Reasons We Believe

50 lines of evidence that confirm the Christian faith

Good News Publishers

Contents

SECTION 1

A REASONABLE FAITH

The Christian Faith Is Unseen, but It Is Not Blind

Truth is Christianity's most enduring asset.

CARL F. H. HENRY

INTRODUCTION

Faith, no matter how sincere, is only a fantasy if it is based on bad information.

Consider the misguided ventures of Juan Ponce de León, a sixteenth-century Spanish explorer. Ponce de León was appointed governor of Puerto Rico (then called Boriquien) in 1509. Having been a crew member on the second voyage of Christopher Columbus, he had decided to stay in the New World when Columbus returned to Spain. While serving as governor, Ponce de León began hearing rumors about an alleged "fountain of youth," a spring that reversed the effects of aging and gave eternal life. His imagination was immediately captivated, and he became determined to find the magical source of immortality.

On March 3, 1513, Ponce de León set out from Puerto Rico with several ships to locate the island of Bimini, where the fountain of youth was supposedly situated. He was convinced that the island existed, and he planned on doing everything in his power to find it. But, although he did discover Florida, he never found the legendary Bimini or its life-giving spring. His search ended in 1521 when he was fatally wounded during one of his exploits.

Despite good intentions and repeated attempts, this treasure-hunter was doomed to fail from the outset because he was chasing something that didn't exist. He believed that it existed, but his faith was ultimately disappointed because it was based on faulty data. The unverifiable reports he had received about the fountain of youth were false, meaning that Ponce de León was trusting in sources that had given him bad information. Though his faith was surely sincere, it was ultimately worthless because it was founded on error.

Ponce de León's negative example can be contrasted with one of his contemporaries, another Spanish explorer named Hernán Cortés. While Ponce de León was searching for the mythical fountain, Cortés was learning about a city so magnificent, it too sounded legendary. But there was something different about the information Cortés received. Unlike Ponce de León, Cortés had good reason to believe that the city actually existed. He had received specific details about the city's king, Montezuma. He had also been met by one of the city's ambassadors, Teudile. He had even been given precious stones and featherware from the city as a token of Montezuma's goodwill. Although he had not yet visited the city, Cortés found the evidence for its existence impossible to ignore.

The name of the city was Tenochtitlán; it was the capital of the Aztec Empire and one of the largest cities in the world at that time. The city was known as "the Venice of the New World," and Cortés and his men thought they were dreaming when they finally saw it for the first time (on November 8, 1519). But Cortés was not dreaming. His quest for Tenochtitlán had not been in vain, because it had been based on credible information. His faith in the city's existence was not founded on legends or myth; it was founded on trustworthy evidence. His faith was vindicated because his sources were reliable.

So how do the exploits of Juan Ponce de León and Hernán Cortés compare? Both men were Spanish explorers and conquerors. Both made expeditions for the purpose of discovery in the New World. Both believed that what they were searching for truly existed. Both had faith in their respective pursuits. But only one of the two men was right about what he believed. Only Cortés believed in something that actually corresponded to reality.

IS CHRISTIANITY BASED ON GOOD INFORMATION?

When it comes to contemporary religious beliefs, people exercise faith in many different belief systems. Certainly every religion can boast of ardent followers — morally good people, humanly speaking, who strongly believe that their respective religion is correct. Like Ponce de León they spend their lives pursuing what they believe to be true. But unless their faith is based on an accurate source of information (a correct authority), they are pursuing nothing more than a fantasy.

In this book, we will survey the case for the reliability of the twofold authority on which Christianity rests — namely, the Bible and the person of Jesus Christ (cf. Hebrews 1:1–2). In order to do this we will go to the Bible itself, which is "the word of Christ" (Colossians 3:16), to see what reasons it gives for why we should accept its claims about God, about itself, and about Jesus. Rather than starting with philosophy, history, science, or even human reason, it is only right that an examination and defense of biblical Christianity begin with the Bible. The renowned evangelist D. L. Moody reportedly noted, "There's no better book with which to defend the Bible than the Bible itself." He was absolutely right. As we will see in the upcoming pages, Scripture not only invites scrutiny, it also consistently demonstrates itself to be a trustworthy source of information.

Once we have developed each reason from Scripture, we can then show how extra-biblical evidence corresponds with, and thereby attests to, what the Bible claims. To be clear, this external evidence does not establish the truthfulness of the Christian faith. If Christianity is true, it is because there really is a God, and He has revealed Himself to us through His Son and in His Word. Nonetheless, external evidence does corroborate the claims of Christianity. Because the God of the Bible is also the God of creation, time, and truth (cf. Psalm 19:1–6; Acts 17:26–28; John 17:17), the facts of science, history, and logic will necessarily correspond to what the Bible reveals. Such evidence therefore provides wonderful confirmation for believers, because it bears witness to both the reliability of Scripture and the authenticity of Jesus Christ.

The empirical, forensic, and philosophical evidence that backs up Christianity sets it apart from other worldviews and belief systems. In the words of Christian author Morris Inch, "There is a case to be made for Christianity. It passes the philosophic criteria with highest honors; it focuses on the incomparable figure of Jesus; it draws credibility from accumulative evidence; and it satisfies the conditions of trust. We need not, and ought not, settle for less." In fact, the Christian faith is unique in the amount of evidence that supports it. As Christian apologist and scientist Henry Morris observes:

The entire subject of evidences is almost exclusively the domain of Christian evidences. Other religions depend on subjective experience and blind faith, tradition and opinion. Christianity stands or falls upon the objective reality of gigantic supernatural events in history and the evidences therefore. This fact in itself is an evidence of its truth.

Other scholars agree, noting that "only Christianity stakes its claim to truthfulness on historical events open to critical investigation." Irwin H. Linton, in his book A Lawyer Examines the Bible, contends that the evidence for Christianity confirms it to be true beyond any reasonable doubt. After all, it "rests on definite, historical facts and events" that, due to the overwhelming evidence that supports them, must "be regarded as proved under the strictest rules of evidence used in the highest American and English courts."

But what about other religious beliefs? How do they fare? Like Christianity, they too have "authorities" on which they base their beliefs. For the Muslim, authority is found in the Qur'an, the Hadith (Muslim traditions), and the Sunnah (customs of Muslim life). For the Hindu, the authority is the Scruti (the revealed canon, which includes the Bhagavad Gita) and the Smitri (semi-canonical literature). Buddhist teachings center on "four basic truths" and the "eightfold path." Atheists too are people of faith. Though they cannot disprove that God exists, they choose to believe it nonetheless. For them, the naturalistic theories of evolution or the musings of contemporary philosophers are often appealed to as sources of authority. But what happens when these supposed authorities are put to the test?

Christian apologists John Ankerberg and John Weldon give us the answer: "Other religions ... can also be tested by examining their claims and looking critically at the facts — but again, one finds that they are invalidated by such a procedure." In fact, "no genuinely historical or objective evidence exists for the foundational claims of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, or any other world religion [besides Christianity]." Author Robert Morey concurs, noting that "the faith of the non-Christian is externally and internally groundless." On the other hand, "there is more than enough evidence on every hand from every department of human experience and knowledge to demonstrate that Christianity is true."

Though a thorough examination of other religions is outside the scope of this book, we will consider them briefly at the end of Section 2 (in considering pantheistic and polytheistic religions) and also in Section 3 (where we will specifically address the Qur'an). Many excellent books have been written that compare Christianity with other religions. Our purpose here is to show that Christianity does not shy away from critical investigation and that its twofold authority stands when put to the test.

EVIDENCE MADE CERTAIN

As we will see in the upcoming pages, there are many excellent reasons to believe in God, the Bible, and Jesus Christ. These reasons and the corresponding pieces of evidence that confirm them do much to bolster the confidence of Christians in the veracity of their faith. They also serve as powerful tools in witnessing to non-Christians.

Nonetheless, it is the Holy Spirit who ultimately makes the truth of Christianity certain in the hearts of believers (1 Corinthians 2:12–13). He gives us absolute confidence in both God's Word and God's Son, assuring us of our salvation and our heavenly hope (Romans 8:14–17). As Josh McDowell and Don Stewart explain, "To those outside the Christian faith, Christianity can be shown to rest on strong evidence and have a high degree of probability for its truth claims. But when a person becomes a Christian, the 'assurance' or 'certainty' becomes a reality. Christianity from a 'morally certain' standpoint becomes as undeniable as one's own existence." For Christians, then, the reasons surveyed in this book only confirm what they already know to be true.

By the same token, it is the Holy Spirit who finally convinces the nonChristian of his need for a Savior (cf. John 16:8; 1 Thessalonians 1:5). Evidence alone is not enough; only God can bring spiritual life where there was no life (Ephesians 2:1–10). To be sure, the case for Christianity is a substantial one. But without the Holy Spirit's power, the most that the evidence can do is win a debate. True belief is only possible through the Spirit's working.

If you are already a believer in Jesus Christ, I trust you will be strengthened and encouraged by the reasons given in this book — to know that, although our faith is unseen (Hebrews 11:1), it is not blind. And if you are not yet a believer in Jesus Christ, my prayer for you is that the Holy Spirit would open your eyes to see the truth as you honestly consider the case presented here. I sincerely hope that, by His grace, God will use the reasons included in this book to draw you to Himself.

WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY ALL ABOUT?

Before we survey the many evidences for Christianity, we must first take a brief look at what it teaches. After all, what are we defending? What is the message that all of the reasons support?

The essence of the Christian message is called the gospel, which means "good news." It is the message of how men and women can have peace with God. The gospel explains how we can be forgiven of sin and how we can have eternal life in heaven. It tells us about God's righteous expectations, man's hopeless condition, Jesus' perfect sacrifice, and our necessary response.

God's Righteous Expectations

The Bible begins by telling us that God is the creator and sustainer of the universe (Genesis 1:1; Acts 17:24–27). He is therefore the rightful ruler of all things (1 Timothy 6:15), meaning that He alone deserves the heartfelt worship and obedience of every person (Exodus 20:3). In fact, the reason God created human beings was so they would lovingly serve Him and bring Him glory as the caretakers of this earth (Genesis 1:28; Isaiah 43:7), and so that as a result they might find perfect fulfillment and joy in their loving fellowship with Him (cf. Revelation 21:2–3; 22:3–4).

The Scriptures go on to teach that God is completely righteous and holy (Deuteronomy 32:4). Both His character and His Word are absolutely perfect (Psalm 19:7–11). As the just Judge of the universe, He knows and evaluates the thoughts and actions of every person (Psalm 139:1–4; Proverbs 15:3). Each man and woman will one day stand before Him to give an account for how he or she lived (Ecclesiastes 11:9).

Man's Hopeless Condition

The universe was originally created perfect, until Adam and Eve (the first man and woman) directly disobeyed their Creator (Genesis 1:1–3:6). Their disobedience or "sin" introduced evil, suffering, and death into the world (Genesis 3:7–19). It also permanently stained the moral fiber of mankind, not only for Adam and Eve but also for their descendants (Romans 5:12). As a result, every person who has ever lived (with the exception of Jesus Christ) is a sinner — both by nature and by choice (Romans 3:23). Because no one perfectly worships God or follows His commands (Mark 12:30; James 2:10), we are all sinners who deserve to be punished.

The Bible teaches that the consequence for our sin is twofold: physical death in this life and spiritual death in the next (Romans 6:23). Spiritual death is described in Scripture as eternal separation from God in a place called hell (Revelation 20:11–15). The Bible also explains that, like convicted criminals on death row, there is nothing we can do in our own efforts to erase our guilt (Romans 3:10–18). Though we might consider ourselves to be "good" people, God's standard is perfection — and there are no perfect people. We all therefore stand hopelessly condemned before the divine Judge, God Himself.

Jesus' Perfect Sacrifice

Thankfully, in His infinite mercy and love, God has offered us a pardon for our sin. He knew that we could not save ourselves, so He sent us His Son Jesus Christ (John 3:16). Jesus, who as God took on human flesh (John 1:1, 14), was born in Israel some two thousand years ago. He lived a perfect life and then paid the penalty for sin by dying on a cross (Philippians 2:8; 1 Peter 3:18). He did not deserve to die because He never sinned. Yet He chose to die so that He could take the place of those He came to save. He endured the penalty that they rightfully deserved, meaning that He was their substitute (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 4:9–10).

Jesus was buried after the Roman soldiers confirmed that He was dead. But, miraculously, He didn't stay in the tomb. Three days later He conquered death and rose from the grave, demonstrating that His sacrifice had satisfied God's justice (Romans 1:4). He then ascended into heaven, where He remains to this day (Acts 1:9–11).

As the Savior of the world, Jesus offers forgiveness from sin and salvation to all those who place their faith in Him (John 6:40; Romans 5:8–10). The Bible makes it clear that He is the only way to be made right with God (John 14:6). Pardon for sin comes by no other means. Acts 4:12 clearly says, "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Jesus Christ alone is God's solution for our sin.

Our Necessary Response

Since salvation is found only in Christ, it cannot be found in our own righteous efforts (Ephesians 2:8–10). It is based on His work, not ours. The Bible is very clear that there is nothing we can do to earn God's saving grace (Titus 3:5–7). Nonetheless, Jesus' free offer of salvation demands a response on our part.

Recognizing that we are sinners in desperate need of a Savior, we must cry out to God for mercy and wholly embrace in faith the pardon He has provided for us through His Son (cf. Luke 18:13–14; Acts 16:30–31). We must believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be (see Section 5 of this book) and trust in His death as the payment for our sin (John 11:25–26; Colossians 2:13–14). As Romans 10:9 promises, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."