The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a religion of mounrning and gloom. (Joseph B. Wirthlin)
Thinking about the musings from Day 52: These Books…Can This Be Settled…Once And For All?…
I would submit to you that there is compelling evidence in the Old Testament that proves its reliability beyond any other religious book. I presented 6 sets of verses relating to: the number of days to create the universe…the number of days to create the mountains…the ratio of a day…the creation of Adam…God, Moses and Mt. Sinai…and the shape of the Earth. These 6 sets of verses help to prove that on multiple, scientific fronts, the Old Testament of the Holy Bible is the most reliable religious book known to humanity.
I would further submit to you that there are in fact hundreds of bible verses that are scientifically provable and those will be presented later on. These bible verses can be found in both the Old and New Testaments….
So why then did I not cover the New Testament in Day 52?
I think now is the time to go a little backwards before moving forwards.
In Day 33: The Basics Of Christianity, I provided evidence that Jesus of Nazareth was either a great man, a great teacher, and/or a great prophet. In Day 36: Jesus…The Outside, Independent Corroboration, I provided evidence from 3 well respected men in the Middle East region who came to similar conclusions about Jesus of Nazareth…
Jesus of Nazareth was in fact a real person.
I began back in those prior writings, presenting the case for the birth, life and death of Jesus of Nazareth.
With that being said, I would submit to you that now the focus needs to shift to not only the life of Jesus of Nazareth, but his death.
And, more importantly, what happens 3 days after that.
I would submit to you that the two most important dates regarding Jesus of Nazareth would be his birth and his death. One should not discount obviously the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth during his lifetime. However, in the end, if one cannot prove both the birth and the death of Jesus of Nazareth, then his teachings during his lifetime in the end could be viewed as meaningless.
Based on the fact that there are an estimated 2.5 billion Christians in the world in the year 2020, the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth must in fact have meaning after all.
The question that you must ask yourself is this:
Do the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth matter more because of his birth or because of his death?
I would submit to you that the question above is a trick question.
Perhaps a more precise question would be this:
Do the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth matter more because of his birth or because of his resurrection 3 days after his death?
On Day 39: The Trilemma, I presented two individuals, John Duncan and C.S. Lewis, who made things even more interesting regarding the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth by posing this dilemma:
The Trilemma.
Was Jesus of Nazareth a deceiver of mankind, who knowingly committed fraud through his teachings?
Was Jesus of Nazareth himself deceived and/or perhaps insane?
Or was Jesus of Nazareth in fact exactly who he said he was, God in the flesh?
Or, as C. S. Lewis simply puts it:
“Jesus was either a Liar, a Lunatic, or Lord.”
So, do 2.5 billion Christians today, ultimately follow the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth because he is a Liar…a Lunatic…or Lord?
That will be covered next time.
Do not feel discouraged if you are having a difficult time going backwards before going forwards. Do not feel discouraged if you are still undecided as to the validity of the birth, of Jesus, let alone his teachings and death and resurrection. Instead, embrace the idea that after learning a little bit more of the birth of Jesus, perhaps the nudge became a little more apparent. Is there more to learn? Absolutely. Embrace the idea that you cannot, nor should not, ever stop learning.
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13 KJV)
Was today’s blog a little confusing at times? Was the content perhaps a little overwhelming? Did you feel lost not understanding some or most of the subject matter?
Those feelings are totally understandable and it is ok to have one or more of those feelings. Remember that you are reading Day 53: Christianity And The Life Of Jesus.
If you haven’t been in class since the first day of school…or when the project began…or when the contract was first signed, etc., these feelings make perfect and logistical sense.
Please feel free to go back to where all of this began: