testament as completely biased and useless for establishing the historicity of Jesus. However, these books were not compiled into what we call the “New Testament” until the fourth and fifth centuries. But they were all written within the first century; only a matter of years after Jesus’ time.

We should remember that there would’ve been (at least could’ve been) similar demand for an accounting of this person named Jesus even within the first century itself. As exemplified in Luke’s own accounting to “Theophilus” (whoever that may be), it’s easily imagined that as word spread about Jesus more and more people wanted more “certainty” (cf. Luke 1:4) about this Jesus. So individuals like Mark, Matthew, and Luke took on the task of compiling the stories from actual eyewitnesses, official records (or at least events), and even family members of Jesus (e.g., Mary, the mother of Jesus) in order to provide certainty of this Jesus to their respective audiences.

Discounting these documents simply because Christians believe them is unwarranted and is contrary to a stated shared value for historians of integrity: “practicing history with integrity does not mean being neutral or having no point of view.” Discounting them as evidence for the existence of Jesus on the grounds that they contain miracles is also unwarranted. If anything is to be discounted as untrue it would be the miracles themselves, not the existence of Jesus. Discounting them because the four gospel writers tell different stories about this Jesus which are often contradictory (at least apparently so) is also unwarranted and contrary to another stated shared value for historians of integrity: “Multiple, conflicting perspectives are among the truths of history.“

Summary Statement
Jesus was a real person. Skeptics have every right to doubt his existence just as much as they have the right to doubt the existence of any other person in ancient history. However, if we apply the same methods of historical investigation with integrity to Jesus as we do these other figures of history, then the evidence we do have is quite sufficient for establishing a “reasonable faith” in the real Jesus.

Next posting: “Jesus really was Raised from the Dead”

Jim Murphy
Jim@BemidjiCovenant.com

_______________________________
I  admit that my time and energies for research and writing are limited. I will probably make mistakes and post errors. If you find one, please, feel free to email me at jim@bemidjicovenant.com. This is not an arena for debate so comments are disabled. I will gladly, though, post any counter points and corrections that improve the “reasonableness” of this series.

At its core, the Christian faith is centered on Jesus. Jesus was the very “Word” of God dwelling among us in the flesh (John 1:14). He is God’s chosen one (Mark 14:61-62), the one through whom God reveals himself more fully to us (John 10:30; John 14:8-11; Colossians 2:9) And, his death on the cross ultimately served as the final sacrifice for all our sins (Romans 3:23-25). Confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in his resurrection is the basis for salvation (John 3:16; Romans 10:9).

Underlying this core theology, though, are essential convictions centering on his existence, his crucifixion and resurrection, but also significantly on his miracles and his teachings. The Apostle Paul (author of much of the New Testament) says in 1 Corinthians 15:14-15 “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead.” So that means if Jesus wasn’t real or if he wasn’t really crucified and raised back to life by God then Christianity isn’t real. If he was real and if he really was crucified and raised back to life by God, then that puts him on a level of importance that is far more significant than any other religious figure in the history of the world. This show of power after his death uniquely demands that we pay attention to his life, his miracles, and, more importantly, his teachings.

Summary Statement
It begins with Jesus. Whether you believe in God or not; whether you believe in miracles or not; whether you believe in creation or evolution; whether you think the Christian church is good for the world or not; whether you believe in absolute truth or relative truth; whether you believe in universal right and wrong or not; even if you simply don’t like God; when it comes to Christianity, it begins with Jesus and what you do with him.

Obviously there is much more to discuss around the reasonableness of the Christian faith. In fact there are many assumptions (naturalism vs super-naturalism), viewpoints (scientific, philosophical, historical, etc.), and even feelings (disillusionment, anger, desperation, hope, etc.) that we all have that may determine what we believe (or are willing to believe) about Jesus and what we do with him once we believe it. However, I’m convinced that all these will come out and must be addressed separately during any conversation that begins with Jesus. Yet, the conversation will still (or at least should in my opinion) come back to Jesus in the end.

Jim Murphy
jim@bemidjicovenant.com

_______________________________
I  admit that my time and energies for research and writing are limited so, therefore, I will probably make mistakes and post errors. If you find one, please, feel free to email me at jim@bemidjicovenant.com. This is not an arena for debate so comments are disabled. I will gladly, though, post any counter points and corrections that improve the “reasonableness” of this series.

I am convinced that Christianity is a reasonable faith. So far as it occurs to me, it’s actually the most reasonable faith. The series of posts herein categorized under “Reasonable Faith” provide reasonable explanations (according to my understanding and personal study) for the Christian faith.

They are written with students (particularly high school and college) in mind as my primary audience so they tend to be fairly short. I try to provide external links to more extensive works and additional sources for those who wish to read further. Admittedly, providing “proof beyond a doubt” for all readers to come to the same conclusion is not very realistic. Rather, I simply provide here what I think is reasonable evidence and sound logic that leads me to the conclusions I have. I share them with you in hope that you, too, may be persuaded by the same evidence.

However, I also admit that my time and energies for research and writing are limited so, therefore, I will probably make mistakes and post errors. If you find one, please, feel free to email me at jim@bemidjicovenant.com. This is not an arena for debate so comments are disabled. I will gladly, though, post any counter points and corrections that improve the “reasonableness” of this series.

Jim Murphy
jim@bemidjicovenant.com

The Bible contains many accounts of individuals who faced great difficulties and endured great burdens. As the psalmist declared, “All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning,” (Psalm 73:14) and as Job cried out, “May the day of my birth perish…Why did I not perish at birth , and die as I came from the womb?” (Job 3:3, 11).

There are even a few accounts of actual suicides in the Bible.

• Samson killed himself along with all the Philistines in the temple of Dagon (Judges 16:29-30)
• King Saul fell on his own sword rather than allow himself to be taken prisoner by the Philistines (1 Chronicles 10:4-5)
• Ahithophel, a counselor to King David, “put his house in order and then hanged himself” (2 Samuel 7:23)
• Zimri, King of Israel, set his own palace on fire around himself and died in the flames when he saw that his royal city had fallen to rebel forces (1 Kings 16:18)
• Judas, one of Jesus’ disciples, killed himself after he betrayed Jesus into the hands of those who wanted Jesus crucified (Matthew 27:5)

Though these instances are found in the Bible, the Bible does not condone them. Suicide is contrary to God’s will and desire for us. He gives us Jesus and the Holy Spirit to heal our hurting hearts. He gives us the church (other believers) which is intended to bring support and help to one another in times of need. God does not want us to escape life when it gets tough. He wants us to work through it by the strength of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17) and through the support of our brothers and sisters in Christ (Galatians 6:2; Ephesians 4:2; 32).

Is Suicide the ultimate sin for which there is no forgiveness? NO! This is a misunderstanding of Jesus’ teaching about the ‘unforgivable sin’ found at Matthew 12:31. This ‘unforgivable sin’ is unbelief in Jesus Christ. The act of committing suicide, though there is no opportunity to seek forgiveness, is not unforgivable by the grace of God. Going to heaven or hell does not depend on one’s last ‘un-confesssed’ sin. Rather, it depends on whether one has put one’s faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9) as God’s son, our Savior.

God commands us to love our neighbors as we do ourselves (Leviticus 18:19). Jesus calls us to love another as he has loved us (John 15:12). The Apostle Paul challenges us to bear one another’s burdens in accordance with Jesus’ teachings (Galatians 6:2). A primary call of the Word of God on our lives is to love, care for, and support one another. If only we as followers of Jesus would all truly rise to meet this call, suicide could eventually be eliminated.

We all have friends whose hearts are hurting. God commands us to love our neighbors as we do ourselves (Leviticus 18:19). Jesus calls us to love another as he has loved us (John 15:12). The Apostle Paul challenges us to bear one another’s burdens in accordance with Jesus’ teachings (Galatians 6:2). A primary call of the Word of God on our lives is to love, care for, and support one another. Here are a few suggestions on how to be of real help to our friends.

Principles that H.E.L.P.

H – Honesty (be genuine & truthful)

Be honest with yourself (John 13:37-38). Are you really ready and able to help?

Be honest with your friend (Proverbs 24:23-26; Ephesians 4:25)

E – Empathy (be accepting & understanding)

Listen to your friend and ask lots’ of questions before you offer advice (Proverbs 10:19; James 1:19-20)

L – Levity (stay lightly connected to the problem)

Stay out of your friend’s drama (Proverbs 13:20; 26:4)

Stay above the foolishness of the pain your friend may have brought upon him/herself (Galatians 6:1)

P – Perseverance (stay faithful to your friend)

Be patient with your friend, be tolerant & accepting (Ephesians 4:2)

Be loyal through good and bad times (Pr. 17:17)

Embrace the struggle of helping your hurting friend for persevering with him/her will produce strength & maturity (Romans 5:3-4; James 1:4)

Actions that H.E.L.P.

H – Hugs
It’s amazing how the warmth of a genuine hug or a gentle touch can dispel the pain of a hurting friend and communicate that you care.

E – Encouragement
More often than not, it has been the hurtful words of another that has caused your friend so much pain (Proverbs 12:18). Therefore we must counter those hurtful words with encouraging words. Encouragement goes a long way toward healing the heart of a hurting friend (Proverbs 16:24).

L – Laughter
A little cheer is good for your friend’s hurting heart. It’s like good medicine. It doesn’t necessarily solve the problem but it does provide some reprieve from the pain so that your friend can deal with the problem in a better way (Proverbs 17:22).

P – Prayer
Ask your friend if you can pray with him/her right there. Praying with your friend connects them with God in a way that he/she may be incapable of doing at the moment. It guides your friend into trusting God with their hurts and problems. And it communicates that you really care.