Apologetic: Was Jesus God?

Topic:

In writing to the Corinthian church Paul discussed Jesus’ resurrection. He told them that if Christ had not been risen from the dead than our “faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:17). He continues if our faith in Christ only gives us hope for this life we should be pitied. If Jesus wasn’t God and didn’t do the things he said he would do, then we are to be pitied and are hopeless. Paul argues Christ is risen. Jesus did what he said he would do. He was who he said he was. Jesus’ life and teaching have been under attack ever since. If Jesus is not credible, people can write him off and don’t have to follow him. If they are wrong then they fall under the judgement of those who rejected him.

Facts & Biblical Foundation:

Jesus was fully God and fully human. The truths below were affirmed church in the 5th century in the Chalcedonian Creed.

1. Jesus has two natures -- He is God and man.

Jesus is God

-Titus 2:13; John 20:28; John 1:18;

-He knows everything (Mt 16:21; Luke 11:17; John 4:29)

-He has all power (Mt 8:26-27; 28:18; Jn 11:38-44; Lk 7:14-15; Revelation 1:8),

-He rules over everything (Mt 28:18; Rev 19:16; 1:5)

-He never began to exist and never will cease to exist (John 1:1; 8:58) and

-He is our Creator (Colossians 1:16).

Jesus is Man

-He was born to a human mother (Luke 2:7; Galatians 4:4)

-He was hungry (Matthew 4:2) and thirsty (John 19:28)

-He experienced emotion (Matt. 8:10; John 11:35).

2. Each nature is full and complete -- He is fully God and fully man.

3. Each nature remains distinct.

4. Christ is only one Person.

5. Things that are true of only one nature are nonetheless true of the Person of Christ.

Extra Biblical accounts line up with what scripture teaches. Historical records outside the Bible affirm that: “Jesus was a wise and provocative Judean teacher, he was said to have performed miracles and made prophetic claims, Jewish leaders condemned him for acts they deemed as ‘sorcery’ and ‘apostasy,’ He was crucified by the Roman procurator Pontius Pilate, Jesus’ followers reported that he had risen from the dead, Christianity spread to Rome where Christians were persecuted, first-century Christians worship Jesus Christ as God, the followers of Christ were known for their courage and virtue.” (Reasons.org)

Where to Start:

What is the motivation for wanting to disprove Jesus? Is the student hurt by something that has happened to them and is struggling with their faith as a result? God is love. Jesus is an expression of God’s love and helps us see even more what the father’s love is like. Is there sin in the student’s life that they don’t want to give up? The message of Jesus is forgiveness of sins. When we turn from sin and follow Jesus we find the abundant life he intends for us. Sin doesn’t seem as worth it.

Where to Learn more:

http://www.gotquestions.org/is-Jesus-God.html

http://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-Son-of-God.html

http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-can-jesus-be-god-and-man

http://www.reasons.org/articles/who-was-the-real-jesus

http://www.reasons.org/articles/did-jesus-really-consider-himself-to-be-god

http://www.reasons.org/articles/the-great-claims-of-jesus

Apologetic: Did the Resurrection Really Happen?

Topic:

The resurrection of Jesus is the basis of our salvation. In dying and rising from the dead Jesus conquered death and defeated sin. Paul writes that if Christ didn’t rise from the dead or faith is worthless and we are to be pitied (1 Cor 15:14-19). Is there really reason to believe Jesus rose from the dead as the Bible said he did?

Facts of the Resurrection: (Adapted from an article by Sean McDowell)

Miracles happen. Even today countless people have stories of being healed without any medical explanation, getting checks or money to cover expenses that a person had no money to pay for, and countless little miracles that we often miss.

Jesus Died. All four gospels agree about this. Jesus was crucified by Romans. The Romans were professional killers and would not make a mistake. Crucifixions have not been practiced for hundreds of years because of the brutality of them. If Jesus were sentenced to be crucified it would happen. In John 19 water and blood come out of Jesus’ side. Biologically this can only happen when someone is dead. Jesus’ death by crucifixion is recorded by ancient historians (Josephus and Tacitus)

The Tomb was Empty. It was a new tomb. When the women and the disciples went to see Jesus’ grave it was empty. Women would be the least credible people in Jesus day to report about anything let alone Jesus coming back to life. The government trying to cover up what happened by saying the apostles moved the body suggests they were scrambling and needed to come up with another plausible story.

Jesus Appeared to People After His Death. The gospels tell us that Jesus appeared to the women in the garden, the apostles, and even 500 people at once. When the gospels were written, many of these people were still alive and would have been able to speak up if something was being misconstrued.

Biblical foundation:

Read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ death and resurrection in Matthew 27:33-28:20, Mark 15:22-16:20, Luke 23:33-24:53, Acts 1:1-11 (The end of Luke’s account), John 19:16-21:25.

Where to start: 

There is significant evidence for the reliability of the Bible including the Gospels. Many people try to discredit the Gospels because it means they don’t have to deal with what Jesus said and did. We can be confident in Christ and God’s work in us because of the resurrection.

Where to learn more:

The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel is one of the strongest apologetics for Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

Evidence for the Reliability of the Gospels

Evidence for the Resurrection