Conclusive Evidence Validates Faith In Jesus Christ
Plus, Confirmation That Faith In Christ Leads To A Closer Relationship With God
How would you respond if someone approached you at a convenient moment and asked, “On a scale of one to ten, how sure are you that Jesus Christ is divine and one with God?” (1 = ‘not at all’ & 10 = ‘completely’). What would you say?
Perhaps, if you’re a strong Christian, you might be quite sure. Your faith might even be strong enough to carry you through periods of doubt. For the rest of us, questions persist regardless of whether we consider ourselves Christian, atheist or somewhere in-between. You may have even answered “zero” on that one-to-ten scale. Or perhaps, with snark, some negative number.
This is an important question because, as we will see, it is through Jesus Christ that we gain God’s free gift of grace – that is, salvation from our sins – leading to a close relationship with Him and confidence that one day we will have eternal life in His presence. We will also see that we do, in fact, sin and such sin prevents us from having a close relationship with God so redemption through Christ is essential.
Approach
This website presents scientific and historical facts from experts supporting faith in Jesus Christ. Specifically, the evidence demonstrates Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully man so belief in his ability to deliver salvation from sin is justified. Furthermore, it is that faith that reestablishes a close relationship with God and gives us confidence that one day we will be in His presence. This conclusion is developed using this framework:
- Jesus Christ genuinely existed as a real person
- The Bible, our primary source of information about Jesus, is accurate, reliable and trustworthy
- The Bible represents the inspired word of God
- Jesus demonstrated his divine power as being both fully God and fully man
- Jesus, as fully divine and one with God, was sent by Him to announce His kingdom and to deliver His free gift of grace – that is, salvation from sin
- We are saved from our sins by faith in Jesus Christ so that we can develop a close relationship with God and have confidence one day we will have eternal life in His presence
The majority of this website will present facts and evidence from experts supporting each of the elements in this framework.
Side Note: If you’re unsure whether God truly exists, consider the extensive set of facts and evidence from scientific experts found on the companion website, The Search for God. Feel free to go there now because faith in Jesus Christ and a close relationship with God are based on faith in God as the creator of the universe and life itself.
Intents
This material has three purposes:
- For Christians, its purpose is to strengthen our faith in Christ by addressing doubts and worldly questions using facts and evidence from experts
- For those who have lost their faith in Christ, its purpose is to rekindle that faith
And
- For those who don’t know Christ, its purpose is to present facts and evidence from experts so that you consider a connection with him
Summary
Here’s an overview of all the facts and evidence from experts supporting the flow of logic represented in the framework above. Links to pages containing more detailed evidence are included so you can see for yourself. In most cases, short videos are included that present the key facts and evidence. You should definitely check out each page and the associated videos.
Jesus genuinely existed as a real person:
- This is affirmed by reliable and early texts from non-Christian sources, facts about Jesus that all notable biblical scholars agree on, unequivocal testimony from a renowned non-Christian biblical scholar and more
Review the evidence for these points here
The Bible is accurate, reliable and trustworthy
- The Bible is a reliable source of historical information because it was developed over centuries based on meticulous copying and translation with unparalleled accuracy, plus it is supported by dozens of archeological findings and many accounts that dispel arguments it is full of mythology and legend
- The New Testament was written within a few decades of Jesus’ death and used as scripture by the earliest Christian churches; most of the Old Testament was similarly established by early Judiasm
Review the evidence for these points here
The Bible is the inspired word of God
- The Bible demonstrates supernatural consistency and a unified theme of redemption across 1500 years, 66 books, 40 authors, 3 languages and 3 continents
- The Bible demonstrates many examples of God’s all-powerful, all-knowing and holy inspiration plus hundreds of fulfilled prophesies
- The Bible has flourished despite centuries of persecution inspiring billions of people and many of mankind’s greatest achievements
Review the evidence for these points here
It is essential, at this stage, to recognize and reiterate that Jesus Christ was a real person and that the Bible presents the accurate, reliable and trustworthy word of God. We can now rely on those points to see how belief in Jesus for salvation from sin leads to a close relationship with God and confidence that one day we will have eternal life in His presence.
Jesus Christ demonstrated his divine power as being fully God in addition to being a real person
- Jesus demonstrated his divine nature with 19 supernatural traits, capabilities, and teachings
- Jesus asserted he was God and claimed authority equal with God; God proclaimed him as His son
- Jesus fulfilled dozens of Old Testament prophesies about the coming Messiah
Review the evidence for these points here
Jesus, as fully divine and one with God, was sent by God to announce His kingdom and to deliver salvation from sin
- God attests “This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased” then, soon after, Jesus states “…the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
- Jesus’ ability to deliver salvation from sin is validated by his death and resurrection
- Renowned experts present 10 sets of evidence for the death and resurrection of Christ that Christian, non-Christian and atheist scholars alike do not dispute
- From the Bible we learn we are all sinners in the eyes of God deserving of judgment and eternal death yet Jesus saves us from eternal death through his own death; those who believe in him receive his gift of salvation
- God resurrected Jesus from the dead as proof of his oneness with Himself and as validation that his claims were true
Review the evidence for these points here
We are saved from our sins by faith in Jesus Christ so that we can develop a close relationship with God and have confidence one day we will have eternal life in His presence
There are four easy steps to developing a closer relationship with God
- Trust in Jesus Christ for salvation from sin
- Profess your faith in Jesus as your savior from sin by praying to God with a simple salvation prayer
- Understand what it means to have a close relationship with God
- Develop that relationship over time
If you profess Jesus as your savior then you have eternal life right now so enjoy that free gift from God. Nothing more is needed – ever. However, you’ll feel the Holy Spirit enter your heart and lead to follow God’s commandments, love Him, shepherd God’s creations, learn to be more humble and righteous, serve others, and share the gospel. In other words, once you accept Christ as your savior, you will seek more opportunites to follow him and grow in your faith.
Review a deeper discussion of these points here
Get Started With Evidence Jesus Existed As A Real Man
Please add a comment below or elsewhere but please be polite and constructive. Positive/constructive humor is also appreciated as long as it’s clearly humorous. No trolly humor or other such comments – they get old and boring.
Mark Willmon
It is disappointing to me why so many people, in the guise of being Christian apologists (people that defend Christ, Christianity, or the existence of God) are engaged in bringing “facts” to bear, are engaged in bringing “evidence” to cite, while unbeknown to them, through that activity are actually engaging in a process that diminuates faith, belief, heart, things that are subjective in the human spirit. John 3:16 did not say, IF IT IS TRUE that God gave his only begotten son, etc……. John 3:16 simply said, so that whosever BELIEVETH in Him. And Jesus himself said, blessed are those who have seen, but more blessed are those who have not seen. FACTS are more or less irrelevant when it comes to the subjective activity of inward faith, and truly, people of active faith, those that are sound, well-rounded, balanced, social, helpful, loving, trustworthy, wise, good examples, and that profess Christ, find these types of arguments and the interest and activity surrounding them, somewhat absurd……
Editor
Mark,
Thanks for your thoughts here. It’s fantastic that your faith in God and Christ is so strong. However, not everyone is like you. Some, like us, use facts and evidence to put aside doubts and fully welcome the Spirit into our hearts. Said differently, there is nothing theologically wrong with using facts and evidence to support our faith when doubts and questions arise. For example, Church Fathers including Augustine, Aquinas, Basil of Cesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, John Chrysostom, and John Cassian used such reasoning in their writings. At the end of the day, we should judge things by the fruits they produce. If facts like these help some come to true faith in God and Christ or prevent others from losing their faith then isn’t that accomplishing the goals of the Great Commission in Matthew 28 – helping others to believe in Christ and reconcile themselves with God? Alternately, is that not one example of loving your neighbor as yourself?
Thuso Sibadela
How can I understand the Bible better in an order
Editor
Here are some brief suggestions for how to better understand the Bible:
1.) I don’t really recommend starting with Genesis 1 and reading the Bible end-to-end yourself. It’s a daunting task that’s very difficult even over a long period. If you really want to read the Bible end-to-end, I suggest following a reading plan and get some help interpreting what you’re reading. Check out the Bible Recap for this:http://www.thebiblerecap.com/start. Their one year Bible reading plan is awesome. It started on Jan 1 but you can join in, check it out and decide if you want to participate. The daily readings are modest and the podcasts are quite short but essential.
2.) A better starting point is with the New Testament. Get a handle on Jesus’ ministry then branch out from there. Start with the book of Mark. It describes the basis of his ministry. Read it 2-3 times so you get more of the story. Seriously. 2-3 times. Then do the same with Luke which fills in some details. 2-3 times. Now you’re ready for more depth on Christ’s message so read Matthew 2-3 times. All along, note the similarities and focus on the added messages. Finally, read John, again 2-3 times. John’s book fills in many blanks since it was written last and much later than the other three.
IMPORTANT: As you read each book, watch the summary videos from the Bible Project. Here’s a link to the video on Mark as a starting point: https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/mark/. These videos are super helpful in understanding what you’re reading. The Bible Project is awesome! They have videos for every book in the Bible and much more.
3.) Now read Acts – again 2-3 times so you see how the early church was formed first in Jerusalem and then in gentile areas. Again, watch the video from the Bible Project.
4.) Next read Paul’s early letter to the churches he visited on his missionary journeys described in Acts – Galatians and 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Watch the videos.
5.) From there, branch out to James, Jude, Hebrews and more letters from Paul – Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Corinthians and beyond. Watch the videos.
6.) Once you get a handle on the New Testament, start back with the Old Testament. But follow a reading plan. There are many. I suggest a chronological one like the Bible Recap’s.
Good luck. Let us all know how it goes.
Sabatha Makhubo
I am a Christian but still willing to learn
chaukesimonhasani@gmail.com
I believe that Christ was sent to save us from sin