The Case for Christ

Introduction

Claiming that Jesus was an actual historical figure and that He died and was resurrected are the foundations of the Christian message. This paper will set forth some of the evidence that Jesus is the Savior of mankind, the Messiah. Our investigation will look at some of the ancient Biblical documents, the eyewitness accounts, as well as some of the non-biblical sources.

Background

Before we examine the case for Christ, I will lay some ground work to explain my basic assumptions in this paper. Skeptics might ask if anything can be learned from looking at historical documents. So first, we will touch on how to view objective history. Next, because some think science demonstrates that miracles are not possible, we will discuss that topic. In a related article, I show two reasons for rejecting Darwinian Evolution, and that the God of the Bible is the intelligent cause behind creation. (See: Darwinian Evolution Rejected.)

Objective History

In defining history, Mortimer Adler comments, “In its original Greek root, the word ‘history’ means research, and implies the act of judging the evidences in order to separate fact from fiction.” He goes on to explain, “research set the historian apart from the poet and the maker of myths or legends.”¹ While all of them tell stories, the historian restricts his story to inquiry and research of the facts and attempts to make credible statements about particular past events. History is “similar to forensic science in its endeavor to ‘reconstruct’ past singular events,”² and since history investigates unobserved and unrepeatable past events, it is like origin science in its application. So, we will use the historical records to build our case for Jesus as the Messiah.

One type of historical event seen throughout the Bible are miracles, defined as “an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs”³ which we will discuss next.

Are Miracles Possible?

Some have questioned the possibility of miracles, but the Bible records miracles throughout its pages and accepts them as real events. One of the typical arguments against the possibility of miracles is based on David Hume’s conclusion that they violate natural law and that there is a uniform experience against miracles. This ‘uniform experience’ is argued against by C. S. Lewis when he says, “we know the experience against them to be uniform only if we know that all the reports of them are false. And we can know that all reports of them to be false only if we know already that miracles have never occurred.”⁴ This is, of course, arguing in a circle -also known as begging the question. Hume has used the premise that ‘miracles never happen’ and then has used that premise to conclude that there is a uniform experience against miracles.

Science may be invoked by some in order to show that miracles could not have occurred. But using the scientific method could not prove or disprove their occurrence. “What cannot be trusted to recur is not material for science: that is why history is not one of the sciences.”⁵ Therefore, I reject the use of science to try and explain away these extraordinary events.

“Miracles are special acts of God, and acts of God are only possible if there is a God who can act.”⁶ My conclusion is that through a special creation miracle, God made the heavens and the earth, and that it demonstrates that He exists. As it says in Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made.” In the theistic view of the world, miracles are not only possible, they make sense because they originate from God. So, I accept that God has the ability to intervene in the affairs of man and does so to demonstrate His existence and validate His message to us.

Background Conclusion

We will conclude that objective history exists and that we can examine that history to gain an understanding of reality. We affirm that miracles are possible and that there is an intelligent cause behind them, specifically, the God of the Bible.

With the ground work laid, we will next look at the validity of the ancient Biblical documents.

Tests for Ancient documents

The New Testament (NT) is an historical document that can be tested in a legal manner to determine if the declarations made are true or false. One essential legal rule used to evaluate declarations, is that they must give the time and place. If the people or places named never existed or if it could be demonstrated that these events did not happen, then the reliability of the document would be in question. But, if there were sufficient evidence to support the accuracy of the reported events, it would argue for the reliability of the NT documents.⁷

Time and Place Test

The NT provides the time and place with the utmost precision. There are numerous examples, and in some cases archaeological discoveries have proven that certain locations exist that previously could not be verified. “For example, John 5:1-15 records how Jesus healed an invalid by the Pool of Bethesda. John provides the detail that the pool had five porticoes. For a long time people cited this as an example of John being inaccurate, because no such place had been found. But more recently the Pool of Bethesda has been excavated -it lies maybe forty feet below ground- and sure enough, there were five porticoes.”⁸

In addition to the time and place test, military historian Dr. Sanders offers three basic tests that can be used to determine if an ancient document is accurate and reliable:⁹

• Bibliographical Test: Since we do not have the original documents (autographs), how reliable and accurate are the copies we have in regard to the number of manuscripts (MSS), and what is the time interval between the original and the copy/copies in existence?
• Internal Test: What is in the text? Is the text internally consistent?
• External Test: What is outside the text? What pieces of literature or other data are extant (in existence), apart from the one being studied that confirm the accuracy of the inner testimony of the document?

Bibliographical test

“There is more abundant and accurate manuscript evidence for the NT than for any other book from the ancient world.”¹⁰ As of 2001, the sum total of Greek MMS is 5,686, along with an additional 18,600 + in other languages.

As to accuracy, there are variations in the texts, but scholars have estimated “that only about one-eighth of all the variants have any weight, as most of them are merely mechanical matters such as spelling or style. Mathematically this would compute to a text that is 98.33 percent pure.”¹¹

Concerning the time interval between the original and the copy/copies in existence, the NT “has a fragment within one generation of its original composition. Whole books appear within 100 years of the original, most of the NT within 200 years, and the entire NT within 250 years from the date of its completion.”¹²

These facts “bear witness that the NT is the most historically accurate and reliable document from all of antiquity,”¹³ so that its authenticity is established.

I compare the NT manuscripts to other ancient documents, give a sampling of the abundant Greek texts extant, and provide more evidence concerning the internal consistency of the NT in the article: Tests for Ancient Documents.

Internal Consistency Test

The internal test determines if the document in question is internally consistent. The test uses one of Aristotle’s dictums, which is summarized as, “if it can be shown that the author has not contradicted himself, the benefit of the doubt is to be given to the author of the document itself, and not arrogated by the critic.”¹⁴ The following two principles can be applied:

1. Consider the language, culture, geography, and history of the time in which the document was written.¹⁵

• Language -Because most of the Bible is written in Hebrew and Greek, “we must engage in careful exegesis¹⁶ in order to find out what [is] meant in light of contemporary conditions and usage.”
• Culture -We must understand the customs and cultural context.
• Geography -Understanding and familiarity with geography.
• History -Knowing the history behind a passage will enhance comprehension.

2. Consider the psychology of testimony. This “refers to the way witnesses of the same event recall it with a certain level of discrepancy, based on how they individually observe, process, store, and retrieve the memories of an event.”¹⁷ We can gain insight by looking at the work of J. Warner Wallace, a homicide detective who has “interviewed hundreds (if not thousands) of eyewitnesses and suspects,”¹⁸ and has identified four characteristics in eyewitness testimony.

Characteristics of Eyewitness Testimony¹⁹

1. Their statements will be perspectival.

Each eyewitness will describe the event from his or her spatial and emotional perspective and it will be colored by their personal experiences and worldview.

2. Their statements will be personal.

Each eyewitness will describe the event using their own terms, language, and expressions.

3. Their statements may contain areas of complete agreement.

Some of the eyewitness’s statements may be completely identical, particularly when describing aspects that were dramatic or important to the sequence of events.

4. Later statements may fill in the gaps.

The expectation is that late witnesses who are aware of prior statements will simply fill in what has not been said previously.

We can see the four characteristics demonstrated in the gospel accounts. Wallace states, “all four [Gospel] accounts are written from a different perspective and contain unique details that are specific to the eyewitnesses.” The second characteristic is demonstrated by Mark, in that he, “is far more passionate and active in his choice of adjectives, for example. Several of the accounts (Mark, Matthew, and Luke) contain blocks of identical (or nearly identical) descriptions,” which is the third characteristic. “Finally, the last account (John’s gospel) clearly attempts to fill in the details that were not offered by the prior eyewitnesses. I recognized that [the gospel writers] were consistent with what I would expect to see, given my experience as a detective.²⁰

Wallace concludes, “the gospel eyewitnesses observed a singularly powerful and memorable event and provided us with accounts that are distinctive, idiosyncratic, personal, and reliable. They were recording what they saw with their own eyes, heard with their own ears, and touched with their own hands.”²¹

Internal Consistency Test Conclusion

Geisler and Bocchino conclude that the Gospel accounts all agree on the significant details of Jesus’ life, and “all agree that Jesus was beaten, crucified, buried, and raised from the dead on the third day after His death.”²² “Consequently, we conclude that the NT passes the internal consistency test.”²³

External Consistency Test

What is outside the text? What pieces of literature or other data are extant, apart from the one being studied, that confirm the accuracy of the document?

Several non-biblical writers (even hostile to Christianity) are what Wallace calls ‘reluctant witnesses.’ By this, he means someone who is giving evidence without really meaning to, and therefore is reluctant. Two such writers are listed below. For further reading on how non-biblical documents corroborate the NT, please see the related article: External Consistency Test.

Reluctant Witnesses

Josephus (AD 37-CA. 100)²⁴

Josephus was a first century historian who wrote about the Jewish nation.

In his work, Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus makes references to the early Christians and talks about Jesus:

“At this time there was a wise man who was called Jesus, His conduct was good and [he] was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and the other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive; accordingly, he was perhaps the Messiah concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders.”

Tacitus (AD 56-CA. 117)

(Note: Tacitus wrote anonymously, yet the Annals are attributed to him without reservation by historical scholars because of external corroboration.)²⁵

Tacitus was a Roman senator and proconsul of Asia. In the following passage, he is writing about fires in Rome and the claim by Nero that Christians were to blame:

“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 Pilate, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular. (Annals, 15:44)”

Picture of Jesus

The information gleaned from “reluctant” non-biblical writers from the late first and early second century about Jesus would allow us to construct a modest picture of Him:

Had wondrous power	Could predict the future
Believed to be the Messiah	Accused by Jewish leaders
Crucified by Pilate	During the reign of Tiberius
Was ‘wise king’ of the Jews	Reportedly rose after death

External Consistency Test Conclusion

Wallace concludes, “this description of Jesus, although incomplete, is remarkably similar to the description offered by the gospel writers. Early, external, non-Christian sources corroborate the testimony of the NT authors.”

For an additional set of witnesses, please see my paper, Fourfold Witness.

Tests for Ancient Documents Conclusion

We have examined the NT documents using four tests: the Time and Place test; the Bibliographical Test; the Internal Test; and, the External Test. Using these four tests to determine authenticity, accuracy, and reliability, we have seen that the NT passes overwhelmingly. “The authentic nature and vast amount of manuscript evidence is overwhelming, and even more so when compared to the classical texts from antiquity. Furthermore, many of the original manuscripts date from within twenty to fifty years of the events in Jesus’ life, that is, from contemporaries and eyewitnesses.”²⁶ Next, we will look at the life of Jesus.

Who is Jesus?

The orthodox Christian faith is based on the person of Jesus and that He was God incarnate. This doctrine places Christianity in a different category than any other religion -not just another kind of religion. This section of the paper will focus on and investigate who Jesus is and some of the declarations made about Him. More information on the Testimony of Jesus and the Testimony of the NT Authors can be found in the article titled: Who is Jesus.

The Testimony of Jesus

Jesus claimed that attributes which are only true about God, were also true about Him. We will look at just two of these attributes here.

Eternality

In John 8:58 Jesus was speaking to the religious leaders and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” The ‘I am’ in this statement is the same ‘I am’ that God used to identify Himself to Moses and the Israelites in the Old Testament passage out of Exodus 3:14. When Jesus said this, it identified Him in at least two ways: 1) He was equal with God; and, 2) He was eternal. The listeners clearly understood what He was saying, because when they heard this statement, “they picked up stones to throw at Him” (John 8:59), in order to carry out the punishment for blasphemy.²⁷

Omnipotence

Omnipotence means that God is all-powerful and able to do anything consistent with His own nature. In the Gospel of John, chapter 10, Jesus tells His listeners that because He has power over death, He can save them and give them abundant life. He also explains that He is the one who has authority over His own life and death. Speaking of His life in verse 18, He says, “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” Jesus also demonstrated and claimed the power of an omnipotent person in these additional passages (Matthew 28:18; Mark 1:29-34; 5:11-15; John 11:38-44).

Works of God

In addition to these attributes, Jesus also performs works that only God can do.²⁸

1. Forgiveness. He forgives sins eternally. Men may do that temporarily, but Christ grants eternal forgiveness. (Mark 2:1-12)
2. Life. He gives spiritual life to whomever He wishes. (John 5:21)
3. Resurrection. He will raise the dead. (John 11:43)
4. Judgment. He will judge all people. (John 5:22,27)

The Testimony of the NT Authors

The following passages are a very small sampling of what is recorded about Jesus:

• “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
• “God our savior” (Titus 1:3; 2 Peter 1:1; Luke 1:47; 1 Timothy 4:10)
• “And He [Jesus] is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature.” (Hebrews 1:3)

Claims Evidence

Next, we will look at the evidence supporting His claims. The evidence will include three things: 1) His fulfillment of messianic prophecy; 2) His miraculous and sinless life; and, 3) His resurrection from the dead. Much more information is available on the evidence in Jesus’ life supporting His claims. Some of this information is in my post, Claims Evidence.

His fulfillment of Messianic Prophecy

Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, many prophecies were written about Him and recorded in the Old Testament. Some of these are:²⁹

1. He will be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14).
2. His birthplace will be Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1).
3. He will perform miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6; Matthew 9:35).
4. He will die a humiliating death (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53; Matthew 27), involving:
   1. Piercing of His hands and feet (Psalm 22:16; John 20:25).
   2. Being crucified with thieves (Isaiah 53:12; Luke 23:33).
5. He will rise from the dead (Psalm 16:10; Mark 16:6; Acts 2:31).

These and many more prophecies (nearly two hundred!) were fulfilled in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.

His Miraculous and Sinless Life

Those who knew Him best, who lived with Him for several years, offered many outstanding testimonies. Here are three:

• Peter- “No deceit was found in His mouth.” (1 Peter 2:22)
• Paul- “[Jesus] knew no sin.” (Corinthians 5:21)
• John- “He is pure.” (1 John 3:3)

Jesus also performed many miracles. Here are just a few:

He walked on water (Matthew 14:25); He opened the eyes of the blind (John 9:7); He made the lame walk (Mark 2:3); He healed the multitudes of all kinds of sickness (Matthew 9:35); and, He raised the dead to life (John 11:43-44).

Miraculous Life Conclusion

In addition to that stated above, the Jews of Jesus’ day knew that if someone came to them performing miracles, it was a sign that the person was from God and verified the legitimacy of the person’s ministry. The Jews freely acknowledged that Jesus performed amazing signs and wonders among them. As Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, states in John 3:2, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Even though the Jewish religious leadership knew this about Jesus, many of them rejected Him as their Messiah. They would qualify as reluctant witnesses as I talked about earlier -they were antagonistic to the message and the messenger, but from them we get confirmation of the miraculous deeds of Jesus.

His resurrection from the dead

If we can establish that Jesus actually died and then appeared to people afterword, then we have strong historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. (Additional evidence is in my article Jesus’ Resurrection from the Dead.)

First, “There was absolutely no doubt that Jesus was dead,” as a result of the crucifixion.³⁰ Jesus was crucified by Roman soldiers who were experts in killing people.

In his book, The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel interviews Alexander Metherell , M.D., PH.D. who has extensively studied the historical, archaeological, and medical data concerning the death of Jesus. Strobel concludes, “Historians agree there’s plenty of evidence that Jesus was crucified, and Dr Metherell [demonstrates] that Jesus could not have survived the rigors of that execution.”³¹

Second, we will see that Jesus appeared to many people in many different settings.

Real or just a Vision?

The vast majority of scholars agree that the early disciples had real experiences of seeing the risen Jesus. The scholars agree for several very strong reasons. I will mention just four:³²

1. The apostle Paul, formerly an enemy of the church, was converted and personally saw the risen Christ. Paul’s opposition to Jesus was so strong that it took an extraordinary event for him to change his beliefs. The event – a personal meeting with the resurrected Jesus. He mentions the event several times in his writings and his story is retold 3 times by Luke in the book of Acts.
   
2. 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 records an early oral tradition that summarizes the content of the Christian gospel. It states: “Jesus the Christ died for human sin, was buried and raised from the dead, afterwards appearing to both individuals as well as groups of witnesses.” Even though Paul wrote Corinthians, essentially all critical scholars today agree that this was a very early oral tradition not originally written by Paul. Even skeptics such as philosopher Thomas Sheehan thinks that “this pre-Pauline formula probably goes back to at least 32-34 C.E., that is, to within two to four years of the crucifixion.”

3. The gospels and the book of Acts record the appearances of Jesus to individuals, groups, in indoor and outdoor settings, over a period of forty days. It wasn’t just one or two people who saw a shadowy figure for a fleeting moment. Also they did not just see Him, but sometimes they touched Him or He ate with them, demonstrating that He was physically present with them.

Jesus appeared:

• to Mary Magdalene, (John 20:10-18);
• to other women, (Matthew 28:8-10);
• to Cleopas and another disciple on the road to Emmaus, (Luke 24:13-32);
• to eleven disciples and others, (Luke 24:33-49);
• to ten apostles and others, with Thomas absent, (John 20:19-23);
• to Thomas and the other apostles, (John 20:26-30);
• to seven apostles, (John 21:1-14);
• to the disciples, (Matthew 28:16-20); and,
• He was with the apostles at the Mount of Olives before His ascension, (Luke 24:50-52 and Acts 1:4-9).

4. There is no question that the disciples’ belief that they had actually seen Jesus after his death lead to a radical transformation in their lives, even to the point of being willing to die for their faith.

Arguments Against the Resurrection

We don’t know

One may also respond to the resurrection evidence by saying that they don’t know what happened, in effect, taking the agnostic position. This position is on tenuous ground for the following reasons, according to Habermas:³³

• Without following the evidence, they have rejected the possibility of where the data leads.
• There is plenty of evidence for critics to come to the correct conclusion unless they ignore the results of their own research.

Alternative Theories

This is an attempt to allow for the facts presented by the witnesses, but proposes any alternate conclusion so long as it is not that Jesus really did rise from the dead. One of the most popular theories is that the disciples saw hallucinations. There are many problems with this theory, here is one:

• There were far too many different times, places, and personalities involved in the appearances. To believe that with each of these varying persons and circumstances a separate hallucination occurred borders on credulity.

Habermas concludes that “all other proposed [alternative] hypotheses have similarly been disproven. By far the most likely scenario is that the disciples actually saw the risen Jesus.”³⁴ There is also the evidence of transformed lives which we will look at next.

Transformed Lives

“Virtually no one disputes the disciples’ radical transformation,” and the conclusion of critical scholars was that their change of heart was specifically because they saw the resurrected Jesus.³⁵ There are numerous examples of people who are willing to die a martyr’s death for their cause. So, was the disciples transformation and resultant dedication similar to these other martyr’s?

“No, there is an important distinction that needs to be made here. You and I might die for what we believe today, trusting in the testimony of those who were witnesses thousands of years ago. Our martyrdom would therefore be a demonstration of this trust, rather than a confirmation of the truth. The original eyewitnesses, however, [would know] firsthand if their claims were true or not.”³⁶

This puts the disciples’ claims in a different category than other martyrs. They would know if their claims were a lie. “While it is reasonable to believe that you and I might die for what we mistakenly thought was true, it’s unreasonable to believe that these men died for what they definitely knew to be untrue.”³⁷

Personal Transformation

In my late teens, I was sarcastic and foul mouthed, and even though I tried to quit, I was addicted to marijuana. I knew that my life was empty, so I read and listened to anyone who I thought was spiritual. I became a vegetarian, did yoga, and tried to quit doing drugs -all in an effort to purify my life. Then, a friend started explaining the vast difference there was between Jesus and all the other spiritual leaders. After several months of hearing truths from the Bible, I wanted the abundant life that Jesus offered.³⁸ The problem was I knew I wasn’t good enough to come to Jesus. I thought that I had to get my life straight and change into a better person first. My friend explained that I couldn’t be good enough and, in fact, that was the point! He showed me that Jesus would accept me just as I was and that Jesus would forgive me and change me. When I finally trusted Jesus and was saved³⁹, I wasn’t just changed -as in behavior modification-, but I was transformed by the power of Christ. Some things in me changed right away. For example, within a short time of being saved, I heard the verse where Jesus says, “If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.”⁴⁰ It was then I realized that Jesus set me free from the sin of drug use, and that very day, I quit. Some years later, I attended my 20 year High School reunion. An old friend came up to me and said, “Jim, you’re here!” Then he exclaimed, “I thought you would either be dead or in prison!” It was Jesus, not me, that caused the radical transformation in my life. The good news is that this type of transformation is available to anyone who will call upon the name of Jesus.⁴¹

Conclusion

In this paper we used four tests to examine some of the ancient Biblical documents. Using these tests, we determined that the NT passes overwhelmingly as to authenticity, accuracy, and reliability. We also investigated some of the eyewitness accounts, as well as some of the non-biblical sources. We were then able to use these sources as we considered the life of Jesus, what He said about Himself, and what others said about Him. We showed that Jesus demonstrated the attributes of God and proved who He said He was by fulfilling Messianic prophecy, living a miraculous and sinless life, and by dying and resurrecting from the dead. After His resurrection, He appeared to His disciples and their lives were transformed. My own transformed life is yet another demonstration of His power in the lives of His creation. In all of this, the overwhelming evidence is that Jesus died and was resurrected and is the Savior of mankind, the Messiah.

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1 Mortimer J Adler, The Great Idea: A lexicon of Western Thought (New York, Macmillan, 1992), 308

2 Norman Geisler & Peter Bocchino, Unshakable Foundations (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2001), 252

3 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/miracles 3/18/21

4 C. S. Lewis, Miracles (New York: Macmillan, 1960),102

5 C. S. Lewis, God in the Dock (Grand Rapids, Mich,: Eerdmans, 1970), 134

6 Geisler & Bocchino, 253

7 Geisler & Bocchino, 254

8 Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998), 99

9 Geisler & Bocchino, 254-5. The criteria for the three tests are given by Dr. C. Sanders in his book, Introduction to Research in English Literary History, (New York: Macmillan, 1952), 143 ff.

10 Geisler & Bocchino, 255

11 Geisler & Bocchino, 258

12 Geisler & Bocchino, 257

13 Geisler & Bocchino, 258

14 Geisler & Bocchino, 259

15 Geisler & Bocchino, Summarized pgs 259-261

16 exegesis -critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text, especially of the Bible. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/exegesis, 1/20/21

17 Geisler & Bocchino, 261

18 J. Warner Wallace, Cold-Case Christianity (Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook, 2013), 17

19 Wallace, Summarized pgs 80-81

20 Wallace, 81, 82. Italics in the original.

21 Wallace, 84, 85. Italics in the original.

22 Geisler & Bocchino, 262

23 Geisler & Bocchino, 264

24 Wallace, Summarized and quoted, pgs 195-201. Italics in the original.

25 Wallace, 172

26 Geisler & Bocchino, 277. Italics in the original.

27 An example of using the language & culture of that day to understand the text, mentioned earlier in the paper.

28 Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology, (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 1986), 285

29 This section is based on the work by Norman Geisler, Christian Apologetics (Baker, 1988), 339-51

30 Strobel, 200 Quoting Dr Metherell

31 Strobel, 228

32 Gary R. Habermas, “The Case for Christ’s Resurrection,” in To everyone an answer, eds. Beckwith, Craig, Moreland, Summarized and quoted from pgs 182-189

33 Habermas, Summarized from pgs 192-193

34 Habermas, 195. Italics in the original.

35 Habermas, 195, 196

36 Wallace, 115, 116

37 Wallace, 116. Italics in the original.

38 Jesus says, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’ ” (John 7:38) and, “The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

39 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)

40 John 8:36

41 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)