I believe not only in Christianity and the Person of Jesus Christ, but I believe that Christianity is actually true, logical, and provable. There is substantial proof that God exists, that He created a complex universe, that He entered space/time in the Person of Jesus Christ, and that the Bible is true.
Although there are many other arguments that show evidence that God exists, here are the Top 9 reasons why I believe in Jesus Christ:
The Moral Argument
This argument asserts that objective moral values and duties exist and that they require a transcendent source. If God does not exist, then there can be no objective moral values and duties, and morality is merely a human invention. However, since objective morality does exist, there must be a God who is the source of this morality.
Fine-Tuning Of The Universe
The fine-tuning argument is based on the observation that the universe’s fundamental constants and physical laws are precisely tuned to permit the existence of life. According to this argument, the probability of the universe’s existence being fine-tuned in such a way is exceedingly small, and it is unlikely to have happened by chance. Therefore, the existence of such a fine-tuned universe is evidence for the existence of a designer or creator.
Design (Or Teleological) Argument
The design argument is similar to the fine-tuning argument, but it focuses on the complex and intricate design of living organisms. According to this argument, the complexity and intricacy of the natural world are too sophisticated to have arisen by chance, and therefore, they require an intelligent designer.
Cosmological Argument
The Cosmological Argument states that everything that begins to exist must have a cause. Since the universe began to exist, it must have had a cause, and that cause is God.
Kalam Cosmological Argument
The Kalam Cosmological Argument is a version of the Cosmological Argument that asserts that everything that begins to exist has a cause. The argument then posits that the universe began to exist, and therefore it must have had a cause. This argument asserts that the universe had a beginning and was not eternal, and therefore must have had a cause for its beginning. The argument further suggests that the cause of the universe must be an uncaused, timeless, and spaceless being, which is God.
This next argument is similar in that it proves the Universe is finite in its temporality and is a scientific law…
The Second Law Of Thermodynamics
The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that the universe is slowly losing energy and will eventually run out of usable energy. According to this argument, if the universe were eternal, it would have already run out of energy, and therefore, it must have had a beginning. The beginning of the universe requires a cause, which is God.
Fulfilled Biblical Prophecy
While I believe that the points listed in this blog article are very, very strong evidence-wise, this one may personally be the most overwhelmingly compelling argument for the existence of God.
Here are a few examples of biblical prophecies that have been fulfilled:
- The prophecy of the Messiah: The Old Testament contains many prophecies about a coming Messiah who would save his people. These prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, who was born in Bethlehem, performed many miracles, and died on the cross for the sins of humanity.
- The prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem: Jesus prophesied that Jerusalem would be destroyed, and this prophecy was fulfilled in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed the city and the temple.
- The prophecy of the Babylonian captivity: The prophet Jeremiah predicted that the Israelites would be taken into captivity in Babylon for 70 years. This prophecy was fulfilled exactly as predicted.
- The prophecy of the rise and fall of empires: The prophet Daniel predicted the rise and fall of several empires, including Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. These prophecies were fulfilled with remarkable accuracy.
The fulfillment of these prophecies is powerful evidence of the existence of God and the truth of Christianity. It demonstrates that the Bible is not just a collection of human writings, but rather a divinely inspired document that contains accurate predictions of future events. It also shows that the God of the Bible is sovereign over history and is able to bring about His plans and purposes.
It is worth noting that some skeptics have attempted to explain away the prophecies in the Bible as being vague or easily explained by natural events. However, these attempts are often unconvincing, and they fail to account for the specific details and precise timing of many of the prophecies.
It’s also worth noting that many of these predictions about persons and events happened several hundred years before they occurred. Particularly in the case o Jesus of Nazareth, archeologists have uncovered copies of Old Testament books written long before he as born.
The sheer number of fulfilled biblical prophecies is staggering. Scholars estimate that there are over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament alone that were fulfilled by Jesus of Nazareth. These include His birthplace, His lineage, His miracles, His death on the cross, and His resurrection.
In addition, there are many other prophecies in the Old Testament that have been fulfilled throughout history, such as the rise and fall of empires, the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and the spread of the Gospel to the Gentiles. The sheer number of these prophecies, and the accuracy with which they have been fulfilled, is evidence of the divine origin of the Bible. The odds of so many prophecies being fulfilled by chance are astronomical (even if you only have 48 out of those 300 prophecies about the Messiah being fulfilled in one person, you would have the incomprehensibly large number of 1 in 10157. How large is 10157? It would be the number one followed by 157 zeros!), and it is highly unlikely that these prophecies could have been fulfilled without the guidance and intervention of an all-powerful Divine Being.
The Reliability of the New Testament Documents
This argument focuses on the historical evidence for the reliability of the New Testament documents. According to this argument, the vast amount of manuscript evidence and the eyewitness accounts of the events recorded in the New Testament demonstrate its reliability as an accurate historical record.
Here are a few additional facts concerning this argument:
- The New Testament documents are the most well-preserved ancient texts in existence. There are over 5,800 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, as well as thousands of manuscripts in other languages. The earliest full manuscripts date from the second century, and there are fragments that date even earlier, all the way up to pieces copied from the Apostle John dated between 90-100 AD.
- The New Testament documents were written by eyewitnesses and other individuals with direct access to eyewitnesses. The authors of the Gospels, for example, were either disciples of Jesus or had close associations with the disciples. The Apostle Paul, who wrote many of the New Testament letters, had direct experiences with the risen Jesus.
- The New Testament documents are consistent with other historical sources. Many of the events described in the New Testament, such as the life and death of Jesus, are also attested to by other sources, including real non-Christian historians like Josephus and Tacitus.
- The New Testament documents are internally consistent. The four Gospels, for example, describe many of the same events, but from slightly different perspectives. These differences actually strengthen the case for the reliability of the New Testament, as they demonstrate that the authors were eyewitnesses and were not colluding or simply copying from each other.
- The New Testament documents were written in a context where there were many other competing claims about Jesus and Christianity. Think about this: there were many other hostile eyewitnesses of Jesus. When the disciples presented their testimonies about Christ, their enemies (such as the Sanhedrin and other Jewish religious leaders) could have proven them false. If the New Testament documents were not reliable, it is unlikely that they would have survived and become the foundation of a worldwide religion.
The abundance of manuscripts, the direct access to eyewitnesses, and the consistency of the New Testament with other historical sources all demonstrate that the New Testament is a reliable and trustworthy source of information.
The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ
Jesus’ literal, physical, bodily Resurrection is a central doctrine of Christianity. According to this argument, the Resurrection is a historical event that provides proof of Jesus’ divine nature and the truth of Christianity. Dwell on this a minute: Jesus claimed to be God, He claimed to be the only way to Heaven, He claimed He had the power to forgive sins, and He said He would back up these claims by rising from the dead. So if Jesus actually did rise from the dead, then it validates those claims totally, and we should listen to what He has to say.
According to the Bible itself, if there is no Resurrection, the entirety of the Christian faith is invalid, as the Apostle Paul boasts in 1 Corinthians 15:17, “...if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” [ESV] However, some skeptics have raised objections to the Resurrection. We will address three of these objections and demonstrate that the Resurrection is a historical fact.
Objection 1: The Resurrection is a myth.
Some skeptics argue that the Resurrection is a myth that developed over time. They claim that the stories of the Resurrection were embellished and altered by early Christian communities and that there is no historical evidence to support the Resurrection.
Response: There is strong historical evidence for the Resurrection. The Gospels, which are the primary sources of information about the Resurrection, were written within decades of Jesus’ death, and they are based on eyewitness accounts. The Resurrection accounts are consistent across all four Gospels, and they contain details that would be unlikely to have been invented, such as the presence of women at the tomb and the fact that the disciples initially did not believe in the Resurrection. Additionally, the Resurrection is attested to by many early Christian sources, including Paul’s letters, which were written within years of Jesus’ death.
Objection 2: The disciples were hallucinating.
Some skeptics argue that the disciples were hallucinating when they claimed to have seen the risen Jesus. They claim that the trauma of Jesus’ death and their intense grief caused them to have hallucinations.
Response: The hallucination theory is unlikely. Hallucinations are usually experienced by individuals, not groups, and they are not consistent across different people. The Resurrection accounts in the Gospels describe Jesus appearing to many different people at different times, including groups of people. Furthermore, the Resurrection accounts describe Jesus eating and drinking with His disciples, which would not be possible if they were hallucinating.
Objection 3: The body was stolen.
Some skeptics argue that the body of Jesus was stolen from the tomb. They claim that the disciples or other early Christians stole the body and then claimed that Jesus had risen from the dead.
Response: The stolen body theory is implausible. The tomb was guarded by Roman soldiers, and it would have been difficult for anyone to have stolen the body. Additionally, the disciples had no motive to steal the body, as they initially did not believe in the Resurrection and were not expecting Jesus to rise from the dead. Furthermore, the Resurrection accounts in the Gospels describe Jesus appearing to His disciples over a period of 40 days, which would not have been possible if the body had been stolen.
When the dust settles, you will see that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical fact that is supported by strong historical evidence. The objections raised by skeptics can be addressed and refuted, demonstrating that the Resurrection is a crucial element of the Christian faith.
There’s More…
There are actually more lines of evidence for God’s existence, but these are the ones that are indisputable to me. When you get right down to it, Christianity is not just “blind faith” or wishful thinking, but has deep philosophical, logical, and historical arguments for the validity of Jesus Christ and a compelling case of the truth of Christianity.
So What Now?
It’s not enough to know these facts or to mildly nod your head and think, “Okay, there might be a chance there’s some truth to this whole Jesus thing.” Just don’t sit there and leave it at that. I challenge you to research this more. Dig into more evidence. Look up the research and materials of Christian apologists like Dr. Frank Turek, J. Warner Wallace, Lee Strobel, Sean McDowell, Mike Winger, Cameron Bertuzzi, C.S. Lewis, and William Lane Craig. Pursue Jesus, and I challenge you to make a personal decision for Him. Are you going to submit to this mountain of evidence and follow Him, or are you going to reject Him? Whatever path you go down, you need to say “yes” or “no” to Christ. Please, do it now.
Read this if you’re ready to say yes to Jesus Christ:
Jesus is the Only Way.